Research

Developed by the Mid-South Philanthropy Network as a self audit, the purpose of the Memphis Funders’ Racial Equity Audit is to measure the extent of local equitable grantmaking, uncover shortfalls, and reflect on and put into action ways to create more racially equitable grantmaking. The first audit was conducted in 2020, covering a three-year period. This second audit covers the next three years.

This case study has been developed in partnership with Momentum Nonprofit Partners, representatives from Shelby County (TN) government and Christian Brothers University. The purpose for this case study is to highlight the impact that intentional and structured partnerships between the government and nonprofit sectors have on the communities they serve. This case study will explore the steps Shelby County took to establish their evolving government-nonprofit sector partnership model as well as the impact that this innovative partnership model has made and will continue to make in the Mid-South community.

In April 2023, more than 1,600 charitable nonprofit organizations throughout the United States completed the nonprofit workforce shortages survey designed to gauge whether job vacancies continue to be a problem for the missions of those organizations, the impact on communities, and actions taken and proposed for alleviating the challenge. More than thirty Tennessee nonprofits provided insights that provide the substance of this report.

The Building Movement Project (BMP) surveyed leaders in the nonprofit sector to find out what they needed to maintain and build their organizational infrastructure in order to fulfill their mission. Their national report on their responses – Building the Capacity of Community-Based Organizations: The Real Needs – found that nonprofit leaders of smaller community nonprofits have similar capacity issues across race. However, the data also show there are differences between white and BIPOC leaders when it comes to finding the capacity-building supports they need to address these challenges. BMP produced this report, Building the Capacity of Community-Based Organizations in Tennessee as part of a series of seven local reports that support their partners like Momentum Nonprofit Partners in meeting the infrastructure needs of organizations in their regions. In each of the local reports, they compare findings from the local subset of the data to the total national sample. Throughout this brief, the terms “local” and “national” are used to refer to the samples. Unless otherwise specified, “local” refers to the Tennessee sample region and “national” refers to the total survey responses presented in our national report.

We hope that this compensation report provides helpful guidance for board members and executive staff to better determine staff salaries. This report also serves as a bellwether for policy changes in our Mid-South nonprofits that better support our employees and, in turn, better support the communities that Mid-South nonprofits serve.

Issues of talent justice, disparities in pay based on gender and race, and the lack of professional development among some key staff members are a few of the new revelations we have included in this report.

Momentum Nonprofit Partners, in partnership with University of Memphis Institute for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership, is happy to share the results of our 2020 State of the Sector survey with you! The report provides insight into the local nonprofit sector and includes data-informed recommendations to both nonprofits and philanthropy.

In January of 2020, we launched a survey to nonprofit organizations in Memphis and the Mid-South region, the results of which formed the 2020 State of the Mid-South Nonprofit Sector Report. Just a few weeks after the survey was complete, the COVID-19 pandemic arrived on our doorstep, drastically changing the way nonprofits operate, deliver programs, and fundraise. We have added this important addendum to our 2020 State of the Mid-South Nonprofit Sector Report to reveal new information post-COVID.

Developed by the Mid-South Philanthropy Network as a self audit, the purpose of the Memphis Funders’ Racial Equity Audit is to measure the extent of local equitable grantmaking, uncover shortfalls, and reflect on and put into action ways to create more racially equitable grantmaking. Twelve of the 21 Mid-South Philanthropy members participated, most by filling out a survey and completing a video conference interview with consultants. Three additional local intermediary funders also participated, resulting in a total of 15 participating funders. This report provides anonymized data that summarizes the findings of the surveys and interviews.

This report, provided by Building Movement Project, offers findings from the subset of 2019 survey respondents who work in the Memphis area. It builds upon the findings of the main report and explores how issues of race and race equity impact the nonprofit sector in a city known for its civil rights and racial justice activism. Momentum Nonprofit Partners collaborated with Building Movement Project to recruit participants for this study.