In early April, The Nonprofit Coordinating Committee of New York (NPCC) launched its first-ever Needs Assessment Survey. The survey is designed to help NPCC understand what more can be done for its members and for organizations sector-wide. The responses gathered will help identify common trends and areas of concern relating to policy, government regulations, and management.
In under one month NPCC received 350 responses. Below are some interesting results from the survey so far:
- 34% of respondents said that they experienced an organizational crisis in the past 5 years. Leadership transition and financial instability appear to be the most common crises.
- The main barrier preventing organizations from engaging in policy issues is time.
- "Perceptions that nonprofits have inadequate resources" is the common response to the question about negative perceptions that have hindered a nonprofit's ability to work.
- Many respondents think ongoing professional development programs would be the most beneficial capacity-building service to their organization.
- Branding and marketing is listed as the biggest challenge in communications for nonprofits.
Human services and education organizations have been the predominant types of nonprofits responding to the survey so far. NPCC needs more information, especially from the fields not yet represented.