September 24, 2026
Local nonprofits are the heartbeat of Putnam County. Day in and day out, these organizations feed families, support youth, enrich our cultural landscape, and step up whenever a neighbor needs a helping hand. But behind every successful program is an operational engine that requires care, maintenance, and resources to keep running smoothly.
To better understand how we can support the dedicated people driving these missions, Putnam County Community Foundation (PCCF) partnered with community impact firm Hedges to conduct our 2026 Nonprofit Needs Assessment.
What the Data Tells Us
Through an electronic survey and targeted Town Hall discussions, we gathered feedback from 187 participants across our sector—including nonprofit staff, dedicated volunteers, board members, donors, and community partners.
The insights painted a picture of a passionate, highly effective, but capacity-strained ecosystem:
- Clear Impact: 87% of respondents feel confident that their programs achieve clear, measurable outcomes.
- Strong Partnerships: 43% noted that strong collaboration already exists among local nonprofits.
- Operational Hurdles: 53% shared that their organization faces significant barriers to fully achieving its mission.
Our community’s nonprofits are delivering incredible results, but many are doing so while navigating tight budgets, lean staffing, and limited administrative capacity.
Our Vision for Support: Moving from Insight to Action
Listening is only the first step. Based directly on the feedback we received across the Four Pillars of Organizational Health (Programs and Impact, Leadership and Culture, Finance and Development, and Marketing and Communications), PCCF has established a new Vision for Nonprofit Support centered on three main priorities:
- Intentional Funding and Improved Financial Resilience. We are committed to providing grantmaking that addresses critical community needs while offering capacity-building support that helps nonprofits diversify their funding sources beyond PCCF.
- Responsive Training and Robust Teams. Skilled, supported people build strong organizations. We are expanding professional development and board governance training to help cultivate staff and volunteer talent pipelines across the county.
- Strategic Collaboration and Community Connections. Impact grows when we work together. We will continue fostering formal and informal networking opportunities, raising public awareness, and encouraging civic engagement to keep our sector connected.
What’s Next?
This assessment did not provide a report that will live on a shelf—it informed a living guide that will help shape our programs and services moving forward. To everyone who filled out a survey, attended a Town Hall, or shared their story: thank you. Your honesty and dedication made this work possible.
Download the Nonprofit Needs Assessment Overview to read the complete Vision for Nonprofit Support, and join us at our upcoming Grants Info Session on October 8, 2026 to learn how we used this new vision to develop our 2027 programs.