Nonprofits need to make sure their communities are aware of the work they do and how essential they are in filling gaps in service provision, said David Heinen, vice president for public policy and advocacy at the North Carolina Center for Nonprofits.

Last year, 83 percent of nonprofits reported increased need and 71 percent were not able to meet that need because of resource constraints, added Heinen, citing data from the 2014 State of the Nonprofit Sector Report.

As a whole, despite increased need and improvement in the economy, philanthropy is still at or below prerecession levels, Heinen said.