Our Annual Report on Community Development Associations

We conduct an annual survey of the state and regional community development associations in our membership. The survey examines year-over-year changes in associations finances, staff, and operations. We call the survey and the resulting reports “Family Snapshots.” Detailed survey results are available to Alliance members. Please note that these reports were published when our organization was still called the National Alliance of Community Economic Development Associations (NACEDA).

Workplace Environment REPORT

Our 2024 report offers recommendations for recruiting and retaining staff and reducing staff burnout, drawing from best practices in similar industries and the successes of our Alliance members. It provides insights into staff retention and recruitment, highlighting four key factors driving job satisfaction and burnout among our association members: 1) Compensation and Benefits 2) Accurate Job Descriptions 3) Employee Burnout 4) Effective Management and Recognition. It is based on the results of two surveys. Our 2023 Family Portrait Survey revealed persistent challenges with hiring and retention despite increases in staff numbers and compensation. We partnered with researcher Lisa Much to conduct a Workplace Environment Survey and dig deeper into factors affecting staff retention and recruitment. Read the report.

Members Can Access Budget, Benefits & Salary Data

If you are an Alliance member in good standing, you can access budget and benefits data from housing and community development associations in our membership. You can also see anonymized staff salaries for employees at these associations, which show comparable salaries across various positions and areas of expertise. View the budget, benefits, and salary information.

Environmental & Climate Justice 

Our 2023 report focused on our Association Members’ engagement in environmental and climate justice. It offers recommendations on how associations can establish new partnerships and obtain the knowledge and funding necessary to engage in environmental and climate justice work. The survey found that there is a heightened interest in this work  that is related to the influx of federal and state dollars and increasingly-frequent environmental disasters. Some 61.5 percent of organizations reported an interest in engaging in environmental and climate justice work, a substantial increase from 26 percent in 2020. However, members expressed key barriers to this work — lack of knowledge and expertise, lack of access to funding, and lack of cross-sector partnerships. Read the report. 

Capacity Building

Our 2022 report explored the role that state and regional associations play as capacity builders for local community development organizations around the country — and how the supply and demand for capacity-building services have changed since the pandemic. Data and commentary provided by our Association members focused the capacity-building conversation on emerging trends in funding, equity, and staffing that are impacting state and regional associations, as well as the 3,500 local community development nonprofits who are their members. Read the report.