Fall Sector Survey Shows Nonprofit Challenges are Evolving

A survey is a snapshot in time – telling the story of what people and organizations were dealing with and feeling in a particular moment.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began in early March, ABNN has conducted three sector surveys. Each tells a different story of the daily realities and challenges Alberta nonprofits and charities have faced during the different stages of this pandemic.

The survey we conducted in November, we saw that many of the challenges nonprofits had predicted in the spring surveys, such as a decrease in financial resources and capacity, have come true. Other trends have also emerged, such as concerns for staff mental health, the growing complexity of clients’ needs and delivery, and an increase in demand for services.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to dominate the well-being of Albertans, nonprofits play a critical role in supporting our communities through the health and economic challenges. It is important to understand the issues facing nonprofits so that we can better anticipate what is needed to support a strong and viable future for the sector. Our hope is that the data from this survey will help inform government, funders and other stakeholders about how they can best aid the sector. Equally important, this report should inform our own sector priorities – how must we adjust and how can we support each other during these difficult times?

For our part, ABNN will be using the results of the survey to inform our priorities and activities for 2021. We will be sharing this report widely within and beyond the sector, and we encourage you to do the same. We also expect that there will be many other follow ups and opportunities to build on this data. 

View full report on our Covid-19 Impacts page.

This survey is one of the many ways ABNN works to support a proactive, collaborative and resilient sector, and we share our work freely and transparently. If you would like access to the raw data set or have questions about the results, please email info@albertanonprofits.ca.