The Arthritis Foundation, with national headquarters in Atlanta, announced a reorganization Monday and the elimination of 26 of its 147 positions.
Twenty four of the jobs, mostly administrative, will be lost in Georgia. The foundation, in a statement, said the changes were made to “meet the challenges of a tough economy.”
The organization said it was part of a continuing plan to “reshape our future and sustain our mission of leadership in the prevention, control and cure of arthritis.”
Dr. John H. Klippel, the foundation’s president and CEO, said no raises would be given this year and benefits would be reduced.
In the fiscal year ended Dec. 31, 2011, the nonprofit reported revenue of $53.13 million, against expenses of $54.60 million.
Klippel received compensation of $508,657 , including $70,000 in incentive pay and $40,945 in retirement and other deferred compensation.
According to the website, 50 million American adults - or one in every 5 - have been disagnosed with arthritis.
“It is a tough climate for nonprofits right now,” said Lindsay J.K. Nichols, a spokeswoman for GuideStar, a Washington, D.C. -based nonprofit information provider.
Each year, GuideStar does an economic survey of nonprofits, seeking information about how fundraising has fared.
“It’s not a bottomless drop anymore. It has flattened out but it has not necessarily gone up. It was at an all time high in 2008 and 2009, then the economy took a real hit. Nonprofits are taking a look at how they’re being run. They’re rebranding and reorganizing. They have to be smarter to rise above the rest.”
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