A better year? Maybe, just maybe.

A new "communique" is out from Lester Salamon at The Listening Post at Johns Hopkins. I always look forward to Lester's information and conclusions, and this issue did not disappoint.

Titled "Nonprofit Fiscal Trends and Challenges", the paper discusses the financial highs and lows of nonprofits during 2006. What Lester and his co-author Stephanie Geller found was encouraging, although certainly not the case in all parts of our sector.

Salamon found fewer organizations in severe financial stress, with more moving toward fees and away from dependence on just fundraising. He also notes the increased concern among nonprofit CEO's about board and staff recruitment and retention, as well as executive transition.

Interestingly, accountability and transparency are not the high-profile (and thus high-concern) issues that they were a few years ago. I hope that this does not portend bad things a few years out.

Anyway, a good read. See if you see your nonprofit in Lester's data.