Dr. Alan J. Abramson
Professor and Director
Center on Nonprofits, Philanthropy, and Social Enterprise
Schar School of Policy and Government
George Mason University
Nonprofit Works: An Important New Tool for Understanding the Nonprofit Workforce
The announcement below was authored by Buzz McClain
George Mason University – Nonprofit Employment Data (GMU-NED) Project
With support from the C.S. Mott Foundation
“In these times of great stress for nonprofits, their employees, and the people they serve, we believe this information will be an important resource. The new site comes at a critical time for the nonprofit sector, as it faces unprecedented challenges to its funding—including threats to government grants and other payments and declines in inflation-adjusted individual giving.”
—Alan J. Abramson
GMU-Nonprofit Works Data Explorer, an innovative online tool launched this March, provides access to the latest official data on nonprofit employment and establishments from 1990 to 2022. Sourced from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics surveys, the user-friendly platform enables users to compare nonprofit employment and wages with those in the for-profit and government sectors.
Nonprofit Works: An Interactive Database on Nonprofit Employment and Wages was previously housed at Johns Hopkins University and has been revamped and updated in its shift to George Mason University’s Schar School of Policy and Government.
At a time when nonprofits, their employees, and the communities they serve are facing significant challenges, Nonprofit Works offers crucial, data-driven insights at the national, state, county, and city levels. This initiative, developed by the George Mason University-Nonprofit Employment Data Project, complements the project’s ongoing research on the nonprofit workforce.
“In these times of great stress for nonprofits, their employees, and the people they serve, we believe this information will be an important resource,” said Alan J. Abramson, professor and director of the Schar School’s Center on Nonprofits, Philanthropy, and Social Enterprise. “The new site comes at a critical time for the nonprofit sector, as it faces unprecedented challenges to its funding—including threats to government grants and other payments and declines in inflation-adjusted individual giving.”
The project’s most recent report, from December 2024, highlighted the difficulties nonprofits have encountered in returning to prepandemic workforce levels, underscoring the importance of robust, accessible labor data. With the launch of Nonprofit Works, stakeholders across the sector now have a powerful tool to better understand workforce trends, inform policy, and drive decision-making.
The nonprofit sector is a vital part of the employment landscape of the United States, employing almost 10 percent of the nation’s private (i.e., nongovernmental) workforce and comprising the third-largest workforce and payroll of any of the 18 industries into which statistical authorities divide the American economy—larger than all branches of manufacturing combined, and behind only retail trade and accommodation and food services.
Alan J. Abramson is a professor and the director of the Center on Nonprofits, Philanthropy, and Social Enterprise in the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University. In these positions, he teaches, conducts research, and works in the broad field of public administration, with a particular focus on issues related to the nonprofit sector and philanthropy.