Aug. 17 marks National Nonprofit Day – a great opportunity to focus on the tremendous impact that the nonprofit sector has on our region’s socioeconomic status.
The San Antonio Area Foundation, along with key community partners, issued a study released earlier this year that showed that nonprofits across our region collectively amounted to a $15 billion engine in 2023, employing nearly 90,000 workers.
The 2024 State of the Nonprofit Sector Impact Report was a partnership between the Area Foundation, The Nonprofit Council, Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, and Community Information Now. It looked at 2022-2023 data to provide a snapshot of the nonprofit sector in Bexar County and the surrounding areas following the COVID-19 outbreak.
“Our world, along with our community, has undergone significant changes since the last report was published,” according to the report. “We have witnessed a substantial rise in demand driven by historical events, including the COVID-19 pandemic, climate disasters, and significant shifts in our population.”
With the world turned upside down by the pandemic, the report provided evidence of the unmistakable continued need for the work of nonprofits in our community. Of the groups and organizations surveyed for the report, eight of out 10 found a staggering 78 percent increase in the demand for their services and a majority reported having waitlists for assistance.
The report found that nonprofits grew in numbers faster than the rate of growth in the local private sector. Considering that the three largest areas serviced included health and wellness (60 percent), education (48 percent), and family and well-being (41 percent), it becomes evident that the need to close opportunity gaps for those who need it most in a post-pandemic world shows no sign of slowing down.
“I think that our social sector will continue to be resilient. It has to be, because there are a lot of people who need help,” said Jane Paccione, Managing Director of Collective Impact at the Area Foundation who served as the organization’s point-person on the report.
“As a nation, we need our social sector to be strong. We’ve got many people dealing with some real challenges, especially young people and older adults. We just have to keep moving forward,” Paccione added.
One of the key takeaways from the report was how it outlined the increase in collaboration among nonprofits. The Area Foundation has long promoted the need for cooperation, and the report emphasized this key driving factor.
“This report represents a shift from intuition to evidence — moving beyond what we feel to what we actually know about our nonprofit landscape,” Paccione said. “The fact that we partnered with other funders on this research itself demonstrates the collaborative spirit that’s becoming essential to our work.”
We are all connected as a society, and we should all do our part to help one another – together.
“The pandemic accelerated changes we’re already seeing — deeper collaboration, smarter use of technology, and more innovative approaches to our work,” Paccione noted. “What’s certain is that nonprofits will remain the first responders to our community’s evolving needs, adapting as quickly as the challenges themselves change.”
Eric Moreno is a member of the San Antonio Area Foundation Marketing & Communications Storytelling Ambassador Network.
