New Findings: 68% of Nonprofit Professionals Report Not Having Enough Financial Resources to Do Their Work

Taproot Foundation Makes the Case for More Pro Bono With the 2017 State of Pro Bono Service Survey Report

The Taproot Foundation recognizes that most organizations tackling social problems don’t have access to the marketing, design, technology, strategy, or planning resources they need to succeed. Nonprofits are understaffed, under-resourced, and need support.

In the 2017 State of Pro Bono Service Survey, Taproot focused in on the challenges nonprofits experience each day, and in this report, identified how pro bono can be a high-impact resource in overcoming these common barriers.

Challenges identified:

• 68% of nonprofit professionals report not having enough financial resources to do the work they do.
• 25% of nonprofit professionals report being responsible for more than one role at their organization.
• 61% of nonprofit professionals report that their organization does not have a full-time staff member dedicated to HR.

How pro bono can impact nonprofits:

• Pro bono connects nonprofits with skilled volunteers for projects their organization might struggle to find funding for (or more likely forgo all together).
• Pro bono builds organizational capacity for projects in areas outside of the nonprofit’s expertise.
• Pro bono connects nonprofits with industry experts who rate high in professionalism and competence.

Taproot envisions that one day all organizations with promising solutions will be equipped to successfully take on urgent social challenges. We’re making certain this happens by ensuring that pro bono is readily available, effective, trusted, and commonly used as organizations work towards achieving their mission.