The people behind nonprofit impact: Who’s staying, who’s leaving, and why it matters 

In 2022, we sat on stage at a local Association of Fundraising Professionals conference to talk about self-care for nonprofit employees. As practitioners collectively working as decision makers inside myriad nonprofits for dozens of years, our experience provided direct insight into the challenges facing the field.  

Times were tough, and we wanted to provide an opportunity for open dialogue on the subject, often absent from professional development. It was supposed to be a small breakout session, but the organizers moved us to the main ballroom because so many people showed up to tell their stories. The heaviest days of the pandemic had recently passed and the state of employee wellness in the social sector felt dire. 

After the session, we wondered if these stories of burnout and turnover were regional and anecdotal or part of a larger trend. When we looked for sector-specific data, we found very little. Nonprofit HR’s study showing 45% of nonprofit employees were job-hunting predated the pandemic, while newer information came mostly from academics, consultants, or vendors—not nonprofit practitioners on the ground.  

So, we decided to ask the questions ourselves.  

7 in 10 nonprofit employees are thinking of leaving 

In the fall of 2023, we launched the Social Impact Staff Retention (SISR) project—the first consistent, nonprofit practitioner-led survey of employees in the United States. Each year since, we’ve invited people working in the social sector to share what it really feels like to work “for good,” including both highlights and struggles.  

The survey gathers simple but powerful data: how long nonprofit employees have been in the field, their area of work, their level of fulfillment, and whether they’re planning to stay or go. 

Early findings have been stark. In our second survey, fielded in fall 2024, 67% of respondents said they were looking for new jobs or will be within a year, down from 74.2% in fall 2023 but well above all-industry averages. When we shared the data with staffers and decision makers around the U.S., their response was a resounding “disappointing but not surprising.”  

1 in 3 nonprofit employees plan to ‘definitively’ stay in the sector 

The two surveys also uncovered the following (with percentages from the most recent findings): 

• The top reasons nonprofit employees cite for leaving have been consistent from 2023 to 2024: too much work and too little support (59%), limited growth opportunities (54%), unsupportive management (52%), and inadequate pay and benefits (50%). 
• On the opposite end, those choosing to stay cite flexibility, such as remote or hybrid work (82%), mission alignment (74%), a supportive work environment (71%), and adequate pay and benefits (63%). 
• The cause areas with the highest shares of employees thinking of leaving include arts and culture (93%), social and human services (71%), and health care (66%). The highest-risk roles span marketing (81%), programs (71%), fundraising (67%), and administration and operations (64%); which is interesting, given the common perception that fundraisers are the most at risk for leaving. 
• Perhaps most alarming, only 32% of respondents plan to definitively stay working in the nonprofit sector, down slightly from 35% in 2023. 

What’s new in 2025? 

Now in the third year of data collection, we are putting out the call for broader participation by nonprofit employees. And we’re asking these questions during a time of unusual volatility. Candid’s own research reports nearly 20% of nonprofits that currently receive government funding could run out of cash within three months if they lost those grants, jeopardizing 2.8 million jobs. SISR’s data shows the deeper instability predates the current moment and staff retention is unlikely to improve without intervention. 

The people who make change possible are devoted—but depleted. And they are openly sharing what they need to be healthy. SISR exists to ensure those voices are heard and acted upon. These sobering data points can be leveraged not only to start conversations with decision makers and leaders but also to serve as a roadmap toward a more sustainable, human-centered social sector. 

For those working in, or for, a U.S.-based nonprofit, your voice belongs in this story. Through October 31, the 2026 SISR survey is open for your perspective. 

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