From her office at the Funding Information Center on the third floor of Boise Public Library, Mary K. Jones Aucutt fields an average of 1,000 questions a month. She knows, because she keeps track on a chart.

Many of the questions are about money.

People call Aucutt, who has headed the center for 20 years, wanting to know how to start a nonprofit organization or how to find money to fund one. Aucutt considers herself a "business consultant for nonprofits." The center, she says, is proof that the city values this significant slice of the local - and national - economy.

She told us more. Here are excerpts.

Q: Why are nonprofits important to the economy?

A: According to the Nonprofit Almanac for 2007, the nonprofit sector accounts for 5.2 percent of our gross domestic product and 8.3 percent of the wages and salaries paid in the U.S.

This year in Idaho, according to the National Center for Charitable Statistics, the revenue - or all the money that comes in to nonprofits, including fees, memberships, charitable contributions - equaled $3,604,801,912.

The assets of Idaho nonprofits, including property, buildings, equipment, accounts payable, equaled $8,873,981,290.

I say nonprofits are the canaries in a coal mine.

If nonprofits are healthy, it's a sign a community is. In times of trouble, we lose nonprofits nationwide.

Q: What is the Funding Information Center's mission?

A: To help nonprofits develop good governance, good management, sustainability. The center provides tools to help people do those things the right way.

Q: Does the center help individuals in search of grant money?

A: We have a database of grants for individuals, but the majority of that money is in some sort of academic award, prize, or scholarship.

Q: What are some misperceptions about nonprofits?

A: People don't recognize how extensive the nonprofit community is.

When I do training sessions on resource development for organizations and boards, I ask people how many of them are involved with nonprofits. A few hands go up. Then I ask them if they've ever bought Girl Scout cookies, or listened to public radio, or gone to the symphony. Most hands go up.

Nonprofits are a major social, cultural and economic force in our society, period. Most people aren't aware of that significance because nonprofits are busy providing services. They're not necessarily good at telling their stories.

Q: What resources do non-profits rely on most?

A: We have documentation back to 1988 which shows that at least 80 percent of the money that comes to nonprofits comes from individuals.

And that only counts the people who itemize on their tax returns.

Q: What are some cool resources at the center that people might now know about?

A: Publications on ethics, management, fundraising, public service. If you have an unethical organization, you have a major problem. Most nonprofits are corporations. They have to follow corporate laws and that's not understood by most people. We have lots of information on that.

There's one publication called "Raise More Money" from the Foundation Center.

It's a basic little book on the governance and structure of nonprofits, how to train a board, do a strategic plan, how to raise money from the board, from corporations, individuals, or through special events.

We tend to think charities are a different breed of cat, but business is business, whether it's for profit or not.

Q: Beyond the tough economy, what difficulties do nonprofits face?

A: One is finding quality, committed board members willing to give their "time, talent and treasure" to an organization.

In a community our size, good people get snapped up, and they get tired. It's incumbent on healthy nonprofits to be constantly renewing and training their boards.

Anna Webb: 377-6431