Nonprofit Surveys

2026 Thriving Community Survey

Executive Summary

The 2026 Thriving Community Survey findings point to a health and human services system that remains deeply responsive to community need but is being stretched by rising demand, staffing challenges, funding uncertainty, and a more complex operating environment. The organizations represented in this report continue to help central Iowans access essential supports and build greater stability. At the same time, the data shows that many are being asked to meet growing and more complex needs without the staffing, financial flexibility, or broader system support needed to keep pace. These findings reinforce that helping people thrive is a shared community responsibility that requires coordinated action across nonprofits, government, business, philanthropy, faith communities, and residents.

Topline Findings

• Demand continues to outpace capacity and resources. Most organizations reported increased demand in the past year, and even more expect demand to grow in the year ahead. Yet fewer than half said they are currently able to fully meet demand, and only 30% expect to be able to do so in the future.
  
• Resource gaps affect households already struggling to afford basic needs. Nearly all respondents serve households living below the federal poverty level, households that are working but still cannot afford basic needs, or a mix of both. When organizations cannot meet demand, families may wait longer for help or go without services that support housing, food, health, childcare, employment, and family stability.
• Workforce challenges are limiting service delivery. Staffing shortages, skill gaps, burnout, and leadership strain make it harder for organizations to provide consistent services, manage growing demand, meet funding requirements, and plan for the future.
  
• Organizations are managing through financial uncertainty. Many respondents reported balanced budgets or intentional financial planning, but others reported deficits, concerns about financial stability, or limited flexibility to respond to unexpected costs, funding changes, or further increases in demand.
  
• Public funding changes and a more complex operating environment are reshaping the work. Reductions or uncertainty in federal and state funding can affect essential services that are difficult to replace through private fundraising alone. At the same time, organizations are adapting to broader economic, policy, legal, and social pressures that affect how they communicate, deliver services, and support staff, boards, and the people they serve.

For more information about the methodology, response rates, and other details behind this survey and report, please email contactus@unitedwaydm.org.

2024 Nonprofit Sector Survey

In the spring of 2024, United Way of Central Iowa collaborated with Bravo Greater Des Moines and the Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines to distribute a survey to assess the state of nonprofits in central Iowa (Polk, Warren, and Dallas counties). More than 110 nonprofit organizations responded to the survey, ranging from volunteer-run operations to those with more than 700 employees and serving from 20 to 700,000 individuals per year.

The results of this survey present a committed, yet strained, nonprofit sector that is very much in need of ongoing support to sustain and enhance its capacity to address the pressing problems facing our region. Addressing these complex issues requires a multisector, systems-level, community-based approach that includes government, business, nonprofits, the faith-based community, and the voices of our neighbors with lived experience. We must join forces across these various sectors to build a stronger, more resilient community capable of meeting the diverse needs of its members. This holistic approach ensures that the responsibility of addressing social challenges is shared and that sustainable solutions are implemented for the benefit of all.