Local Government and Nonprofit Relationships

Abstract

The relationship between local governments and nonprofit organizations is a vital part of how both sectors fulfill their missions. Local governments and nonprofits can exchange information, develop partnerships for joint-service delivery, contract out core services, or battle over the meaning of the common good for the community they serve. This relationship can be informal, formal, or a combination of both. “The relationship between nonprofit organizations and local governments can be contentious, harmonious, or characterized by ad hoc interactions, depending on the needs of the community and the capacity of local institutions” (Reckhow, Downey, and Sapotichne, 2020, p. 1473). The sheer size of both sectors and the variation in their interactions in the US add an additional layer of complexity to understanding the relationship. This creates an interesting challenge for academics as well as practitioners who are trying to map this relationship and draw out leading practices that can be implemented across the country. Scholarly work has attempted to clarify how local government and nonprofits collaborate, partner, or antagonize each other, but the diversity and ever-changing nature of those relationships make this an evolving field of research. This chapter will introduce some of the theoretical and practical elements of the local government and nonprofit relationship, beginning with an overview of both sectors to frame the enormity as well as the diversity that exists within local governments and nonprofits. The chapter will then turn to explore the history of collaboration, including motivations for collaboration and the multidimensional ways that the relationship between local government and nonprofit organizations should be understood. The chapter will conclude with a discussion of how local government and nonprofit organizations work together in emergency response.