One Hopeful Number for Charities

Many of my posts lately have focused on the challenges the charitable sector faces, and how difficult it's been for many to survive.  Of course, charities have tremendous strengths too.

A short list of these positive attributes include:

• Passionate, motivated and dedicated staff, volunteers and supporters
• A reason for being that stirs true commitment, beyond a simple profit motive
• Generally lean and efficient operations
• Favourable tax and financial supports

And counter-intuitively, I would also include the fact that there is increasing demand for the services that most charities and non-profits provide.  It will be difficult for the sector to truly "collapse" when there is so much demand...

But the one most hopeful number is this: 71.5%.  That the percentage of employees in the "voluntary and non-profit" sector in 2008 who had a college diploma, a university degree, or a post-graduate degree.

In short, the hundreds of thousands of people working in this sector are also highly educated.  I don't think it's too far a reach to suggest this equates to a level of creativity, of thoughtfulness, and simple brainpower that bodes well for our viability.

Yes there are storms ahead, but the number 71.5% may well be one glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel.