UPDATE (12/2/2025):
November 2025, Nonprofit sentiment: November initial numbers came in at 3.75 (.4% increase over Oct, “thriving” level). Idealist job data fell by 400 posts, but Glassdoor nonprofit job listings jumped by 40k and carried the rating. Note that data may be updated as job loss data gets reported.
Tracking the health of the entire nonprofit sector in real-time. Like a Nonprofit Consumer Sentiment, analyzing job activity and spending patterns.
Answering a simple question: How is the nonprofit sector doing right now?
This question led Whole Whale down a pretty big rabbit hole, but we found something interesting at the end…
“Many nonprofit sector reports come on an annual basis and months later than it could possibly be useful. Like a weather report for the past month, it is hard to drive only using the rearview mirror. This is what led us down the nonprofit data rabbit hole to create the Nonprofit Wellness Index.”
-George Weiner, Chief Whaler, WholeWhale.com
Every day, nonprofit leaders and agencies make critical decisions: Should we hire? Launch that campaign? Expand programs? Until now, these choices were based on gut feelings and scattered anecdotes.
The Nonprofit Wellness Index changes that by giving you a single, data-driven score that tracks how the entire sector is performing—updated monthly with insights you can actually use.
We monitor the pulse of the nonprofit world by tracking the signals that matter:
How can nonprofits use this?
The Nonprofit Wellness Index empowers organizations to act on timely sector insights. Here are three ways nonprofits can put the data to work—using both our monthly reports and live dashboard:
Make Confident Staffing Decisions:
Monitor sector-wide hiring trends to guide your own recruitment plans. The Index helps you understand if now is a strong moment for expanding your team or if a more cautious approach is needed.
Strengthen Your Fundraising Strategy:
Stay on top of emerging shifts in nonprofit donor outreach and fundraising efforts. See if there’s heightened competition for donor dollars, so you can adapt your campaigns strategically.
Benchmark Your Organization:
Compare your organization’s staffing and fundraising patterns to wider sector trends. Use this objective context for board presentations, annual planning, or strategic discussions.
You can explore these trends in real time with our interactive dashboard, or receive clear monthly reports delivered to your inbox.
Where Does the Nonprofit Wellness Index (NWI) Get Its Data?
The Nonprofit Wellness Index is the first health barometer for America’s nonprofit sector—think of it as the nonprofit world’s equivalent of the Dow Jones. To produce a clear, reliable, and actionable snapshot, we combine real-time data from trusted industry sources:
1. Job Market Activity
We track nonprofit job postings across leading employment hubs—Volunteer Match, Idealist, Glassdoor, and LinkedIn. Higher numbers of job postings signal strong hiring and sector stability, letting us know when organizations are growing.
2. Fundraising & Marketing Signals
Using the Meta Ads Library (for Facebook and Instagram), we monitor spend on fundraising and donation ads. More activity here indicates organizations are investing in attracting donors, which is a sign of financial health.
3. Industry Layoff Trends
Data from the Urban Institute helps us spot sector-wide layoffs. Changes in layoff levels can reveal emerging stresses or recovery trends across the nonprofit workforce.
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