FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WFFT)- Research conducted by True North NPO and University of Saint Francis shed light on the economic impact of nonprofits locally.

The Fort Wayne Rotary Club celebrated the employers who help people become contributors to the community despite their circumstances.

The Fort Wayne Rescue Mission is one of them.

"We encourage people to find jobs or careers with livable wages, and so we're one of many nonprofits in our community who has a commitment for the economic growth and the economic revitalization for northeast Indiana,"Pastor Donovan Coley said.

The research also suggests that having nonprofits like this are the key to four major things: economic strength, employment, employment wages, and revenue sources.

"We're a major part of the gross regional product which is about $722 million. We're the number two employer in our region right behind hospitals. We're a major taxpayer. We provide over 5% of Allen County's tax base,"Steve Huffman said.

Huffman is the president of the Alliance of Human Services.

Huffman said people sometimes have a misunderstanding of how they work.

"Over half of our revenue comes from goods and services that we provide that people pay for. I think most people think of us as just receiving donations and grants but that's not true," he added.

The Alliance for Human Services said as a whole, human service nonprofit organizations in Allen County Employ over 11,000 people.