What Nonprofits Do

All In a Day's Work

In the bright light of midday. Deep in the dark of night. On rainy afternoons. During a hazy, humid moonrise. On a snowy winter morning. No matter the time of day or season, nonprofit organizations are hard at work serving communities across the state and beyond. Every day poses a new challenge, but to the nonprofits of Maryland, it's all in a day's work. Here's a sample of a “typical” day in the life of Maryland's nonprofit sector.

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Maryland's Nonprofit Sector

Communities throughout Maryland truly benefit from a strong nonprofit sector that enjoys broad support from people like you.  In our survey research, more than 94 percent of Marylanders agreed that charities are important to the overall well-being in the State; 82 percent agree that charities are important to themselves or their families.

This high level of understanding about the importance of Maryland charities translates into action.  Ninety percent of Marylanders reported that they support charities with donations of money, with gifts of property and by giving time as volunteers.  

But Maryland, one of the wealthiest states in the nations, still lags behind in   charitable giving.  According to the Generosity Index, the state of Maryland, while ranked 7th in the nation in wealth, is 37th in the level of charitable giving in relation to our capacity to give.

The Standards for Excellence is intended in promoting increased giving by helping you become more well informed about the work nonprofits do in your community and around the world.  In the links below, you will find articles, written by leaders of the state's nonprofit community, about work in the field of Arts, Family and Childrens' Services, Environmental Protection, Health Care, Mental Health, Legal Services, International Relief, Homelessness and the Social Safety Net.

The Arts: Enjoyment and Industry

Whether you attend a performance at your local community theater, view the latest exhibit at a downtown museum, or enjoy the orchestra, chances are you are supporting a nonprofit organization in the process.  Many of these offerings would not be possible without the vision and passion of nonprofit organizations to bring them to communities across Maryland.

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A Growing Voice for Children

Thousands of Maryland's nonprofit organizations are dedicated to improving the lives of children, youth and families and securing gains in some of the major indicators of child well being: education, health, economic stability, child welfare.  Organizations ranging from community nursery schools to child abuse prevention programs; from scouting groups to mentoring projects; from faith-based ministries to group homes for developmentally disabled – are all concerned about the well being of our children and improving family life in Maryland.

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Protecting and Preserving the Environment for Generations to Come

Maryland's environment is as diverse as the state.  Western Maryland has old growth forest   -- towering trees hundreds of years old.  Hunting, fishing, and, whitewater rafting attracts people from far and wide.  Long beaches and beautiful farms draw people from across the region to our Eastern Shore.  Maryland has shallow and fragile coastal bays and the internationally renowned Chesapeake Bay supports tremendous activities of sailing, power boats, fishing, crabbing and other water activities.  Find out how Maryland's nonprofit sector contributes everyday to the health and protection of our environment.

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Larger Than Life

When we think about health care in Maryland our thoughts turn immediately to our larger hospitals and research facilities in the state, but did you know that the majority of nonprofit organizations working in the health field are small organizations devoted to providing health services at the community level by helping those with a particular disease or condition like diabetes, mental illness, cerebral palsy and countless more?

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Helping Inmates Succeed Outside Prison Walls

Nonprofit organizations are instrumental in helping the prison population acclimate to life after incarceration.  The more people that are helped succeed, the greater the chance for ex-offenders to make a positive difference in their communities.

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Justice for All?

Maryland's nonprofit legal services organizations help thousands of people yearly.   They include the woman in Baltimore County who left her abuser husband and seeks a court order for protection; the father in Anne Arundel County who wants to see his children but is wrongly denied visitation; the Prince George's County mother of three facing homelessness because of an illegal eviction; the unemployed worker on the Eastern Shore who needs help appealing the denial of unemployment benefits; the elderly man in Baltimore City facing foreclosure on his home, his only asset, because he was scammed by a fraudulent home improvement contractor.  Without these services in place, the citizens of Maryland might have no where else to turn to receive much needed legal advice and assistance.

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Mental Illness: No School or Workplace Untouched

The July 2003 report of the President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health revealed that mental illnesses rank first among illnesses that cause disability in the U.S. and Canada.   In any given year, five to seven percent of adults have a disabling mental illness and five to nine percent of children have a serious emotional disturbance.  As the Commission stated, mental illness “can happen to a child, a brother, a grandparent, or a co-worker.  It can happen to someone from any background.  It can occur at any stage of life.  No community is unaffected.  No school or workplace is untouched."

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Hunger, Homelessness and Opportunity

This year more Marylanders than ever will slip through the large holes in the social safety net.  Many will lose their homes and sleep in abandoned cars; others will eat their one daily meal at a soup kitchen; yet others will go into debt seeking medical care at hospital emergency rooms.  As increasing numbers of Marylanders find themselves without adequate incomes, the safety net is stretched to the breaking point.

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Building Vital Communities

Community development is about building from the assets of the community for the sake of the community that includes the people who already live and work there, or who may be attracted by the positive changes to move into that community.  They strengthen our neighborhoods and improve the quality of life for residents.  To be successful, Maryland's housing and community development organizations need your support, both with hands-on volunteer hours and with much needed financial donations.  

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