10.7 million employed by the nonprofit sector – the 3rd largest US industry behind retail and manufacturing.
Courtesy: SocialFish
From a guest post by Ashley Halligan, an analyst at Software Advice.
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Deploying More Technology & Social Giving Campaigns
Another main area experts and reports agree on is the increase of technology deployment in the nonprofit sector. In particular, a Blackbaud report shows that mobile technology will be significant this year with more than two-thirds of surveyed NPOs planning to utilize more mobile tech this year.
Additionally, nonprofit tech companies are emerging one after the other, giving organizations many more technology options to manage their nonprofit, ranging from fully integrated suites to specialized programs for basic needs like fundraising and donor management.
This year a bigger emphasis is expected to be seen on social giving campaigns as well. The 2012 Nonprofit Social Network Benchmark Report says to expect three things:
- The monetization of Facebook
- A bigger presence on Google+
- More fundraising efforts through Twitter
More Hiring & Formal Succession Strategizing
The Improve Group and Nonprofit HR Solutions released a report that showed 44 percent of the nation’s nonprofits planned to create new positions this year. Positions in direct services in fundraising were at the forefront of organizations’ plans to hire.
According to the same study, 70 percent of nonprofits said they didn’t have a succession plan, though those who had implemented a strategy reported that it brought their organization peace of mind, developed talent, and retained staff. Experts expect focus in this area to become a primary area of focus this year.
Some Fear Tax Reform, Others See Promise
Tax promises and concerns, however, are still at the top of mind in the nonprofit sector. Till months pass and charitable giving trends can be analyzed, long-term impacts of the American Taxpayer Relief Act can’t be certain. Some think the act could positively impact giving by $3.3 billion, while others still fear proposed tax ceilings fearing a negative impact of the same amount.