BLOG

August 17, 2023

Today is National Nonprofit Day, commemorating the Tariff Act, which the U.S. Congress signed into law in 1894. The Tariff Act taxed corporations but excluded nonprofits in honor of their unique importance and significant societal contributions. Thank you to all nonprofits for your tireless work and dedication to making a positive impact on communities and causes around the world. Sherita J. Herring, an author and respected speaker, launched National Nonprofit Day.

Locally, nonprofit organizations have shown their resilience, simultaneously facing a pandemic and an increased need for services. During the pandemic, these vital organizations generated more revenue, hired more staff and served more people with life-saving goods and services. Without them, numerous families would have been homeless, hungry and hopeless.

“Nonprofits fill a significant role in this community in helping people survive and thrive — and they do it with professionalism, utmost care and precision from both a business and emotional perspective,” said McKenna Foundation CEO Alice Jewell. “They help people, but only with the support of the community around them.”

According to a 2021 McKenna Foundation survey, local nonprofit organizations served 272,281 unique clients in 2021, an 11% increase from the 245,226 clients seen in 2019.

Local nonprofits showed a 46% increase in annual revenue between 2019 and 2021. Organizations saw a yearly revenue of $82 million in 2021. Nonprofits also experienced a 36% increase in full-time jobs, from 542 in 2019 to 738 in 2021.

Nonprofit organizations put $68 million back into the local economy in 2021, a 33% increase from 2019.

“The goal of the McKenna Foundation is to support growing and thriving nonprofits that strengthen social services for residents of New Braunfels and Comal County,” said Kristen Fain, the McKenna Foundation’s program officer. “Ultimately, we work toward a lasting impact on the lives of people in our community. People change people’s lives. The nonprofit community is strong but needs to scale up to meet growing demand. The community needs more today, so we have to invest in people for tomorrow.”

Here are some other statistics about nonprofit organizations in Texas:

— There are 140,043 organizations in Texas, according to Cause IQ. These Texas nonprofit organizations employ 917,476 people, earn more than $191 billion in revenue annually and maintain assets of $499 billion.

— Organizations with less than $1 million in revenue account for 3.4% of combined nonprofit revenues, whereas organizations in Texas with more than $100 million account for 67.2% of nonprofit earnings.

— There are 10,357 organizations in the greater San Antonio metro area, including the cities of San Antonio and New Braunfels. These San Antonio metro nonprofits employ 78,493 people, earn more than $14 billion in revenue annually and maintain assets of $31 billion.

— Churches, schools, and foundations dominate the nonprofit sector, accounting for almost 40% of all nonprofits in the United States, according to Cause IQ. After that, about 15% of organizations are classic civil, social and business engagement organizations, including little leagues, chambers of commerce and fraternal organizations. The following 7% include emergency assistance providers, residential care facilities, and other human services. Another 7% are museums, arts groups and other cultural and humanities nonprofits. The remaining types of nonprofits

— about one-third of all nonprofits — all have 4% or less of the total and include everything from unions to environmental advocacy to think tanks and civil rights.

— According to Giving USA, charitable giving by individuals, endowments, foundations and corporations in the U.S. amounted to $449.64 billion in 2019, one of the highest years ever for charitable giving.

For a nonprofit resource directory, click here.