Thanks to Tactical Philanthropy for pointing out this Ellison Research study that suggests a majority of Americans do not trust non-profits to spend their money efficiently. Most of us apparently believe non-profits spend too much money on fund-raising and administration. The average American believes that 22.4 cents out of every dollar would be reasonable, but that most non-profits spend 36.3 cents/dollar. (Note: This is the perception of Americans, not necessarily the actual figures. The Ellison poll didn't comment on the real levels.) I suppose if nothing else this tells non-profits what level of non-program support would be acceptable to most Americans.
