Charitable Services Research Articles

Prevalence Of Anemia, Its Diagnose, Causes and Treatment: - A Case Study of Faridabad District In Haryana

Epidemiological information and disease prevalence studies have always been vital for planning control strategies and monitoring the impact of interventions to control such diseases. The present study is an outcome of a medical camp done under the aegis of PMGY an NGO model worldwide. Being assisted by hospitals and clinics run by the state and philanthropists, the NGO provides charitable medical services, free treatment, free medicines, and even free food and clothes to underprivileged sections of society. Keeping in view the mission of the NGO, and the poor mass of underprivileged people, this study has been devised to assess the prevalence, symptoms, causes and treatment of anemia in Faridabad mostly for two reasons. Firstly, because the locality is the operating field of the NGO and secondly, because anemia is at the highest prevalence, as found in our first observation of patients coming to the slum outreach camps and clinics under study. This will help make effective strategies of intervention, control and dissemination of health-related awareness & better preventative care and treatment to the target group i.e. the poor and underprivileged sections of the society. This cross-sectional study focuses on residents of the Faridabad district who were clinically assessed and treated for free. Seven rural and 19 urban clusters where nearly 750 people with underprivileged backgrounds came forward for the study. People with ongoing ailments were assessed alongside healthy individuals who required regular health checkups with utmost precaution to prevent community transmission. The treatment protocol revolved around palliative and curative treatment for symptomatic cases and preventative care only, when necessary, for asymptomatic cases.

Działalność Zgromadzenia Sióstr Karmelitanek Dzieciątka Jezus w ostatnim okresie życia m. Teresy Kierocińskiej (1945–1946)

The last period of Mother Teresa Kierocińska’s life was a difficult time for Poland, marked by chaos and instability. The years 1945–1946 were at the same time a period of intensive ministry of the Foundress of the Congregation as Superior General. After the end of hostilities, Mother Teresa and her sisters immediately joined the new tasks of the Church and responded to the needs of their surroundings.The congregation had to take urgent care of the premises for its activities. The sisters in Wolbrom were in a particularly difficult situation, being deprived of their own dwelling. In a short time, the Carmelite Sisters renovated the building assigned to them, at the same time carrying out care and educational activities. They ran two kindergartens and courses for girls. The work of the sisters in Polanka Wielka also required new organisation. There, within a few months, a semi-public chapel and rooms for a kindergarten were erected using the planks of a former German barrack. Between 1945 and 1946, work was carried out to adapt the building in Sosnowiec, where the various sectors of the educational establishment were located. In addition, care was taken to allocate an abandoned building in Wiejska Street to the state authorities for the purposes of an orphanage.Since 1945, in all Carmelite institutions of the Child Jesus, a wide range of apostolic activities have been resumed, including kindergartens, tailoring and embroidery courses, religious instruction, charitable services, and nursing. A retreat house in Czerna was resumed. The development of activities was accompanied by Mother Kierocińska’s concern for the spiritual development of the congregation. Mother Teresa took care of the formation of the professed sisters, as well as of the numerous group of candidates she accepted into the religious community. She was keen to deepen Carmelite spirituality and to ensure that the sisters were guided by the Discalced Carmelites. The new situation allowed for regular visits from the Carmelite fathers with the ministry of retreatants and confessors.At the beginning of July 1946, m. Teresa fell ill with peritonitis and, after suffering for several days, passed to eternity on 12 July 1946 in the presence of the sisters. This was shortly before the scheduled General Chapter at which she was to resign as Superior General. The funeral ceremony took place on 15 July and was presided over by Bishop Stanisław Czajka. After the Holy Mass celebrated in the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Sosnowiec, a numerous funeral procession with the body of the deceased went to the cemetery in Józef Mirecki Avenue. The funeral became a real manifestation of the population who wanted to honor the “Mother of Workers and Zagłębie”.

Show me the outputs! The influence of charitable outputs and charitable cause phrasing on charitable giving

AbstractCharitable outputs, the immediate effects of charitable organization services, are among the most vital messages for encouraging rational giving, and different outputs should thus affect fundraising effectiveness. However, this topic has received relatively little attention from scholars. Fundraising practice includes two types of charitable outputs—goods‐oriented and services‐oriented, raising the question of how charitable organizations should use these two types of charitable outputs to increase donor support. The findings of four main experimental studies show that the fit of the types of charitable outputs and charitable cause phrasing can promote charitable giving. Specifically, goods‐oriented (vs. services‐oriented) charitable outputs have a better facilitating effect when charitable cause phrasing is concrete (vs. abstract). We also find evidence for the mediating role of ability perception and effort perception in this effect of fit, reflecting different formative pathways that influence individuals' giving. Our research proposes a categorization perspective of charitable outputs and provides managerial guidance for designing fundraising messages.

Threshold Decisions in Social Work: Using Theory to Support Practice

Abstract Decision making is an intrinsic and complex aspect of social work practice, requiring consideration of diverse but connected aspects. Decisions are often required as to whether a situation requires protective state intervention or whether it reaches the criteria for public or charitable services. Such instances of deciding whether or not a situation is ‘on one side of the line or the other’ are referred to in this article as ‘threshold judgements’. This article draws on experiences and material from a range of social work contexts to explore generalisable theory-informed understandings of ‘threshold judgements’ and ‘threshold decisions’ to develop knowledge and skills on this topic. The article outlines signal detection theory and evidence accumulation (‘tipping point’) theory and discusses these as ways to understand the key concepts underpinning threshold decisions in social work. We then argue that although these threshold concepts are a necessary part of decision making in social work, as in many other aspects of life, they are not sufficient. Operationalising such decisions requires some form of sense-making. Naturalistic decision making and heuristic models of judgement are discussed as frameworks for practice which seem to be useful in this context.

The Role of Black Churches in Promoting Mental Health for Communities of Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Black Americans.

Churches in socioeconomically disadvantaged neighborhoods serve as safe havens in many Black communities. Churches provide faith and charitable services but often have limited resources to address the mental health needs of their communities. This article reports on a collaborative effort, driven by members of a Black church, to understand mental health needs, coping strategies, and resilience factors in a community of socioeconomically disadvantaged Black Americans. A community-based participatory research effort was established among a church, a community mental health organization, clinicians, and researchers to interview and survey individuals residing near the church. The sample consisted of 59 adults, most of whom were ages 46-65 years, men (N=34, 58%), and unemployed (N=46, 78%). Mean scores on the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (9.2±7.7) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 scale (9.4±6.7) were almost three times higher than those reported by studies of other Black populations in the United States. Five themes emerged: prolonged poverty and daily exposure to violence trigger emotional distress, mental health stigma affects help seeking, spirituality promotes mental relief and personal recovery, spirituality helps in coping with poverty and unsafe neighborhoods, and church-based programs are needed. Uptake of traditional mental health services was low, and reliance on faith and resource distribution by the church was high. Church-led interventions are needed to promote mental health at the individual and community levels. Mental health stigma, and negative attitudes toward mental health promotion in the community, may be addressed by integrating traditional mental health services in church-based recreational and leisure activities.

A charitable altar service: The role of the tithe in the book of Tobit

One of the main teachings conveyed by the book of Tobit is the high religious significance of almsgiving, said to be an excellent “offering” before God (4:11) and a practice that can even “save from death” and “purge away every sin” (12:9). Early on in the book, the young Tobit is depicted as scrupulous in his performance of the various tithe laws mandated in the Pentateuch, bringing his tithes each year from a considerable distance for distribution in Jerusalem (1:6–8). Interpretation of this opening vignette is frequently restricted to the question of how the author of Tobit is to be situated on the spectrum of Second Temple halakhic practice in regard to the tithe legislation—but little attention is given to the question of how the protagonist’s early tithing practice might contribute to the larger themes of the book, especially that of charity. This article argues that the presence of the tithe in Tobit 1 does indeed contribute to the book’s larger charity didactic by picking up on hints within the Pentateuch that the tithe had “sacrificial” features while simultaneously serving as a means of poor relief. This reading of the significance of the tithe sets the author of Tobit apart from at least one contemporary, Joshua Ben Sira, who was also concerned to inculcate charity but who did not rely on the image of the tithe to do so.

Managing government commissioning and philanthropic expectations: earnings management in Australian nonprofit disability service providers

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to investigate the prevalence of earnings management in the Australian not-for-profit (NFP) disability service providers sector, as well as to understand the motivations for and implications of such practices. This research is important for stakeholders, such as members and funders, as well as the broader Australian community, considering the significant financial resources allocated to these organizations from the public purse.Design/methodology/approachThe authors employ a longitudinal dataset containing financial data from 154 Australian NFP disability service providers, collected over a two-year period (2015–2016). Through the analysis of detailed balance sheets and income statements, the authors seek to uncover evidence of earnings management practices in this sector. The study’s results provide valuable insights into the behaviour of the charitable human services sector.FindingsThe findings reveal that Australian NFP disability service providers engage in earnings management practices, primarily aimed at reducing reported profits to meet the normative financial expectations of stakeholders, such as public sector funders and philanthropists. The executives of these organizations strive to report profits close to zero, being cautious not to report a loss, which might raise concerns about their sustainability.Originality/valueThe authors contribute to the existing literature on earnings management in the NFP sector by focussing on Australian disability service providers, an area that has been under-researched due to a lack of suitable data. The results offer insights into the incentives and implications of earnings management practices in this sector and highlight the need for a revaluation of accounting standards, reporting requirements and audit arrangements applicable to the NFP sector.

Perspectives of Food Insecurity and Service Delivery amongst Emergency Food Relief Clients in a Regional City in Victoria, Australia

This cross-sectional study examined the experiences of people accessing Emergency Food Relief (EFR) in the regional city of Ballarat, Victoria, Australia, including determinants, impacts of food insecurity, and service delivery recommendations. The forty-one item survey examined demographics, food security status (six-item adult US-Household Food Security Survey Module), food acquisition, use of charitable food services, and self-rated health. Adults n = 100 accessing meal programs and/or EFR services from three EFR organisations in 2018 were surveyed. Ninety-seven percent of participants received government social security payments. Food insecurity prevalence was 92% (USDA-HFSSM 6 item); of these, 63% were experiencing very low food security. Over half (54%) of households with children (n = 26) reported being sometimes unable to feed their children balanced meals and 50% indicated that they were not eating enough. Participants (47%) relied on EFR services for food between one and five years. Poor self-rated dental health was expressed by over 50% of participants and 97% indicated the importance for services to provide healthy food. Food insecurity prevalence was high and chronic among adults receiving EFR services in a large regional Australian city. Recipients’ poor dental health, chronicity of use of services for food assistance, and calls for healthier food suggest more was needed to secure pathways out of food insecurity. The chronicity of reliance on EFR is a concern. The results of this study are likely to be of interest to providers and funders of EFR, policy makers, academics, and client advocates. Whilst the provision of EFR is not a sustainable solution to the problem of food insecurity, scope exists to improve service delivery to uphold principles of dignity, choice, and access to nutritious food. Furthermore, this highlights that the key strategies to mitigate food insecurity lie beyond simply feeding people.

The Relation Between Cash Reserves, Governance, and Donations in Nonprofit Organizations

Cash reserves enable nonprofit organizations to absorb financial shocks and meet unexpected demand for charitable services. Large cash holdings, however, provide managers with an opportunity to use funds to accrue private benefits, and excessive cash levels may negatively influence donors’ contribution decisions. Although an extensive literature examines cash holdings in for-profit firms, few accounting studies address the determinants and consequences of cash reserves in nonprofits (Core et al., 2006). This study investigates whether corporate governance mechanisms, which are designed to limit managers’ opportunistic behavior, are associated with nonprofit managers’ ability to build cash reserves. It also examines how excessive cash reserves influence donors’ decisions to contribute to a charity. Results indicate that cash reserves are positively associated with three proxies for corporate governance (board size, board independence, and board monitoring activities). We also find that excessive cash holdings are negatively associated with future donations, after controlling for governance. Our results suggest that donors withhold contributions from charities that are likely to hold their donations for future use rather than deploy them in the current period. This study contributes to research addressing the role of governance in controlling nonprofit managers’ actions and provides new evidence on factors affecting donors’ giving decisions.

Relational processes and power dynamics in psychoanalytic group supervision: A discourse analysis

ABSTRACT The authors explore the relationship between language and interpersonal dynamics within supervision groups for psychoanalytically oriented child and adolescent psychotherapists working at a charitable clinical service in a large metropolitan city in the UK. Using discourse analysis, the authors identified key interpersonal functions of language in a professional supervisory setting. Results revealed linguistic processes through which power identities and dynamics were enacted and multiple opinions and perspectives negotiated during group supervision. The authors then make practical suggestions regarding the management of power differentials and interpersonal relationships to facilitate more constructive group supervision and promote better therapeutic outcomes.

In-Kind Government Assistance and Crowd-Out of Charitable Services: Evidence from Free School Meals

In-Kind Government Assistance and Crowd-Out of Charitable Services: Evidence from Free School Meals

Becoming a People of Greater Hospitality

Abstract Unlike some religious traditions elsewhere, Philippine Catholicism readily recognized the severity of the Covid-19 pandemic as described by medical science and public health protocols. Given this general perspective, it promoted communal worship online and inclusive feeding programs – practices integral to Catholicism and rooted in the local religious ethos. The defining characteristics of these practices during the pandemic invite critical inquiry on its theological foundations. The first provides greater accessibility to the ekklesia and interrogates therefore the traditional notion of Catholic belonging and identity. The second exemplifies a more inclusive framework for social ministry on account of the wide diversity of roles among those involved and its integration of charitable services with structural change. Thus both practices challenge Philippine Catholicism to become a people of greater hospitality.

Charitable Legal Immigration Programs and the US Undocumented Population: A Study in Access to Justice in an Era of Political Dysfunction

This study examines the legal capacity available to low-income immigrants on national, state and sub-state levels. Legal professionals working in charitable immigration service programs serve as the study's rough proxy for legal capacity, and undocumented immigrants its proxy for legal need. The Center for Migration Studies of New York (CMS) compiled data on charitable immigration programs and their legal professionals from the: US Department of Justice's (DOJ's) “Recognized Organizations and Accredited Representatives Roster by State and City,” which is maintained by the Executive Office for Immigration Review's (EOIR's) Office of Legal Access Programs (OLAP). Directories of two leading, legal support agencies for charitable immigration legal programs, the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. (CLINIC) and the Immigrant Advocates Network (IAN). CMS supplemented and updated these sources with information from the websites of charitable immigration programs. It also added legal programs to its dataset that did not appear in any of these lists. It counted as legal professionals, attorneys, federally accredited non-attorneys, paralegals and legal assistants. The paper finds that there are 1,413 undocumented persons in the United States for every charitable legal professional, and far less capacity than the national average in: States such as Alabama (6,656 undocumented per legal professional), Hawaii (4,506), Kansas (3,010), Georgia (2,853), New Jersey (2,687), Florida (2,681), North Carolina (2,671), Virginia (2,634) and Arizona (2,561). Metropolitan areas (MAs) such as Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario (5,307), Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington (4,436), Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale (3,439) and Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land (3,099). San Bernardino County (6,178), Clark County (4,747), Riverside County (4,625), Tarrant County (3,955) and Dallas County (3,939). The study's introduction summarizes its top-line findings. Its first section describes the importance of charitable immigration legal programs to immigrants, families and communities. Its second details the study's findings on charitable legal capacity and immigrant need. Its third compares the legal capacity of 1,803 charitable legal programs and their 7,322 legal professionals, with the US undocumented population by state and for the 15 largest MAs and counties. Its fourth describes CMS's research methodology and data sources. The paper ends with policy recommendations on how to expand legal capacity for low-income immigrants and better assess legal capacity and need moving forward.

SERVICE INNOVATION (SOUL PROGRAMME) - Charitable home-based outreach service for treatment of schizophrenia in Larkano, Pakistan: development, implementation and 10 year outcomes

IntroductionThere is a huge resource gap in mental health service provision & service utilisation in LAMIC including Pakistan. SOUL Programme has been established in the City of Larkana, on charitable donations, which utilises principles of home-based outreach and produces clinical and functional outcomes.ObjectivesSOUL programme focuses on collaborative working with patients & families. The objectives include recognition, treatment, family education & psychosocial support to maximize clinical, functional & occupational outcomes.MethodsSingle cohort intervention (patients recruited on continual basis over time) with innovative service structure and culturally relevant open label intervention design developed with local academic psychiatric unit in Larkano, Pakistan. Training was provided to local mental health professionals on diagnosis, delivering care & use of recognized clinical outcome measures.ResultsWe have recruited a cohort of 160 patients on continual basis over time. Our analysis show a higher BPRS and lower GAF ratings for men in comparison to female cohort at the baseline. Our Ten year follow up has demonstrated statistically significant clinical / functional improvement on BPRS, CGI & GAF measures. The mean differences recorded for the individual measures after 12 months were BPRS, CGI-I and GAF and were all statistically significant. Innovative home-based community mental health intervention shows significant improvements in clinical and functional outcomes (with good effect size).ConclusionsSOUL Programme is a highly effective and cost-efficient intervention model for treatment of schizophrenia in a developing country setting. Our 10 year follow up study confirms the feasibility of this intervention model through close working with families of our patients.DisclosureNo significant relationships.

Charity in the 21st Century: Trending Toward Decay

The turn of the century seemed to bring with it a sharply critical focus on charity.(FN1) Under federal tax law, a charity includes organizations that are "organized and operated exclusively for religious, charitable, scientific, testing for public safety, literary, or educational purposes." This single phrase provides a standard not just for tax exemption for over 1.2 million organizations (which are diverse in purpose, size, function, complexity, and effectiveness) but also access to several tax and nontax preferences, including eligibility to receive tax deductible contributions (for income, estate, and gift tax purposes),(FN2) access to tax-exempt financing,(FN3) State property tax exemptions,(FN4) and regulatory relief, among other benefits.(FN5) The concerns about charities surfaced largely through press reports and are legion: spending of earmarked contributions for non-earmarked purposes; excess compensation to organization insiders; mission drift -- deliberate, or aided by faulty corporate governance; acceptance of property contributions when donors or others are the principal beneficiaries; participation in illicit tax shelter transactions; spending for non-charitable purposes; accumulations of income; failure to provide charitable services; use of the charitable form for non-charitable purposes; questionable investment practices; participation in political campaigns; and self-dealing transactions, to name a few.(FN6) The response to ongoing scandals by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Congress was mixed. As the scandals unfolded, the IRS continually pointed to abuses and the need to address them,(FN7) but also asserted that the charitable sector is "compliant," notwithstanding a minimal examination rate.(FN8) As part of its enforcement efforts, the IRS completed an ambitious overhaul of the annual information return charitable (and other tax-exempt) organizations file each year (the Form 990);(FN9) undertook intensive studies on the two largest segments of the charitable sector: hospitals,(FN10) and colleges and universities;(FN11) made an inquiry into executive compensation practices;(FN12) and raised new questions about governance.(FN13) The IRS's continuing actions indicate, at a minimum, suspicion that the charitable sector indeed has large pockets of noncompliance and that oversight, or the perception of it, is necessary. But the IRS can only do so much. Meaningful change of any underlying weaknesses in the tax law of charities ultimately must come from Congress.

Aquinas’s Eschatological Ethics and the Virtue of Temperance by Matthew Levering

Reviewed by: Aquinas’s Eschatological Ethics and the Virtue of Temperance by Matthew Levering Kevin E. O’Reilly O.P. Aquinas’s Eschatological Ethics and the Virtue of Temperance by Matthew Levering (Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press, 2019), xi + 432 pp. In the resurgence of interest in virtue ethics in recent decades, temperance has received relatively little treatment compared to the other three cardinal virtues—leaving aside of course the copious attention that John Paul II’s Theology of the Body has received. The reason for this neglect is no doubt the difficulty that attends the living out of temperance, which, as St. Thomas writes, “is properly about pleasures of meat and drink and sexual pleasures” (Summa theologiae II-II, q. 141, a. 4). Temperance however is not restricted simply to matters concerning food and sex. Any virtue, Thomas tells us, “that is effective of moderation in some matter or other, and restrains the appetite in its impulse towards something, may be reckoned a part of temperance” (ST II-II, q. 143, a. 1). Temperance thus includes not only the virtues that engage our embodied condition but also the virtues of humility, clemency, meekness, and studiousness. Matthew Levering clearly states the thrust of his book at the very outset: in it he shows that “chastity and the other parts of Christian temperance are inseparable from the moral life of the inaugurated kingdom, as set forth in the New Testament and as elucidated systematically in Aquinas’s theology” (1). The author achieves this end by examining the “parts” of temperance as set forth by Thomas in the light of three dimensions of the inaugurated kingdom: “The eschatological renewal of the temple, the eschatological restoration of the people of God, and the eschatological forgiveness of sins [End Page 700] and the outpouring of the Spirit” (7). Thus, the integral parts of temperance—“The integral parts of a virtue are the conditions the concurrence of which are necessary for virtue” (ST II-II, q. 143, a. 1)—namely shame and honestas, are linked with the eschatological renewal of the temple. Shame, while it does not enjoy the perfection of virtue, nevertheless impels a man to flee the disgrace and ugliness of intemperance. Honestas, on the other hand, refers to moral excellence, and anyone who possesses this virtue also manifests spiritual beauty. When through lack of shame a man allows his sensual desires rather than rightly ordered reason to rule his life, he inevitably descends into idolatry, worshipping the creature rather than the Creator. He thereby becomes morally ugly. The repentant man, in contrast, appreciates that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. The practice of temperance renders his body honorable and spiritually beautiful. By the grace of the Holy Spirit he participates in “the perfect worship of the true temple, who is Christ himself ” (48). The subjective parts of temperance—that is to say, its species that are differentiated “according to the difference of matter or object” (48)— include abstinence, fasting, sobriety, and chastity. Levering argues that Thomas’s treatment of these virtues “illumines the eschatological restoration of God’s people accomplished in Christ” (52). Indeed, eating and drinking rightly is a fundamental trait of this eschatologically restored people. As Thomas writes, the use of and abstinence from food “belong to the kingdom of God, in so far as they are done reasonably through faith and love of God” (ST II-II, q. 146, a. 1, ad 1). Abstinence, when undertaken in accord with right reason, aims at God’s glory and fosters a concern for our neighbors’ needs. Fasting, for its part, in addition to restraining the lusts of the flesh and satisfying for sins, also facilitates the contemplation of heavenly things. Consumption of alcohol obviously has the capacity to undermine this contemplation, since it constitutes “a special kind of hindrance to the use of reason” (ST II-II, q. 149, a. 2). As Levering notes, “when we are drunk, we cannot govern ourselves toward charitable service of God and neighbor, and indeed drunk persons often inflict harm upon other people, including family members” (75). Sobriety, in contrast, along with abstinence and fasting, helps to form “an...

Can a charity charge for Filet Mignon?

Abstract This article considers whether there is any rule in Canadian charities law or the Canadian Income Tax Act prohibiting a registered charity from charging a fair market fee for the charitable goods or services it provides or from realizing a net surplus of revenues over expenses by charging such a fee. In particular, It considers whether a modern educational institution (such as a private university) may charge a market rate of tuition and remain a charity, even if it realizes a surplus of revenue over expenses while doing so.

The Food Bank and Food Pantries Help Food Insecure Participants Maintain Fruit and Vegetable Intake During COVID-19.

Charitable food services, including food banks and pantries, support individual and households' food access, potentially maintaining food security and diet quality during emergencies. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of food banks and pantries has increased in the US. Here we examine perceptions of food banks and food pantries and their relationship to food security and fruit and vegetable (FV) intake during the first 6 months of the COVID-19 pandemic, using a statewide representative survey (n = 600) of residents of Vermont. The utilization of food pantries was more common among food insecure households and households with children. Among food insecure respondents, those who did not use a food pantry were significantly more likely to report consuming less FV during the pandemic. Further, we find respondents who are food insecure and using a food pantry report consuming more FV since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. We found that respondents who were both food insecure and reported not using a food pantry were significantly more likely to report both a reduction in fruit consumption (b = −0.58; p = 0.001) and a reduction in vegetable consumption (b = −0.415; p = 0.012). These results indicate that these services may support food access and one important dimension of diet quality (FV intake) for at-risk populations during emergencies.

On charitable discrimination: positive action, proportionality and ‘bright lines’

Discrimination has long been a feature of the provision of charitable services in the UK. This perhaps uncomfortable truth arises from the fact that, faced with a world of need, many charities targ...

Strategic Leadership Practices on Performance of Charitable Ambulance Services in Nairobi City County, Kenya

There is no doubt that charitable organizations are critical contributors in the provision of essential services of public interest. In the recent past, the number of people contributing to charity has been reducing due to lack of financial accountability and performance concerns. The environment these organizations operate, therefore calls for leaders who will come up with radical new ideas that will enable them re-invent their organizations to perform. The study sought to find out how strategic leadership impact performance of Charitable Ambulance Services in Nairobi City County. Study objective was to examine the outcome of strategic direction, operational efficacy, human capital development, and strategic control on the performance of charitable Ambulance service organizations in Nairobi City County. The researcher used resource-based view, upper echelon and contingency theories to anchor the study on the outcome of strategic leadership practices on organizational performance. Descriptive design research was used by the researcher. Target population comprised of 144 Managers and staff, a sample of 130 responded giving a response rate of 90.28%. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS software using descriptive statistics to infer to the data and connection between independent and depend variable were found using multiple regression. Pilot study was done to pretest the questionnaire. The study results show that strategic direction correlate with performance up to 22.3% which is a weak positive correlation with organizational performance. A unit change in strategic direction yields 0.171 positive changes on performance of charitable ambulance services in Nairobi County. Operational efficacy correlates with performance up to 63.4% which is a strong positive correlation. A unit change in operational efficacy yields 0.735 positive changes on performance. Human capital development correlates with performance up to 49.7% which is an average positive correlation. A unit change in human capital development yields 0.422 positive changes on performance. Strategic control correlates with performance up to 47.6% which is an average positive correlation. A unit change in strategic control yields 0.270 positive changes on performance. The Overall, analysis showed that strategic leadership practices correlate with organizational performance of charitable ambulance services up to 69.3% which is a strong positive correlation. A unit change yields 0.108 negative change in strategic direction, 0.599 positive change in operational efficacy, 0.120 positive change in human resources development and 0.135 positive change in strategic control. This change is statistically significant, meaning that strategic direction, operational efficacy, human resource development and strategic control influence on organizational performance significantly. The study recommends replication of the study using the same variable with other sectors. The study informs the strategic leadership practice in academia, students in strategic management will use the variables used in this study to study the different sectors contributing to academia. The outcome of the study is valuable to charitable ambulance service organizations as it will inform the strategic leadership practices and their influence on organizational performance.