Center for Volunteer and Nonprofit Leadership
Releases First Marin County Nonprofit Landscape Study
San Rafael, CA – The Center for Volunteer
and Nonprofit Leadership (Center) announced the release of the
first-ever Marin County Nonprofit Landscape Study today. Undertaken
by the Center in 2007, the Study provides an overview of the
current status of nonprofits in Marin including their economic
impact and emerging issues and challenges. It is also designed
to generate baseline nonprofit sector data for Marin County
for ongoing longitudinal analysis, as well as to stimulate dialogue
and action, and suggest strategies for nonprofits and philanthropists
to strengthen their work in the community.
“After seeing 20 years of tremendous growth in the nonprofit
sector, and in response to a growing demand for information
about this sector from funders, donors, community leaders, policy
makers and service providers, the Center developed this Study,”
reported Linda Davis, CEO of the Center. “It was designed
to provide meaningful data so that all interested could make
knowledgeable decisions and work together collaboratively to
address community issues, and plan for the future.”
Some highlights of the study include
- There are 1730 nonprofits in Marin, making it the county with
the highest per capita of nonprofits in the Bay Area and California
- 82% of nonprofits in Marin in 2005 had budgets under $250,000
- Percent of annual income from outside Marin County is 30%
- The nonprofit sector contributes approximately $950 million
annually to Marin County’s economy
- The number of people employed by the Marin nonprofit sector
grew to 9,800 in 2005, an increase of 41% over five years
- 50% of nonprofit staffs live outside Marin
- Approximately 5 million hours were contributed by 115,000
volunteers for an approximate value of $103 million
The Study was conducted by LaFrance Associates, LLC and University
of San Francisco’s Institute for Nonprofit Organization
Management. Data was gathered from stakeholders through key
informant interviews, focus groups and input from the community-based
advisory committee. A survey was administered online and via
the postal service, and data was gathered from various sources
including the Internal Revenue Service, National Center for
Charitable Statistics, and the Urban Institute.
“We are very grateful to Marin Community Foundation, County
of Marin, United Way of the Bay Area, Autodesk and Citibank
for funding this study,” said Davis. “Their interest
in learning more the nonprofit sector and its impact on the
community was commendable. We would not have been able to undertake
this essential and timely venture without their support.”
The study can be downloaded from the Center’s website
at www.centerforleadershipmarin.org after June 4, 2008.
