Research Findings
Seven financial archetypes, each with different survival patterns
Analysis of 2,492 nonprofits across fourteen U.S. markets reveals that success follows different rules for different business models.
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Key Findings
What the data reveals about nonprofit financial health
Across 2,492 organizations, how concentrated an organization's revenue is shows no measurable relationship with how fast it grows (r = -0.005, not statistically significant). Breadth of funding is not what separates the organizations that grow from the ones that do not.
41% of organizations across fourteen markets show at least one root rot stress indicator. Which conditions drive that stress, and what recovery looks like, differs by archetype.
All seven archetypes are present in each of the fourteen U.S. markets. These are structural patterns, not artifacts of a single local ecosystem.
Methodology
How the research was built
Primary source research derived from public IRS Form 990 data, not a consulting framework or prescriptive methodology.
The Dataset
2,492 organizations
across 14 markets
Three fiscal years of IRS Form 990 filings: 2022, 2023, and 2024. Every organization files the full Form 990 and has all three years on record, so the smallest nonprofits, which file the shorter forms, are not included. The fourteen are mid-size regional metros rather than a national sample, and the findings describe patterns across groups of organizations, never the cause of any one organization's results.
Albuquerque · Anchorage · Augusta · Boise · Charleston · Colorado Springs · Dayton · Honolulu · Huntsville · Knoxville · Melbourne, FL · Ogden · Spokane · Tucson
The Method
Cluster analysis
7 archetypes
All seven archetypes are present in each of the fourteen markets: structural patterns, not regional artifacts.
Stress Classification
Root Rot flags
any one = Stressed
Under the current four-condition definition, 41.5% of organizations carry at least one. Stress is classified by structural signals, not by archetype membership, and describes the window measured rather than forecasting what comes next.
Insolvency risk · Relevance decline · Margin spiral · Structural deficit
Webinar
Watch the research walked through
Cultivating Nonprofit Financial Health: Archetypes, Systems, and Sustainable Growth, a session hosted by EBCFO.
Recorded September 23, 2026, with EBCFO. Figures reflect the twelve-market dataset at the time of recording. Watch on YouTube →
Archetype is not destiny. It is context. Every archetype holds organizations across the full range of financial health, with its own characteristic challenges and its own opportunities. Success depends on understanding and navigating archetype-specific vulnerabilities rather than which category you belong to.
I completely feel like this addresses the challenges of every nonprofit organization and fundraising/leadership employee. You address actual problems, and I found it relieving to actually read what you had to say and relate it to what I was feeling for the many years I spent in development/fundraising. You spoke to me!
— Stacy Poore
Owner, Bread and Butter Neighborhood Market
formerly Chief Development Officer & Chief Operating Officer, Care and Share Food Bank for Southern Colorado
See the method applied to one metro, in full
The Field Guide is the complete research methodology, detailed archetype profiles, and strategic frameworks worked through for a single market: El Paso County, Colorado. If you want the seven archetypes without the metro-specific detail, start with the free Primer instead.
The Seven Archetypes
Select an archetype to explore its characteristics, performance patterns, and what distinguishes thrivers from those who struggle.
Archetype Comparison
Select two archetypes to compare their financial benchmarks side by side
Bearings
See where your own organization lands
The comparison above shows how the seven archetypes differ. Bearings takes the next step: it places your organization against its archetype peers on each financial measure, so you can see exactly where you stand.
Explore Bearings →Put this research to work.
Explore the services built on the framework, or get in touch to bring the research to your portfolio.
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Field Notes
Follow the research as it develops.
A monthly dispatch: findings, patterns, and what the data means for organizations like yours.
Follow the Research