Small Nonprofits Solving Big Problems

Three-quarters of American nonprofits have annual budgets under $1 million, and most are even smaller. What these organizations lack in size, they make up for in impact. They respond to local needs, are absolutely critical to community building, and are staffed by people who understand and care about their communities. The Capital and Capacity for Economic Recovery (CCER) program in Greater Philadelphia applied a Complete Capital approach to 22 small nonprofits, combining elements of financial capital (the right money), intellectual capital (the right thinking), social capital (the right networks) and human capital* (the right expertise) to improve each organization’s health in the context of the economic issues facing its community.

*Note: NFF now uses "people and skills" in place of the term "human capital" to describe the abilities, values, and perspectives people bring to an organization beyond their contribution to the organization's bottom line.