48% of Charity Leaders Say Foundations Are Oblivious to Their Needs, Says Survey

(Source: The Chronicle of Philanthropy)

Nearly half of nonprofit leaders say their foundation supporters are blind to the biggest challenges charities face and could do more to help them meet rising demand for services, train leaders, and deploy new technology, according to a poll released this week.

In a survey of 121 nonprofit leaders, the Center for Effective Philanthropy says it found that only 52 percent “believe their foundation funders are aware of the various challenges their organizations face.”

The survey also found that:

• Groups that run businesses or programs that produce revenue want foundations to help them expand such work to offset declines in government support.
• Almost all of the nonprofit leaders surveyed said their biggest fundraising challenge is winning and holding onto foundation grants, which is even more difficult than getting government grants in today’s austere environment.
• Nonprofits want foundations to award more grants that span several years and that finance general operating needs, instead of putting more of their money into new programs, which often add new costs that charities cannot afford.

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