The Johns Hopkins Center for Civil Society Studies has undertaken an ambitious multi-year effort to determine how nonprofit organizations are responding to crucial challenges. Working with a number of national nonprofit intermediary organizations, the Listening Post Project is recruiting 1,000 nonprofit agencies to serve as organizational "listening posts" on important pressures and changes affecting nonprofit organizations and promising responses organizations are making to them. By surveying these agencies and disseminating the resulting findings quickly to nonprofit managers, policymakers, and other researchers, this project spurs a more informed dialogue that encourages greater experimentation among nonprofit practitioners and more effective public policy.

What our partners are saying about the Listening Post Project...

"I believe this project has enormous potential because (a) it responds to significant needs of many nonprofits across a wide spectrum of functions, (b) it has a very well designed set of programs and activities designed to meet the needs of nonprofit organizations to better respond to changing circumstances, and (c) Les Salamon and his team have an outstanding track record of blending research with pragmatic responses."
Peter Goldberg
President and Chief Executive Officer, Alliance for Children & Families

"The Alliance is always on the look-out for ways to enhance the knowledge and resources available to capacity builders as they develop focused strategies that support nonprofit organizations and the sector as a whole. It is absolutely critical that this learning community have access to the most up-to-date information and research from the field."
Roni D. Posner
Executive Director, Alliance for Nonprofit Management

"The future viability of the arts will rely, in large part, not only with new alliances linking arts groups to one another but also on new alliances with non-arts groups, on deeper understanding about the context we all jointly face, and on our ability to learn more fully through the successes and challenges of others."
Ben Cameron
Former Executive Director, Theatre Communications Group

"Early information will help nonprofits better serve their constituencies and continue their vital role in American civil society. The Johns Hopkins efforts will build the ability of the nonprofit sector to fulfill its mission."
Audrey Alvarado
Executive Director, Nonprofit Council of Nonprofit Associations

"One of the critical challenges facing national service organizations such as the American Association of Museums is the capacity to monitor trends and issues affecting our members and constituents and to then develop the programs and services needed in order for these institutions to better serve the public. At this time there is no orderly and consistent process for national service organizations to monitor and respond. The Listening Post Project of the Center for Civil Society Studies at Johns Hopkins University will respond to this critical need."
Edward Able
Former President and Chief Executive Officer,
American Association of Museums

"Not-for-profit organizations play a vital role in our society. That role is evolving in an increasingly complex and dynamic environment. The Listening Post Project is a great opportunity to check our own vital signs as we seek to transform our unique role to meet needs that not-for- profits are expected to meet in changing our world for the better!"
Larry Minnix
President and Chief Executive Officer, American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging

"For more than 30 years, Community Development Corporations (CDCs) have revitalized urban and rural communities across the U.S. Their hard work and innovation have yielded tangible results in the form of affordable housing, commercial development, jobs, and a better quality of life for residents in some of the nation's poorest communities. A true American success story. The Listening Post Project provides a vehicle to capture and disseminate trends, best practices, and key indicators in the Community Economic Development (CED) field and overall nonprofit sector. NCCED is pleased to participate in the Listening Post Project. NCCED members and industry practitioners can benefit significantly from the collection and dissemination of this information."
Roy Priest
Former President and Chief Executive Officer, National Congress for Community Economic Development

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Last updated 24Jan05