Survey Respondents Overwhelmingly Express Concern over Government Shutdown

The vast majority of nonprofit professionals (63 percent) responding to an unscientific Michael Rosen Says… survey say that they expect the US government partial shutdown will negatively affect their nonprofit organization or they are concerned it might.

The shutdown affects nonprofits in a variety of ways. Organizations that rely on government grants have seen those grant payments delayed or withheld. Organizations that do government contract work are seeing payments delayed. Organizations that assist individuals in need are seeing an increased demand for their services.

In addition to those negative effects, 28 percent of survey respondents expect the government’s partial shutdown will result in less philanthropic support this year.

Interestingly, 67 percent of survey respondents expect that the shutdown will hurt the nation’s economy. Because overall philanthropy closely correlates to the country’s Gross Domestic Product, at a rate of approximately two percent, we can expect overall philanthropy to be negatively affected if the shutdown slows the already weak economy.

Special Report: Reader Survey Results

I recently conducted an unscientific Reader Survey about my blog. Of those who read the blog post about the survey, 23 percent actually took the survey. The number of survey responses is about 7 percent of my average weekly readership. Because a number of folks requested that I share the survey results, I’ve put together this Special Report. Here is how folks responded:

Q1: How did you first hear about Michael Rosen Says…?

• 19 percent, List Serve
• 19 percent, LinkedIn
• 19 percent, Twitter
• 17 percent, Email (might largely be List Serve)

Q2: Are you a subscriber?

• 54 percent of respondents are subscribers

Q3: How do you learn about new blog posts at Michael Rosen Says…?

• 33 percent, Subscriber Notification
• 28 percent, Email (including list serve)
• 14 percent, Twitter
• 11 percent, LinkedIn

Q4: What areas of fundraising would you like to read more about? (leading topics)

• 11 percent, How to be more Donor Centered
• 11 percent, Planned Giving
• 11 percent, Stories about What NOT to Do
• 7 percent, Capital Campaigns
• 7 percent, Stewardship
• 7 percent, Marketing

Q5: How long should posts be?

• 64 percent, About the Same as They Have Been
• 36 percent, Mix It Up with Some Shorter and Some Longer

Q6: Would you be interested in reading posts from guest bloggers?

• 78 percent, Yes (though with caveats)

Q7: Which statement do you AGREE with most?

• 94 percent, The blog content is about right.
• 6 percent, The blog content is too basic.

Q8: What type of organization do you work for?

• 78 percent, Nonprofit Organzation (Non-Governmental Organization)
• 14 percent, Consulting Firm (including independent consultants)
• 8 percent,Volunteer and/or Philanthropist

Q9: What sectors interest you the most? (top five responses)

• 16 percent, Higher Education
• 13 percent, Foundations
• 13 percent, Health-related Charities
• 12 percent, Social Service
• 9 percent, Performing Arts

Q10: How many years have you been working in the nonprofit sector?

• 24 percent, 21 years or more
• 21 percent, 1-5 years
• 21 percent, 6-10 years
• 21 percent, 11-15 years
• 13 percent, 16-20 years

If you took the time to complete my Reader Survey, I thank you. If you did not take the survey, feel free to share your thoughts by commenting below. The feedback I have received and will continue to receive will help me ensure that my blog posts are as meaningful as possible.

That’s what Michael Rosen Says… What do you say?