JNPOC published Report on IT Utilization Survey for Nonprofit Organizations 2025 SpecialNewsReports

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Posted on August 22, 2025

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The Japan NPO Center is pleased to announce the release of its “2025 Survey Report on IT Utilization for Nonprofit Organizations” in Japanese (非営利団体のIT活用のための実態調査2025年報告書).

This report summarizes the findings from a survey conducted by the Japan NPO Center in March 2025 as part of our NPTech Initiative*. We conducted the survey to understand the current landscape of IT utilization and the challenges faced by Japanese nonprofit organizations (NPOs). For our English-speaking readers, this webpage will present a summary of the report’s key findings.

Our goal was to provide concrete data on IT usage and human resources, which can inform more specific discussions and lead to new initiatives and policies. The report compiles survey findings on key topics like IT use in business operations, IT talent, and generative AI, and will feature excerpts from our main findings.

 

 

Survey Details

• Dates: February 21 – March 24, 2025
• Methodology: The survey was distributed to the following groups:
  • Organizations participating in the NPTech Initiative
  • Past participants of the “2020 Survey on IT Personnel Status and Needs in the Nonprofit Sector”
  • Members of the Japan NPO Center mailing list
  • Subscribers to the TechSoup email newsletter
• Method: Web-based survey
• Number of Respondents: 320 organizations

 

Key Findings

IT Utilization

IT has become an essential and indispensable tool for Japanese nonprofit organizations, playing a critical role in both business operations and organizational management.

In business operations, the most common use of IT was “enhancing online PR,” cited by 77.8% of organizations. Other key uses included “hosting online seminars, workshops, consultations, etc.” (75.0%) and “improving the organization’s website” (69.1%).

In organizational management, the top IT use was “data and document storage and sharing” at 89.7%. Following this were “accounting” (71.9%), “donor and member management” (54.1%), and “telework” (51.9%).

 

 

 

IT Talent

Roughly 90% of organizations indicated a shortage in their IT capacity, highlighting a critical need for both more staff and enhanced technical skills. 

 

 

 

 Use of Generative AI

The findings suggest a widespread expectation for the future application of generative AI among Japanese NPOs.

The most common use case for generative AI is “using on a trial basis,” at 42.8%. This is followed by “planning to gather information” at 16.3%, and “considering future use” at 12.8%. In contrast, the lowest rate was “fully integrated into operation,” at 7.5%.

 

 

 

Expectations for Generative AI

Among the 254 organizations that selected one of the following options—”fully integrated into operations,” “using on trial basis,” “considering future use,” or “planning to gather information”—we asked about their expectations for generative AI. The most common expectation was “improving operational efficiency” at 82.7%, followed by “generating new ideas” at 61.4%, and “resolving staff shortages” at 42.5%.

 

 

Challenges/Concerns of Generative AI

Despite the positive outlook, organizations expressed significant challenges and concerns regarding the use of generative AI. When asked about these issues, over 90% of organizations cited challenges on multiple fronts. The top concern was “data accuracy,” cited by 65.6% of respondents. Other major issues included a “technical understanding” (52.8%) and “lack of know-how” (52.5%) regarding generative AI.

 

 

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Report on IT Utilization for Nonprofit Organizations 2025 (in Japanese: PDF: 2.7MB)

We extend our sincere gratitude to NTT DATA Group Corporation and all the nonprofit organizations that generously cooperated with us in conducting this survey.

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For inquiries about the report, please contact:
nptech@jnpoc.ne.jp

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