Imagine, if only for a day, that San Joaquin County’s nonprofits were shuttered, unable to serve as a safety net of support to our residents-where one in three households do not even earn enough to meet their basic needs.
A day without a single Goodwill store, donation site or recycling hub would mean widespread dumping. A day without the Emergency Food Bank will leave over 500 families per day with food insecurity. Our county has 29% fewer primary care physicians and 20% higher infant mortality, thousands of patients each day are served by our nonprofit clinics from Planned Parenthood to federally qualified clinics such as Community Medical Center or Golden Valley.
If not for them our emergency rooms would be jammed. Not a pretty picture.
While the bleakness of these scenarios might seem like a scene out of an Armageddon style movie, it is a stark reality.
A newly release report funded by United Way and San Joaquin County in partnership with the Nonprofit Leadership Collaborative and the Bay Area Economic Institute signals what would happen if our county’s over 2,000 nonprofits ceased to exist, and how the scenario might unleash untold consequences with a ripple effect on the entire county.
We need to be reminded of the greatness of our nonprofit community and how they are an essential part of our ecosystem in creating stronger systems of support for thousands of people each year. Plus, nonprofits are a major economic force as they employ over 21, 000 part- and full-time employees, historically drive over $1 billion dollars annually back into our county’s and most importantly are a force for good.
The intention of this groundbreaking report was to build on the 2021 Economic Impact of San Joaquin County Nonprofit report. In this new and updated version, we reaffirm and showcase the economic power and influence of our county’s nonprofits. United Way of San Joaquin County recognizes that our community deserves strong and thriving nonprofits and this report reflects the importance of this vital sector.
For decades, nonprofits have stepped forward to perform the work that governments or cities cannot remotely achieve. They are the backbone of critical social infrastructure systems that supports our most marginalize individuals and families across SJC. No single estimate can truly quantify the population these essential organizations serve, but broad studies hint at the scale. Nationally, nonprofits oversee one third of all mental health services, a tenth of health care services, while running most food banks and homeless shelters. If not for these services, SJC would see people falling through the gaps.
Jose Rodriquez, CEO of El Concilio leads and operates one of the largest nonprofits in San Joaquin County he sites “that nonprofits empower our most vulnerable communities and drive social change.” In fiscal terms, if not for agencies like El Concilio, losing nonprofits would mean eliminating over 20,000 part to full time jobs in the county overnight. Along with over $1 billion dollars in economic activity. Taxpayers would bear these costs or suffer reduced services.
The new and sad political landscape
With the rapid elimination or reduction of federally qualified funds to cities across the nation and the pending release of the Big Beautiful Bill -which would decimate healthcare to our neediest residents. Nonprofits today face an existential threat at a scale never seen before.
U.S. nonprofits earn nearly 80% of their revenue through private fees for services and government grants and contracts-the second largest sources of funding at just over 30 percent. Much of those funds pass through the state and municipalities. Philanthropy and donors provide less than 10% of revenue into the accounts for our nonprofits. Signaling that while most of us attend nonprofit fund raisers like gala’s, walk-a-thons, or giving days- that represents a very small contribution to the overall budget required by nonprofits to pay for staff, overhead, expert service delivery and capital. As such, the report notes that major calls to action are necessary to keep our nonprofit afloat and functioning.
The beauty of collaboration: A bright spot
Happily, within San Joaquin County, our nonprofits have worked to engage policy makers funders and community leaders to ensure nonprofits have reliable resources, space to operate and policies that empower rather than hamstring them. The Nonprofit Leadership Collaborative or NLC is one such group where nonprofits work and stick together, avoid silo and competitive grant management and seek to collectively change policy to strengthen nonprofits
Working side by side encourages greater investments in nonprofits vs. restrictions. It breeds stronger policy changes at the local levels when working together and serving as one voice with city councils or board of supervisors elevates the importance and value of nonprofits. When when it comes to budget sessions, grant making or providing our elected officials with accurate information, nonprofits are available to provide evidence based when major decisions are at the dais. The NLC in many cases has been called in to provide accurate direction when millions are on the line to be deployed by city and county officials.
While the Day without a Nonprofit report might sound like a doom’s day script, its intention is not to share scare tactics-but to yield to others about the value of nonprofits. Strong nonprofits bring life, light and love to every corner of our county and are purveyors of hope-especially during the most challenging of times.
If you mind what matters, read this report and sharing it with others. It might truly shed light on the beauty that is possible when our nonprofit community is optimized and recognized for all which it brings to every neighborhood in our county.
Kristen Spracher-Birtwhistle is president and CEO of United Way of San Joaquin County.