Welcome to Research Friday! As part of a continuing series, we invite a nonprofit expert to highlight a research report or study and discuss how it can inform and improve day-to-day nonprofit practice.

Government funding hovers on the edge of a fiscal cliff. The economy and housing markets continue to tremble. And true natural disasters are sowing human tragedy across the globe.

We depend on the nonprofit sector to help alleviate these problems. Yet, in a time of so much uncertainty and such great need, many struggle to respond. How are our fellow nonprofits doing it? We want to know, and we want to share this knowledge with the world.

Nonprofit Finance Fund is conducting its fifth annual State of the Sector survey to find out what nonprofits and the communities they serve need most. This anonymous survey asks nonprofit leaders about the management and financial challenges they’re facing as they work tirelessly on mission. In a sector that often lacks data, this survey illustrates real-time financial and operational trends.

We share the aggregated results of the survey with foundations, government entities, media, associations, advocacy organizations and nonprofits themselves. The results improve grantmaking practices, help shape conversations on the needs of the social sector, and provide a rich source of data.

Last year, more than 4,600 nonprofit professionals shared their stories, allowing us to both zoom out to show a national overview and focus in on particular sectors, organization sizes, and geographical areas. We are thrilled this year to be partnering with the Alliance of Arizona Nonprofits, meaning that organizations in AZ can compare their state or sector data to the rest of the country with the click of a mouse. AAN will also be releasing an Arizona-focused findings report with this data.

We hope you will again take a moment to fill out the survey and make our collective voice even more powerful.

Jennifer Talansky, Vice President, Knowledge and Communications, is responsible for Nonprofit Finance Fund's strategies and activities on marketing, press, social media and thought leadership. Her team also conducts NFF's annual State of the Nonprofit Sector survey.

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