Protecting the Public Trust
Maryland's nonprofit sector
is committed to public service. Hard at work in communities across
the state, nonprofit organizations are serving and meeting the needs
of our citizens and strengthening our communities. Their continuing
success, however, depends directly on sustaining and increasing
public confidence and support.
The Maryland Association of Nonprofit Organizations (Maryland Nonprofits)
is committed to bolstering public confidence in and support for
the nonprofit sector. In an effort to address public opinion of
the nonprofit sector, Maryland Nonprofits sponsored a survey titled
An Analysis of Public Opinion in Maryland: Ethics and Accountability
for Charities and Non-Profit Organizations. The survey
had the following objectives:
- To determine the importance Marylanders place on the work of
charitable, educational, and religious non-profit organizations
- To examine the level of confidence Marylanders have toward charities
- To quantify the percentage of Marylanders that give and the
amount of their giving
- To identify the salient considerations Marylanders use in determining
whether to give.
- To evaluate the impact ethical standards might have on enhancing
public confidence in charities.
Methodology
The initial survey was conducted September 7-9, 1999 and included
a sample of 800 adult Marylanders from five regions: Baltimore City
(15%), Baltimore Metro (33%), Suburban Washington (37%), Eastern
Shore (8%) and Western Maryland (8%). Participants were given an
18-minute telephone questionnaire. The follow-up survey was conducted
September 10 through September 14, 2001 (Interviewing was suspended
on September 11, 2001 due to the terrorist attacks on the country.)
The follow up survey's sample represented the same regional breakdown
as the initial survey. The surveys were conducted by the Cromer
Group of Washington D.C.
The study
is now available in .pdf format. Please make sure that your computer
has the Acrobat reader already installed. Acrobat reader is available
for free from www.adobe.com.
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