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ARTS ADMINISTRATION & CORPORATE COMMUNICATION Non-Profit Emphasis Track |
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| General
Information Non-Profit Research Resources National Center for Charitable Statistics
Working in the Non-Profit
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Non-Profit organizations usually begin with a vision. Somebody who cares passionately about a certain cause decides they want to do something to help. They gather, form a mission statement, organize a board of directors and develop their programming activities. Meanwhile, they ask individuals, foundations, corporations, and sometimes the government to fund their programs. Non-Profits are service organizations and usually consist of good people that believe they can make a difference. However, no matter how good or necessary the cause may be, fundraising is the lifeblood of the non-profit. A non-profit can not strive to fulfill its mission without enough money to support its programming. A common misconception about non-profits is that they don't make money. While most non-profits are relatively small, some have annual budgets of millions of dollars. Non-profits must raise enough money to pay for their programming activities and staff salaries. Non-profits differ from corporate organizations in that the money they make goes back to serve the mission rather than to earn profits. A non-profit is a corporation that the IRS exempts from federal income tax. Most pursue a charitable mission to improve society in some tangible way. However, some non-profits, like trade associations and lobbying groups, don't seek public support and are not considered charities. The U.S. now supports well over 1.5 million non-profits, which is a 21 percent increase from 1992-98. The National Center for Charitable Statistics tracks the following categories, listed in order of the number of organizations in each:
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