Understanding Workplace Trends
Cresa’s Nonprofit Practice Group provides occupier-only real estate services to nonprofit organizations around the world.
Nonprofit organizations have undergone a major transformation in how they manage their real estate portfolios since the COVID-19 pandemic. The widespread shift to remote and hybrid work models led many organizations to reassess their physical space needs. With office closures, program suspensions, and fundraising disruptions, nonprofits prioritized reducing occupancy costs by downsizing, subleasing, or adopting flexible lease terms. Many also began sharing space with peer organizations or relocating to less expensive areas, aiming to maintain service delivery while preserving financial stability.
The current administration has maintained a policy of reducing government spending and funding, which is impacting many nonprofit organizations. Executive orders rolling back public service programs, along with delays in federal grant disbursements, created operational uncertainty. In response, many nonprofits are reassessing facility expansion plans, renegotiated leases, or paused long-term occupancy commitments. Those dependent on federal funding have begun to rely more heavily on private philanthropy or local support, further reinforcing the need for a lean, adaptive real estate footprint.
Detailed on the following pages, findings from our recent nonprofit benchmark report highlight current trends on space demands, remote work policies, future planning, and organizational issues. This report provides insight into how nonprofits are responding to a myriad of changes in funding and a volatile economic landscape and what leadership can do to respond to uncertainty.
Download the full report to learn more.