The Nonprofit Almanac (née Dimensions of the Independent Sector), is an invaluable compilation of basic statistical data on the non-profit sector in the United States. Included within this volume are detailed figures on the expenditures and revenues of the non-profit sector as a whole and of its component parts, as well as extensive data on the activities of foundations and the scope and pattern of private giving and volunteering.

Invaluable though it is, however, the Almanac also presents its users with a number of important issues, some of which are highlighted in the document itself, but most of which are far less apparent. In order to use the Almanac appropriately and interpret its data correctly, it is essential that these issues be examined and understood.

The purpose of this article is to call attention to some of the most important of these issues and suggest the implications they have for the way we interpret the Almanac's picture of the non-profit sector. In particular, I focus on four issues that I believe are especially important but also especially likely to be overlooked.