Japan NPO Center

The Japan NPO Center conducts a variety of activities as a national-level infrastructure organization for Japanese nonprofit organizations (NPOs), and it also conducts research on NPOs. 

JNPOCr has conducted its first organizational survey focused on theme-based networks and published the findings in November 2024 in the 2023 Report on the Actual Conditions of Theme-Based Network Organizations, which are defined as nonprofit organizations comprising multiple groups working on the same social issue (theme), operating on a wide scale, leveraging their networks to share knowledge, conduct joint training sessions, and engage in nationwide research and advocacy activities.

This study aims to understand the realities and activities of network organizations, which play a crucial role in Japanese civil society but often face low public recognition. Our goal is to promote greater support for these organizations, enabling corporations and foundations to provide more effective assistance across various fields and themes.

Below are the key findings from this survey.

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Key Survey Findings

About the Organizations

• Establishment: Among the 43 organizations that responded, 72.3% have been established for over 10 years.
• Legal Status: 46.5% are specified nonprofit corporations, followed by 18.6% which are unincorporated associations.

About Network Participation

• Number of Participating Organizations: Regarding the number of organizations participating in the network, “1-50 organizations” was the most common at 41.8%. Meanwhile, “over 100 organizations” accounted for 11.6%.
• Geographical Scope: 69.8% of participating organizations had a nationwide scope.

About Income

• Revenue: 27.9% of organizations had an income exceeding 50 million yen, the highest percentage. This was followed by 5.01 million to 10 million yen (18.6%) and 10.01 million to 30 million yen (18.6%).
• Revenue Sources: 90.7% of organizations received membership fees, and 86.0% conducted some form of independent business. Furthermore, 58.1% received corporate donations, while 76.7% received donations from the general public (individuals).

About Human Resources

• Full-time Staff: 32.6% of organizations had no full-time staff, the highest percentage. Additionally, nearly half of the organizations had one or fewer part-time staff.

About Activities

• Activities: The most common activities were “courses and training” (95.3%), followed by “events to promote inter-organizational exchange” (83.7%), “publishing newsletters and magazines” and “research” (both 72.1%), “policy advocacy” (67.1%), and “providing information and guidance on grants and training” (51.2%).

About Desired Knowledge and Skills for the Future

• Skills Development: The most desired skills were “fundraising” (60.4%), followed by “organizational management” (58.1%), “public relations” (53.5%), and “human resource development” (51.1%).

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Survey Overview

• Implementing Organization: Japan NPO Center (JNPOC)
• Survey Period: February 22 to March 8, 2024
• Survey Request Method:
  • Target organizations were selected from among member organizations and network organizations with which JNPOC has partnered, as well as from the JNPOC’s NPO database, NPO Hiroba and other databases related to public interest corporations.
  • A survey request was sent via email to 150 selected organizations.
• Survey Method: Web-based questionnaire
• Number of Responding Organizations: 43 organizations (response rate: 28.7%)
• Cooperation: Professor Yuko Suda (Faculty of Sociology, Toyo University), Students enrolled in Sociology I, Faculty of Sociology, Toyo University, 2024
• Download Report (PDF):  2023 Report on the Actual Conditions of Theme-Based Network Organizations (in Japanese only) (1,725KB)

Links:

• https://www.jnpoc.ne.jp/en/news/report-on-the-actual-conditions-of-theme-based-network-organizations-published/
• report page (Japanese)