Collaboration and Professionalization: The Contours of Public Sector Funding for Nonprofit Organizations

Abstract

The nonprofit sector is evolving rapidly as organizations expand their focus on efficiency, sustainability, and accountability. Public agencies are changing as well, embracing collaborative public management and fostering stewardship-based contracting approaches. But how have all these developments influenced government funding for nonprofit organizations? Which types of nonprofits procure public funds, and how do patterns change over time? Based on 200 interviews with leaders of nonprofit organizations in the San Francisco Bay Area, I argue that standard management strategies for achieving mission have become increasingly relevant for procuring government grants and contracts. Results indicate that professionalization and collaboration are consequential for receiving government support, net of prior funding, and collaboration also contributes to total support from government. Building from these results, I conclude by discussing the opportunities and challenges of public–nonprofit relations. 协同合作与专业分工：公共部门对非营利组织的补助结构分析 摘要 随着在组织管理上逐渐强调效率、可持续性和责任机制, 非盈利部门 (The Nonprofit Sector) 迅速演变。政府部门也在发展变化，越来越多的采用合作管理和责任承包的公共服务外包机制。然而所有这些新的发展如何影响政府对于非盈利组织的拨款呢？政府主要采用怎样的方式来向非盈利组织拨款？这些拨款方式又是怎样演化的？我就这些问题在旧金山湾区采访了200 多位非盈利组织的管理者。本研究表明，采用标准化管理战略对与非盈利性组织赢得政府的拨款和合同非常重要。本研究还发现, 机构管理职业化以及参与合作对获取政府拨款至关重要。过往的拨款渠道及合作管理经验同样有助于获得更多的政府资助。基于这些研究结果, 我在结论部分讨论了政府和非盈利组织之间关系的机遇和挑战。