items of interest February 15, 1999 Issue

items of interest

News and trends worth watching

with contributions from Anthony B. Robinson

According To A Study led by researchers at Johns Hopkins University, non-profit organizations employ nearly nineteen million people and represent a $1.1 trillion worldwide "industry." Voluntary, private, nonprofit groups—from huge corporations like the Red Cross to grass-roots gatherings—in twenty-two countries were studied from 1990 to 1995. Lester M. Salamon, director of the study, referred to them as "a mighty economic force" because their spending averages 4.7% of the gross domestic product in the countries surveyed.

Financial support for nonprofits comes predominantly from contracts with government and other agencies (47%) and fees (42%). Philanthropy accounts for only 11%.

Reported by the
Associated Press
November 8, 1998

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