In April 2023, the networks of the National Council of Nonprofits conducted a second nationwide survey to secure the latest, comprehensive information about the nonprofit workforce, nationally, and in Vermont. Learn more and find related reports here.
Why It Matters
When organizations dedicated to serving the public good can’t secure the workforce to provide vital services, their communities suffer. While staffing shortages in delivery services result in longer times to receive a package, staffing shortages in direct-care services mean that families and individuals cannot access life-saving support. When a nonprofit closes, the ripple effects cannot be ignored: communities lose access to food, shelter, mental health care, and other vital services. Nonprofits are doing their part to raise awareness of the challenge to whole communities, to collect and analyze data to identify the problem and solutions, and to take action to protect our communities.
National Report
Key Findings
- Nearly three out of four nonprofits (74.6%) completing the survey reported job vacancies.
- More than half of nonprofits (51.7%) reported they have more vacancies now compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic, and nearly three out of ten (28.1%) have longer waiting lists for services.
- The nonprofit jobs most commonly unfilled are those that interact with the public the most. Almost three out of four respondents (74.0%) reported vacancies in their program and service delivery positions, and two out of five (41.1%) reported vacant entry-level positions.
- Almost three out of four respondents (72.2%) said salary competition affects their ability to recruit and retain employees, followed by budget constraints/insufficient funds (66.3%). Additional causes for nonprofit workforce shortages reported by nonprofits were stress and burnout (50.2%) and challenges caused by government grants and contracts (20.6%).
- Seven out of ten nonprofits (70.5%) anticipate charitable giving to decrease or remain flat in 2023, while 68.7% of nonprofits anticipate the number of donors to decrease or remain unchanged.
Vermont Report
In April 2023, more than 1,600 charitable nonprofit organizations throughout the United States
completed the nonprofit workforce shortages survey designed to gauge whether job vacancies
continue to be a problem for the missions of those organizations, how the vacancies impact
communities, and what actions have been taken and are proposed for alleviating the challenges.
More than twenty-five Vermont nonprofits provided insights that provide the substance of this
report.
Key Findings
- Well more than half (57.7%) of Vermont nonprofits completing the survey reported
experiencing job vacancies. - Better than two out of five (42.3%) nonprofits in the state responded that they have more
vacancies compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic, and 19.2% have longer waiting lists for
services. - 86.7% of respondents with vacancies identified program and service delivery as a category
with vacancies. - Nearly a quarter (73.1%) of responding organizations said salary competition affects their
ability to recruit and retain employees, followed by budget constraints/insufficient funds
(69.2%) and stress/burnout (46.2%). - More than three out of four (76.9%) respondents anticipate the amount of donations will
decline or remain flat for 2023. A similar percentage (73.1%) expects the number of donors to
decline or remain the same this year.