Giving Compass' Take:

• Research from the Johns Hopkins for Civil Society Studies’ Nonprofit Economic Data Project shows the sustainability, growth, and vastness of the nonprofit sector as it reaches the status as the third largest employer in the United States. 

• Are more individuals seeking jobs in the nonprofit sector because of the social impact nature of the work, or because the work is changing and gaining a more sustainable infrastructure to retain employees?

• Read about changing the mindset of nonprofit work and how funders can take steps to support nonprofit leaders in order to increase sustainability. 

Nonprofits talk a lot about their missions to do good and change the world, but the collective might of these groups has strengthened quality of life within the U.S. another way: As a sector, the nonprofit world represents the country’s third largest employer.

Nearly 12 million people work for various social good groups. Among nonprofits, more than half of those jobs are in health care, with social services and education also accounting for a large share.

These jobs actually aren’t primarily funded by what is typically thought of as philanthropy dollars, money that must be continuously donated by large benefactors. Most are supported both through government funding and commercial income from fees and charges.

As a recent report from the Johns Hopkins Center for Civil Society Studies’ Nonprofit Economic Data Project show that these jobs are generally sustainable

People in these fields may make less than bankers or programmers but ultimately provide a harder to measure social value as part of America’s social safety net. “This is a sector in which the contribution that it is making to people’s lives is better reflected in employment than it is in just in raw dollars.”

To help people understand the local impact, Johns Hopkins has also released a web app called Nonprofit Works, which allows users to compare employment levels, industries included, and wage trends on state or county levels.

Read the full article about nonprofit employment by Ben Paynter at Fast Company