Open the Floodgates to Sustainability: Income Assessment

Mark the answer that best describes your nonprofit. If you are unsure of any answer, just give your best guess. When you are done, press total to receive your score.

Part 1: About Your Organization

Name*

First Last

Title*

Organization Name*

Email*

1. We have a strategy to obtain sustainable income and a logical plan. Over time, it will provide us income to thrive.*

(a) strongly disagree
(b) disagree
(c) agree
(d) strongly agree

2. Our income stems from:*

(a) over 75 percent from one donor or income stream (1) or don't know
(b) between 74-50 percent from one donor or income stream
(c) between 49-25 percent from one donor or income stream
(d) less than 25 percent from one donor or income stream

3. Our database contains around ___ active names.*

(a) We don't have a reliable donor database.
(b) less than 200
(c) 201 to 1500
(d) over 1,500

4. Most of our donors give to us because:*

(a) tax advantages
(b) to give back and help those with less
(c) to bring about desired change and because they were asked
(d) all of the above, but especially (b) and (c).

5. The percent of our board of directors that made a cash contribution last year is:*

(a) less than 50 percent or not sure
(b) 50-74 percent
(c) 75-89 percent
(d) 90-100 percent

6. Three months after people attend our special events (i.e., a golf tournament or gala) they are:*

(a) unsure who we are
(b) surprised to hear from us
(c) actively donating
(d) asking how else to be involved

7. At our nonprofit, requests for bequests (i.e., "please remember us in your will") are:*

(a) non-existent or don't know
(b) used sporadically
(c) appear in 90 percent of our publications
(d) appear in our publications and we have a legacy club

8. We have a gift acceptance policy. (Choose the closest.)*

(a) What's a gift acceptance policy?
(b) We found a policy online and adopted it without board discussion.
(c) The board reviewed and adopted our policy more than three years ago.
(d) The board adopted and reviewed or refined within the last three years.

9. We have an inventory of ideas for earned income opportunities that includes:*

(a) I just learned that it is okay for a nonprofit to earn income.
(b) one to five ideas
(c) five ideas to ten ideas
(d) ten or more

10. The last time we tried a new earned income opportunity was:*

(a) never
(b) more than five years ago
(c) between three and five years ago
(d) less than three years ago

11. We have a growing community of supporters, including customers, donors and volunteers:*

(a) strongly disagree
(b) disagree
(c) agree
(d) strongly agree

Part 2: Your Understanding About The Nonprofit Sector

12. Sector-wide, the largest source of nonprofit income is:*

(a) corporations or don't know
(b) grants
(c) individual donations
(d) mission earned revenue, that is, money earned selling a product or service related to our mission.

13. Sector-wide, what percent of all nonprofits revenue is earned (versus donated)?*

(a) less than 10 percent or don’t know.
(b) between 11 percent and 33 percent
(c) less than 50 percent
(d) more than 50 percent

14. The average tenure of a development director, a management position whose responsibility is to recruit and manage staff to raise donated income, is*

(a) more than five years or clueless
(b) less than one year
(c) between three and five years
(d) less than three years

15. To begin an earned revenue (or social enterprise) opportunity, nonprofits need at least this much money:*

(a) $50,000 or more
(b) $49,999 to $25,000
(c) $24,99 to $5,000
(d) $4,999 or less

Comments: What is your greatest revenue need?

Nonprofit Income Descriptions

Corporate income: Corporate income is nonprofit income from a business, corporation, or for-profit entity.

Government: Government funding is earned revenue obtained by offering services—usually for community good—paid for by the government.

Grants: Grant income comes from a private foundation, community foundation, federated fund (such as United Way), or other group that distributes funds to nonprofits, generally in a competitive process involving a written request.

Individual donations: Gifts from individuals and families are individual donations. This stream includes everything from small donations, to special event revenue from individuals and endowments.

In-kind gifts/donations: In-kind gifts, or in-kind donations, are contributions of goods and services that nonprofits receive free or at low cost.

Mission income: Mission income is funding your nonprofit earns by doing its mission and providing services or products associated with it.

Other income: Other income is revenue that your nonprofit earns from providing a service or from selling goods when the product or service has little or no relationship to your mission, such as selling soda at an event.