New York Council Of Nonprofits
“The past few years have been especially challenging for nonprofits in the Hudson Valley region, New York State and around the country. We are proud to partner with the Dyson Foundation to not only provide the direct services needed to help individual nonprofits adapt and be successful in this ever-changing environment, but also to help assess what the broader issues and trends are in the region.” – Kelly Matthews, Chief Operating Officer
The nonprofit world continued to experience great upheaval in 2021, with changes and challenges in all areas of operation, including human resources and staffing. And while the importance of the sector’s services became more apparent, its critical role in the economy of the Mid-Hudson Valley was less obvious. In 2021, Dyson Foundation grants supported the New York Council of Nonprofits’ (NYCON) work measuring and sharing data related to these key areas.
Plans for a study of salary and benefits in the region’s nonprofit sector began prior to the pandemic in response to a common challenge for nonprofits – offering salaries and benefits that allow organizations to recruit and retain qualified staff. While the survey process was delayed, NYCON persisted in collecting and assembling the data during 2020, and in 2021 released the report, “Compensation & Benefits Profile of Mid-Hudson Valley Nonprofits” (download a free copy here). Funded by the Dyson Foundation in partnership with the Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley, the report gathered data from 77 organizations representing 4,127 employees in six Mid-Hudson Valley counties. Numerous charts and tables illustrate details related to organizational characteristics, employee benefit offerings and employer contribution policies, and position-based wage and salary information.
In 2021, NYCON also began work on a report examining the economic impact of the nonprofit sector in the Hudson Valley. “Mission and More: The Economic Power of the Hudson Valley’s Charitable Nonprofit Sector”, was conceived and supported by several grantmaking organizations in the Hudson Valley Funders Network. Utilizing several data sources, the report demonstrates the economic impact of the 7,700+ active, public-serving nonprofits in a nine-county Hudson Valley region including, for example, that nonprofits as a whole employ nearly 1 in 5 non-governmental workers, making the sector the largest private employer in the region with over 139,000 employees. The report also contains findings about the impact of the pandemic on nonprofits as employers. Using New York State Department of Labor nonprofit-specific employment data for 2019 and 2020, the report is unique in comparing employment in the sector both before and during the pandemic.
NYCON is also working on a regional DEI nonprofit assessment tool which will be provided free of charge to nonprofits in the six-county area. Dyson Foundation grants to NYCON for these reports underscore the importance of information in the sector, and the role of nonprofit organizations in the lives of individuals and communities.
