Every day in York County, nearly 1,400 nonprofits are feeding families, caring for older adults and individuals with disabilities, educating children, preserving parks and history, supporting veterans, strengthening neighborhoods, and enriching our quality of life. We may only notice them when we need them, but their work is visible everywhere—when a child is at a safe place after school, when a neighbor receives a hot a meal, when a family recovers from a crisis, and the public spaces and traditions that make York County feel like home.
Behind the scenes, however, the organizations that provide these community benefits are under strain. That should matter to all of us because nonprofits are not separate from the health and wellbeing of our community. They are one way our community shows up for itself.
The Center for Effective Philanthropy’s State of Nonprofits 2026 report paints a sobering picture of rising demand, increasing financial uncertainty, and growing burnout among nonprofit leaders. Nearly three-quarters of nonprofits report increased demand for services, while 57% say it has become harder to secure funding.
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A 2023 landscape assessment of York County’s nonprofit sector identified many of the same challenges: growing community needs, rising costs, workforce pressures, and uncertainty about future resources. Foundations, donors, and grantmakers all have an important role to play, but philanthropy alone cannot meet every need.
That assessment led to the creation of the York County Nonprofit Collaborative, where nonprofits strengthen one another through professional development, shared resources, peer learning, and collaboration. Investing in this kind of infrastructure helps organizations solve problems together, avoid duplication, and spend more time serving the community. In today’s environment, collaboration is not a luxury; it is essential.
The York County Nonprofit Collaborative and community collaboration as a whole is not just nonprofits and funders working together. It includes community volunteers and for-profit sector leaders. Nonprofit organizations and the sector as a whole benefit from engaged volunteers and community members who want to learn more about the work, while also providing fresh, innovative ideas for improved efficiencies and effectiveness.
We often think of philanthropy as writing a check. Financial giving matters, but philanthropy is also the investment of our time, talent, and voice.
That philanthropic investment is apparent when someone volunteers at a food pantry, serves on a nonprofit board, coaches youth sports, mentors a student, or helps with a community event. Philanthropy is also civic engagement when residents attend borough, township, or school board meetings; serve on municipal planning commissions, authorities, or advisory boards; vote; support local journalism; and stay informed about the issues shaping communities.
These actions may seem small on their own, but together they build the civic muscle every community needs.
Communities with engaged residents are more resilient. They have stronger nonprofit networks, more responsive local government, greater trust, and a greater capacity to solve problems together. Those qualities do not emerge by chance. They are built when people choose to participate.
The State of Nonprofits report should concern those who work in the sector, but it should also challenge everyone who benefits from nonprofits’ work—and that is all of us, directly or indirectly. The question is not whether York County needs strong nonprofits. The question is whether each of us is willing to help create the conditions that allow them to thrive.
So, what can you do? Volunteer for a few hours. Serve on a nonprofit board or in your local government. Attend a borough, township, or school board meeting. Learn what local nonprofits are doing and ask how you can help. Invite a neighbor, colleague, or friend to do the same.
The future of York County will not be determined only by the organizations serving our community. It will be shaped by the residents who choose to invest their time, talents, and energy into strengthening it. The health of our nonprofits is ultimately a reflection of the health of our civic life. If we want stronger nonprofits tomorrow, we need more engaged citizens today.
Resources:
Opportunities for board service: https://www.leadershipyork.org/placement-opportunities
For information on meetings and municipal service, please contact your local municipality. Look up your municipality and more by entering your address here: https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/97ffdc4485714579a85018079c528e28
Submitted by the Steering Committee of the York County Nonprofit Collaborative
Natalee Gunderson, York County Community Foundation
Dave Kennedy, YCCF Nonprofit Management Assistance Committee
Suzanne McConkey, YCCF Nonprofit Management Assistance Committee
Lisa Barshinger, White Rose Leadership Institute
Jessica Brubaker, Keystone Kidspace
David Gonzalez, York County Economic Alliance
Kelley Gibson, Cultural Alliance of York County
Michael Hady, Powder Mill Foundation
Heather Hallman, UPMC
Roth Preap, York Art Association
Wilda Reahm, Leadership York
Courtney Taylor, York County Community Foundation
