Future Trends for Nonprofits

The nonprofit sector is experiencing tremendous changes in the business environment similar to any other business. As a result, leaders in the nonprofit sector are becoming increasingly aware of the latest trends and implementing strategies to incorporate these trends in order to enhance their effectiveness. This has contributed to the rapid growth and resilience of the nonprofit sector despite economic difficulties that continue to affect governments and private sectors worldwide (Calhoun & Damm, 2015). Given the tremendous growth, nonprofit sector is currently the third largest employer among U.S. private industries.

In light of the recent trends, the nonprofit sector will continue to be affected by some key trends in the future. One of these key trends is the use of new technologies that decrease costs and make the fundraising process much easier (Calhoun & Damm, 2015). Nonprofits will continue receiving donations through various crowdfunding and online giving platforms like mobile apps and social media sites (Klumpp, 2014). This will in turn continue to make fundraising easier and lessen the costs of operations for organizations in the non-profit sector.
The second key trend that will affect the future of nonprofit sector is increased technology utilization for sharing or storing data. The nonprofit sector will continue to adopt cloud computing since it’s considered less expensive that obtaining a new server and offers more protection from loss of data (Klumpp, 2014). Consequently, the nonprofit sector is likely to benefit from improved data protection and sharing/storage of data. However, the trend could have severe implications on the future of nonprofits if they do not undertake suitable level of due diligence when migrating to clouds. The other trend that will affect the future of nonprofits is increased scrutiny because of the increased emphasis on good governance. This will improve transparency in the operations of nonprofits and improved ethical and accountable practices.
References
Calhoun, N., & Damm, D. (2015, February 9). One Sector More Poised for the future than either Business or Government. Forbes. Retrieved September 19, 2017, from http://www.forbes.com/sites/singularity/2015/02/09/stealth-rally-in-the-nonprofit-sector/
Klumpp, L. (2014). Current Trends in the Nonprofit Sector. Retrieved September 19, 2017, from http://www.urishpopeck.com/pdf/NonprofitStandard-Fall2014.pdf