ExpressDeposit: Do Studies on Nonprofit Overhead Actually Help the Cause?

"Numbers" by Grand Maitre

“Numbers” by Grand Maitre

new study reported that higher nonprofit overhead can lead to greater efficiency,  a direct contradiction to a common critique on the charitable sector.  Unfortunately, the actual details of the study aren’t impressive and leave me questioning the value of these surveys.  

Firstly, only 265 charities participated in the study. A small pool, indeed.

Secondly, even less profound is the difference between higher and lower overhead, a whopping 0.7% (11.5% vs. 10.8).

Are these the numbers that are going to persuade cynics that charities can invest in infrastructure?

More convincing than third-party studies are the internal measurements and financial narratives conducted by the organizations themselves.

Tizku Lemitzvot,

Shuey


EXPRESSDEPOSIT’s are a new feature to the site, offering 100 WORDS OR LESS on funding, finance, trends, and best practices relating to Israel’s global nonprofit sector.

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