NonprofitEye

How many nonprofits are there in the U.S.? According to the Nonprofit Quarterly, there are 1.4 million nonprofits in the U.S. 299,000 of which were 501(c) 3's over $25K and 545,000 were non-filing under $25K. That is 845,000, NOT 1.4 million. What are the missing 568,000? Turns out they are "other nonprofits" meaning not 501 (c) 3's . 104,000 were private foundations - 501(c) 4's and the remaining 465,000 was the 501's that weren't "3's" and "4's). Now I was down to 299,000 nonprofits in the U.S. (the kind I usually think of as nonprofits--the human services, the charities, the arts, the education, etc. etc.) But we're not done yet. Of the 299,000, 39,000 of them are the hospitals & health groups I was originally looking for. That leaves us with 260,000 nonprofits - not 1.4 million. Those 39,000 hospitals (only 13% of the 299,000) spend 47% of the billions of budget dollars. Here's the data: ...

Part I in a series examining nonprofit service and "doing good" What does karma OR yoga have to do with nonprofits?" If you think of yoga as an exercise class with a bit of de-stressing meditation, then the answer would seem to be "nothing". Bear with me on this one. I think we'd all agree that nonprofit work is based on the principles of doing good.  The reality is that our work may be driven by political goals, seeking funds, getting paid and getting noticed (publicity). Where does Karma yoga (Sanskrit: कर्म योग) fit in? Karma Yoga is one of the four pillars of Yoga, consisting of entirely selfless service, in which the Ego is given up. It is the path of doing the right thing, of following ones' personal Dharma and accepting destiny. In less abstract terms, Karma Yoga might be cleaning toilets or washing dishes. Doing any type of service without seeking any remuneration in the shape of wealth, satisfaction, name or fame. So this got me thi...