The latest round of the survey, administered in April, documented several important trends:

• The median nonprofit has seen revenue fall 21 percent from before the COVID-19 pandemic.
• A majority of nonprofits that focus on the arts are facing significant struggles. Nearly 40 percent of the arts organizations that responded to the survey reported providing services at lower rates than before the pandemic; and 22 percent more reported they are not providing services at all.
• Many organizations said they are working hard to get employees vaccinated. The survey found 77 percent of Ohio’s nonprofit employers are encouraging their staff to do so.
   

The overwhelming support for vaccinations was somewhat surprising, but made sense given their missions, Ohio State researchers Dr. Erynn Beaton, Elizabeth Colchin and Yinglin Ma and Bowling Green researcher Dr. Abhishek Bhati said in their latest report on the survey.

“One of the most important roles of nonprofits is to bring people together, whether it be for worship,volunteering, fundraising or fellowship,” Beaton said. “Some nonprofit leaders responding to the survey conveyed a sense of responsibility for potential transmission at their gatherings. For this reason, some are still holding off on in-person events until vaccination rates are higher.”

The most recent survey is the third time since the start of the pandemic that the responses from Ohio’s charitable sector have been tracked since the beginning of the pandemic. The survey has addressed challenges with fundraising, governance and provision of services many charities have faced, as well as the changes organizations have made throughout the pandemic. Partners involved in the survey have been widely sharing the results with charitable funders and policymakers interested in the needs of the sector. The most recent survey report can be found here, as well as a webinar that outlines the most significant findings.