Nonprofit organisations (NPOs) play a critical role as partners for companies in achieving their social objectives. In 2025, 97% of companies surveyed directed funding to nonprofits, which on average received more than two-thirds (68%) of total corporate social investment. In this article, Trialogue draws on data collected from 110 nonprofits surveyed online between May and July 2025. Of these, only 25 organisations (23%) also participated in the 2024 research.
Number and type of nonprofits
According to the Department of Social Development (DSD), there were 289 852 registered nonprofits in South Africa at the end of September 2025, down from 295 051 in September 2024. Statistics South Africa reported that the nonprofit sector employed over one million individuals in 2019.
In terms of organisational status, most surveyed nonprofits were registered as nonprofits with the DSD (74 organisations, 67%) and/or as public benefit organisations (PBOs) with Section 18A status with the South African Revenue Service (SARS) (65 organisations, 59%). Just under half of the sample (53 organisations, 48%) were registered as both a nonprofit and PBO.
Forty-three percent (47 organisations) were registered as nonprofit companies (NPCs) with the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC). None of the 2025 research participants were registered as a local branch of an international nonprofit.
Nonprofit income
- Surveyed nonprofits were fairly evenly distributed in terms of total income in the 2024/25 financial year. Over half (56%) were relatively small organisations with annual incomes below R5 million. Just over a fifth (23%) reported annual incomes between R5 million and R20 million, and another fifth (21%) reported annual incomes exceeding R20 million.
- Similar to the 2024 survey results (56%), just over half of nonprofits (55%) reported an increase in income from the previous year. Almost a third (30%) reported decreased income compared to the previous year. The percentage of nonprofits reporting decreased income has risen steadily in recent years, up from only 11% in 2021. No discernible relationship was found between the nonprofit sector of activity or size and changes in income.
- Six in 10 nonprofits (60%) expected their organisation’s income to increase in the next two years, down from 69% in 2024.
Sources of nonprofit income
- Around a fifth of nonprofits (22%) relied on a single type of donor. The highest number reported was nine types of donors by one nonprofit, with a median of three and an average of 3.6 types of donors across those surveyed.
- Consistent with the 2024 findings, almost three-quarters of nonprofits (70%) received income from South African companies. Corporate funds again accounted for the largest share of nonprofit income, averaging 29%. Forty-three percent (43%) of nonprofits reported that company funding had increased in the past year, while 23% reported a decrease from companies.
- Nonprofits reported funding relationships with between one and 300 South African companies, with a median of six companies.
- Cumulatively, a quarter of nonprofits (25%) received corporate funding for one year or less. Twenty-seven percent (27%) received funding for a period of two to three years, while a third (30%) were funded for three to five years. Only 16% received funding for more than five years at a time.
- Almost half of nonprofits (48%) generated their own income in 2025, which accounted for 17% of organisational income on average. Self-generated funds were the second-highest source of nonprofit income, exceeding average funding received from South African sources including trusts/foundations (13%), government (10%) and private individuals (10%). Over half of nonprofits (52%) reported an increase in self-generated income.
- About half (49%) of nonprofits received income from South African trusts/foundations, which accounted for 13% of organisational income on average. Thirty-seven percent (37%) of nonprofits reported increased funding from local trusts/foundations.
- Nonprofits received support from between one and 80 South African trusts/foundations, with a median of four.
- The percentage of nonprofits that received funding from foreign private donors dropped from 43% in 2024 to 33% in 2025. However, 42% reported an increase in the amount from this source, resulting in the average proportion of nonprofit income from foreign private donors remaining almost unchanged at 8% in 2025 (9% in 2024).
- Nonprofits received support from between one and 50 foreign private donors, with a median of three.
- More than half of nonprofits (56%) received funding from South African private individuals in 2025, amounting to 10% of average annual income, a slight decline from 12% in 2024.
- Nonprofits reported funding relationships with between one and 50 000 South African private individuals, with a median of 20 individuals.
- Interestingly, the proportion of nonprofits receiving funding from foreign government donors, although small (9%), actually increased from 2024 (7%), despite the cuts to foreign aid announced by many governments in 2025 (see page 256 for more on this topic). An equal third of respondents reported an increase and a decrease from this source.
- Almost a third of nonprofits (29%) earned investment income in 2025, although this constituted a small percentage of average overall income (2%).
- Only one nonprofit (1%) reported funds from debt in 2025 and this contributed less than 1% to its total income.
Impact of USAID and PEPFAR cuts
- Only 16 nonprofits (15% of the sample) were affected by the funding freeze by the United States (US) Agency for International Development (USAID) and the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). Of those affected, more than half (56%) reported losing income and 38% had to stop some of their programmes.
Non-cash contributions
- Consistent with previous years, most nonprofits (86 organisations, 79%) received non-cash donations in 2025, including products, services or volunteering time.
- Of these, 48 organisations quantified the value of their non-cash donations. The estimated rand value ranged from R100 to R20 million, with a median of R100 000 and an average of R805 670.
- As a percentage of nonprofit income, non-cash donations varied from less than 1% to 100% (reported by three nonprofits that rely on volunteers), with a median of 9% and an average of 24%.
Reserves
- Most nonprofits (68%) have less than six months of reserves or none at all even though the proportion of nonprofits without any financial reserves declined slightly to 43% in 2025 from 51% in 2024.
- Only 12% of nonprofits reported having reserves equal to one year or more of operating costs.
Fundraising
- More than half of nonprofits (51%) employed at least one part-time internal staff member to manage fundraising, up from 48% in 2024. Just under half of nonprofits (46%) had no staff for fundraising, a slight decrease from 50% in 2024. Only 3% used external consultants for fundraising.
- Most nonprofits (65%) did not have a fundraising budget in 2025. Of those that did and provided detailed budget information, 37% (or13% of the total) allocated less than 5% of their budget to fundraising, 40% (14% of the total) allocated between 6% and 20% and 23% (8% of the total) allocated more than 20%. The average allocation to fundraising was 18% of budget and the median was 10%.
