ASSESSMENT OF NONPROFIT NEEDS IN 2025:
RESULTS AND ANALYSIS
In line with our values of community-rootedness and responsiveness, Michigan Community Resources conducted a survey of the needs of our nonprofit clients beginning in fall 2024.
We talked with representatives from 104 organizations serving communities throughout the state of Michigan. A multidisciplinary team of MCR staff leveraged their backgrounds and experiences with nonprofits to produce a 46-page report documenting our findings. MCR will use this data to inform our services for nonprofits and advocacy across the sector in 2025 and beyond.
DATA SNAPSHOT:
- We surveyed 104 nonprofits for our assessment; 87 were located in Wayne County; 81 were located in Detroit.
- 64 survey participants had organization executive leaders that identified as Black, African American or Caribbean American.
- Of surveyed organizations, Black-led organizations were more likely to be volunteer-run and have lower annual revenues than White organizations (61% of Black-led organizations surveyed are run by all or mostly volunteers compared to 36% of White-led organizations surveyed).
- Across the board, organizations named Programs as the element of their work they felt most confident in.
- While some organizations reported fundraising successes, Fund Development was the element of work most organizations named as their greatest challenge. (Only 28% of survey respondents had a formal 1- to 3-year fund development plan.)
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Many organizations promoted positive workplace culture and hybrid work models to encourage well-being and prevent burnout among staff and volunteers. Still, access to sabbaticals and fringe benefits was limited.
HERE'S HOW YOU CAN USE THIS REPORT IN YOUR WORK:
NONPROFITS
Use this data to measure your own experiences against peer organizations and trends across the sector and region. Are you experiencing some fundraising wins, but struggling to sustain year-to-year? Are you interested in supporting the well-being of your staff and volunteers, but aren't sure how to make the case to funders and codify wellness practices in policy? You are not alone! Read more about these trends in our report.
FUNDERS
To make our investments of capacity, grant funding, and other resources most impactful in communities, we must make efforts to invest in organizations in ways that support their ongoing operations as well as in programs. Read about this and other key takeaways our clients expressed in our 2025 Needs Assessment survey and interviews.
INTERMEDIARY PARTNERS
Michigan Community Resources is clear on how we will use this data to inform our services for nonprofits and the sector in 2025 and beyond. Will you work with us to empower a more sustainably resourced, connected, and collaborative nonprofit sector? Download the report to learn more about our findings.
OTHER STAKEHOLDERS
We see nonprofits and grassroots organizations feeding families, improving parks and housing, and providing crucial services in our communities. The easiest way we can support them is to understand their impact and the vital role they play. Read this report to understand the resource disparities, geographic trends, and shared challenges facing nonprofits in Detroit and beyond. Together, we can advocate for a more collaborative, well-resourced nonprofit sector.
CITATION GUIDE
The team at Michigan Community Resources has worked diligently over the past year to gather data, write, publish, and circulate this report at no cost to the reader. We kindly ask that you use our included Citation Guide to credit Michigan Community Resources when using the data, information, or language published in this report.
CONTACT US
For more information about the findings published in this report, citing this report as a source in your materials, or for other questions and support, contact our team at info@mi-community.org or 313-962-3171.