[02.20.08] According to a recent survey, the majority of Americans believe nonprofits are wasting money—particularly when it comes to overhead.

Sixty-two percent of respondents believe nonprofits spend more than what is reasonable on expenses such as administration and fundraising.

Americans believe that for every dollar given to a nonprofit, around 22 cents should be spent on overhead expenses. That’s in comparison to the 36 cents those same people believe is spent for every dollar.

 According to Ron Sellers, president of Ellison Research, “Most people really don’t know much about how non-profits operate. But even when people are misinformed, their perceptions still influence how they make giving decisions.

 That’s why it’s so important to understand how people perceive charities in general, as well as why individual non-profits really need to learn how their own donors or potential donors see them.”