The Resilient Sector: The State of Nonprofit America

by Lester M. Salamon

A Brookings Institution Press and the Aspen Institute publication
The Resilient Sector makes available in an updated form the concise overview of the state of health of America's nonprofit organizations that Johns Hopkins scholar Lester Salamon recently completed as part of the "state of nonprofit America" project he undertook in cooperation with the Aspen Institute. Contrary to popular understanding, Salamon argues, America's nonprofit organizations have shown remarkable resilience in recent years in the face of a variety of difficult challenges, significantly re-engineering themselves in the process. But this very resilience now poses risks for the sector's continued ability to perform the tasks that we have long expected of it.

The Resilient Sector offers nonprofit practitioners, policymakers, the press, and the public at large a lively assessment of this set of institutions that we have long taken for granted, but that the Frenchman Alexis de-Toqueville recognized to be "more deserving of our attention" than almost any other part of the American experiment.

124 pages, Paperback

First published August 29, 2003

Reviews

[Drew M Francis · Rating 5 out of 5]

America needs to re-think its relationship with the nonprofit sector, recognizing its values and contributions to our society. This book and several others like it serve as incredible instructional aids for us to educate ourselves on how successful and critical nonprofits have been to our entire nation. Salamon identifies weaknesses in the sector and offers ways to address them. But, more importantly, this book examines the strengths of the nonprofit sector as a whole.

[Corey · Rating 5 out of 5]

A basic but very helpful and insightful book about the non-profit sector, its prevalence and influence. It's a short book and an easy read but packed full of facts and statistics. It also offers a word of hope about the non-profit sector and, as the title suggests, the author thinks that it will continue to bounce back in resilience despite government cuts.

[Melissa Lee-Tammeus · Rating 2 out of 5]

A school book I had to read. Easy read in laymen's terms that helps grasp the state of non-profits today and how tough it is to stay in the business of helping people. Most likely, it will either insprie you or depress the heck out of you. Organizations have a lot up against them and this book made me appreciate their goal a lot more than I did before.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book gives a great explanation for why we need non-profit organizations in our country today. Over the last 20 years non-profits have grown extensively in number and missions. They provide a valuable service and meet many social needs.

[Afton D. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Currently reading for my Masters courses in NPO Leadership:

Wonderful reading.