What is the Nonprofit Primary Project?

• The Primary Project is a Presidential Candidate Education initiative of the NH Center for Nonprofits in partnership with the National Council of Nonprofits.
• Our goal is to seek out the candidates as they travel through NH and engage each in a discussion about the impact of the nonprofit sector. Each candidate is asked the same questions and their responses are shared via the internet with sector leaders and the public both in NH and nationally.
• The goals of the project are simple but powerful; 1.) Educate the candidates on the breadth and depth and impact of the nonprofit sector 2.) Educate the audience about the nonprofit sector at each candidate event  Share the responses form the candidates in NH and across the US 4.) Help those new to advocacy gain nonprofit advocacy skills and 5.) Share the lessons learned with nonprofit leaders in NH and across the US.
• How and where do we begin?
• The Center will host an informational session about the project early this and also provide information about the project in upcoming newsletters and on our website
• At the training session and via our upcoming newsletter you will receive the set of basic question to ask the candidates and a fact sheet about the nonprofit sector
• The Center will be an informational clearinghouse of upcoming candidate events and appearances, tracking place, date and times candidates will appear and letting you know where you can participate in your region
  

Is it legal to talk to candidates?

• The Center will provide training on the legalities of election-time activities and information on how to participate in the time-proved practice of bird-dogging.
• And yes, it is legal to educate candidate about the sector, but nonprofits are not allowed to endorse a candidate, hang up posters for a candidate or provide funds for a candidate’s campaign. 
• The Center will provide the basic questions we would like you to ask each candidate as well as information about the sector, such as the size, number of volunteers, revenue generated and number of employees the sector hires.
• While most of these events are very brief, we also hope that you take advantage of any opportunity to expand the discussion and share with the candidate’s information about what your organization does and how you believe in its importance.
• We also urge you to get a photo taken of you and the candidate if possible for our website and to share in our final video about the project.
  

What was the experience of the Primary Project with the 2008 elections?

• In 2008 we talked with and recorded responses from 18 presidential candidates from all parties and where able to include about 12 in our final video
• More than 20 nonprofit leaders took part and all expressed what a positive learning experience the project provided
• Following several of our press releases and website postings, several of the candidates began to include discussion about the nonprofit sector in their speeches
• Several candidates engaged in deep dialogue about the sector at major events including Senator John McCain, Governor Mike Huckabee, Senator Hillary Clinton and President Barak Obama.
• The NH video was distributed nationally through the National Council of Nonprofit Network and was featured at the Nonprofit Congress and in an article in the Chronicle of Philanthropy and TIME magazine.
  

Where can I find out more and get involved?

• The mission of this educational effort is to elevate the visibility of the sector and its impact, and all nonprofit leaders, volunteers, board members and supporters are encouraged to become engaged in the project; together we can reach every candidate!
• If you would like more information about the 2012 Nonprofit Primary Project please contact Michelline Dufort, Advocacy Director, at 225-1947 or mdufort@nhnonprofits.org. 
• The Center’s website will feature regular updates and opportunities.

Some Quick Facts & Figures

National Statistics Show the Value of Nonprofits

America’s economic strength and social stability can only be maintained by recognizing the role and maximizing the capacity of the Nonprofit Sector

The Nonprofit Sector Plays a Major Role in the National Economy:

• Nonprofit organizations employ approximately 13.5 million employees, or nearly 10% of the U.S. workforce. ¹
• More individuals work for nonprofit organizations than are employed in the construction, transportation, publishing, and utilities industries combined. ²
• In 2009, nonprofits accounted for 9% of all wages and salaries paid in the United States.
   (Source: BEA 2010)
• Nonprofits contribute  5% to the national GDP, with assets of $4 trillion.
  (Sources: BEA 2010 & NCCS Business Master File (2010, Nov))
  

The Nonprofit Sector is Valued by Americans:

• 67% of American households give over $200 billion per year to nonprofits
  (Source: Current Population Survey, September 2010)
  
• Individuals gave $227.41 billion in 2009.
    Religious organizations received the largest share, with 33% of total estimated contributions.
    Educational institutions received the second largest percentage, with 13% of total estimated contributions.
    Human service organizations accounted for 9% of total estimated contributions in 2009, the fourth largest share.
   (Source: Giving USA 2010).
  
• 26.3% of Americans over the age of 16 (64 million) volunteered through or for an organization between September 2009 and September 2010. (Source: Giving USA 2010)
  
• Nonprofits work in every community: caring for returning soldiers, rebuilding cities, educating children, supporting the workforce, nursing the sick, supporting our elders, elevating the arts, mentoring our youth, protecting natural resources, and much more.

The Nonprofit Sector is Vital for America’s Future:

• “They help millions of individuals and families daily…give shape to our boldest dreams, highest ideals, and noblest causes. They turn our beliefs into action – as promoters of democracy, champions of the common good, incubators of innovation, laboratories of leadership, protectors of taxpayers, responders in times of trouble, stimulators of the economy, and weavers of the community fabric.”
  

Source: The Declaration for America’s Nonprofits, signed by thousands of citizens, Nonprofit Congress (2006).

A presidential candidate with vision could begin a new dialogue about the social and economic roles of the Nonprofit Sector in America—viewing it as an essential partner in their plan for a common future.

Download National Facts and Figures from the National Council of Nonprofits

The New Hampshire Nonprofit Sector Statistical Overview

Size

• 8,400 nonprofits registered in New Hampshire ¹⁰
  

Growth

• In June of 2001 there were 6,338 registered nonprofits, thus 2063  new nonprofits have registered in the past 10 years (33% growth).¹¹

Economic Factors

• New Hampshire’s nonprofit sector contributes $9 billion to the GDP for the state (15%)
  (Sources: BEA, 2010 & NCCS, BMF, 2010)
  
• New Hampshire’s nonprofits reported $8,085,445,421 in gross receipts and $18,504,701,451 in total assets in 2010. (Source: NCCS, Business Master File, 2010)
  

Employment

• The nonprofit sector employees 102,038 workers. 1 out of 8 of New Hampshire’s Work Force is employed in the nonprofit sector.¹²
• The NH Bureau of Labor projects an average growth rate of all jobs to be at an expected 1 % for the years 2005-2007. However, jobs in the nonprofit sector are projected to experience between a 4.7 and a 7.2% growth rate¹³

Funding

• Source of revenue for those reporting nonprofits in 2007 reflects the following distribution:
• Government Grants 5%
• Private Contributions 14%
• Program Services Revenue 60%
• Investment Income 3%
• Other 18%
  (Source: NCCS, SOI Files 2007)

Download NH Facts and Figures compiled by the Center

¹ Congressional Research Service, “An Overview of the Nonprofit and Charitable Sector,” November 17, 2009.
² Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Situation, Table B-1 (April 2011).
³ Kennard T. Wing, Thomas H. Pollak, and Amy Blackwood, The Nonprofit Almanac 2008 (Washington, DC: The Urban Institute Press, 2008).
⁴ CRS, “An Overview of the Nonprofit and Charitable Sector,” and World Development Indicators Database, World Bank, July 1, 2007; http://siteresources.worldbank.org/DATASTATISTICS/Resources/GDP.pdf.
⁵ Urban Institute National Center for Charitable Statistics, The Nonprofit Sector in Brief 2010.
⁶ Giving USA 2010, Giving USA Foundation, The Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, June 10, 2010.
⁷ National Center for Charitable Statistics, Business Master File November 2010.
⁸ Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey, January 2011.
⁹ Arts & Economic Prosperity III: The Economic Impact of Nonprofit Arts and Culture Organizations and Their Audiences, Americans for the Arts at page 5, http://www.artsusa.org/information_resources/research_information/services/economic_impact/default.asp.
¹⁰ According to the NH Attorney Generals Division of Charitable Trusts
¹¹ According to the NH Attorney Generals Division of Charitable Trusts
¹² The New Hampshire Center for Public Policy Studies
¹³ IRS Business Master File 12/2004 with modifications by the National Center for Charitable Statistics at the Urban Institute
¹⁴ The John Hopkins Center for Civil Society Studies 2004 report
¹⁵ The New Hampshire Center for Public Policy, The NH Bureau of Labor
¹⁶ National Center for Charitable Statistics, Urban Institute