2009 was not a banner year for nonprofits, but organizations continue to build on lessons learned operating through challenging times.
Paradysz Research’s MarketTrends reports for the nonprofit sector show that, like nearly all consumer categories, nonprofit organizations retrenched in 2009. Overall acquisition promotion activity for the sector decreased considerably in 2009 compared to the prior year, down nearly 20%. (Note: we track only new donor acquisition efforts.) The biggest sectors like Humanitarian and Disease/Health were down the most as groups strategically pulled back mailings in response to soft performance and increased mailing costs.