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Tennessee Works: The Non-Profit Sector

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WMOT)  --  WMOT News continues to look for those few thin slices of the Tennessee economy that prospered during the economic downturn. It’s part of series of stories we’re calling Tennessee Works.

Today, a look at the state’s non-profit sector with Lewis Lavine, President of the Center for Non-Profit Management in Nashville.

Levine says Tennessee non-profits did surprisingly well in the downturn. He says, for example, that more restaurants went out of business than did non-profit agencies.

Lavine says the non-profits that fared best in recent years were those that served critical needs.

“Food banks, health care centers, domestic violence centers; places where there is a demonstrated need because of the downturn in the economy.”

Lavine says donors are more demanding now, funneling scarce dollars to non-profits with a proven record of success.

He also says the downturn forced agencies to focus on their core missions, something he sees as a positive development.