Nonprofit Sector Research Articles

Beyond assumptions of altruism: Examining nonprofit work with a job fit framework and response surface analysis

AbstractScholars frequently investigate how nonprofit employees, as a group, differ from public or for‐profit employees. However, there is less focus on how motivational profiles vary among nonprofit employees. Particularly as the nonprofit sector professionalizes, the reasons why people seek nonprofit employment are diversifying. Recent work highlights a more individualized understanding of employee motivation, which can lead to more nuanced and tailored human resource management techniques. I amplify this stream of scholarship, guided by a job fit framework and introducing a robust methodological approach from organizational psychology that accounts for interactions between an employee's work preferences and work experiences on outcomes of interest. With two waves of original data on international aid workers, I demonstrate that the experience of prosocial work (i.e., work that aims to help other people) is associated with greater job satisfaction for those with strong prosocial work preferences but can be associated with reduced job satisfaction for those without. These findings necessitate nuanced attention to employees' work preferences, moving beyond assumptions that prosocial work will universally motivate nonprofit employee performance.

The Power of Design Thinking: Exploring Creative Confidence and Creative Efficacy in College Students

This mixed-methods study explored the benefits of the Design Thinking course to college students preparing for careers in the nonprofit sector. It examined whether the Design Thinking method could enhance college students’ creative confidence and creative efficacy and sought to identify additional benefits of mastering this approach. Thirty-eight students from various departments, schools, and colleges at a Southeastern University who took a semester-long class in Design Thinking participated in this study. After taking this course, students showed increased creative confidence and creative efficacy. Qualitative analysis of students’ reflection journals revealed additional benefits of the Design Thinking process: transferability of Design Thinking knowledge and skills to other classes and areas of work and life; teamwork; personal transformation and challenging assumptions; newly developed appreciation of human-centeredness in program design; and openness to risk-taking and failure. This study highlights numerous benefits of using the Design Thinking method in a classroom setting and provides practice implications for educators.

Public values and sector service delivery preferences: Public preferences on contracting from simple to complex human services

AbstractNonprofit and for‐profit providers play an increasing role in public service delivery, but we know little about what shapes public service delivery preferences. Responding to calls to put the “public” back in public values theory, we examine the influence of public values on sector service delivery preferences for government, nonprofit, or for‐profit delivery across six service areas ranging from simple services such as trash collection to complex services such as child welfare. We find equity predicts a preference for government service delivery across areas, while efficiency corresponds to a preference for for‐profit service delivery. Nonprofit sector preferences varied across service areas; equity corresponds to simple services such as street maintenance, whereas effectiveness corresponds to complex human services such as elder care. Public administrators should be cognizant of the public value trade‐offs that underlie sector preferences for public services to design and implement service arrangements in line with the preferences of the public they serve.

The Impact of System Thinking on Learning Organization Practice in Non-Profit Management

In India, NGOs are a driving force behind social progress and transformation. When governments are unable to meet the needs and demands of the community, they step in to help. Although "learning organisation" is a popular term in business, its application in the nonprofit sector is still unknown. This quantitative study employs a survey research design to investigate the applicability and degree of system thinking implementation in non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that are involved in rehabilitation services in Kerala. System thinking is one of the characteristics of learning organizations. This survey includes 300 respondents, including professional staff members and managers of 45 non-profit organisations. The study's findings indicate that the degree of system thinking application varies significantly amongst Kerala's nongovernmental organisations. A good continuous learning environment in the nonprofit sector can be ensured by practicing the essence of learning organizations, conceptualizing their purpose, and professionally executing all of their dimensions. It is imperative to view NGOs as learning organizations since they provide invaluable services to both the country and humanity. The study's conclusions highlight the need for system thinking to successfully apply learning organisational dimensions in the NGO sector to transform the organisation and achieve organisational development and innovation while maintaining a high degree of objective truth

AN ASSESSMENT OF THE ADOPTION OF OUTCOME HARVESTING AS AN EVALUATION APPROACH: A CASE OF SELECTED NON-GOVERMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS IN NAIROBI COUNTY, KENYA

This study investigated the implementation of outcome harvesting as an evaluation tool within the nonprofit sector. Specifically, it examined its effectiveness, identified challenges, and proposed adoption strategies. Conducted as a descriptive survey, 30 monitoring and evaluation professionals from 15 NGOs in Nairobi were selected via purposive sampling. Data were gathered through semistructured interviews and analyzed with SPSS v27 and content analysis. Findings indicate that outcome harvesting is a key evaluation method, with 48% of respondents highlighting its efficacy in impact reporting and 56% noting its utility in deriving lessons. However, 56% identified the prevailing evaluation culture as a significant barrier. To improve adoption, most participants recommended early integration of the method and expert involvement. The study concludes that early and resource-backed application of outcome harvesting is crucial for capturing project impacts and lessons and calls for a shift in evaluation culture.

In Pursuit of Knowledge About Careers Outside of Academia

By all accounts, ocean sciences graduate students are very interested in learning about jobs options outside of academia—jobs that are frequently but unfortunately called “alternate careers.” Students often lack access to information about such jobs in their current academic surroundings, but their curiosity about them was evident in the standing-room-only crowds at the 2024 Ocean Sciences Meeting career panels and CV writing workshops. It is also notable in the popularity of Oceanography’s career profiles column (https://tos.org/career-profiles), now in its fifteenth year. These profiles display the breadth of job opportunities for ocean scientists in government, industry, and the nonprofit sector. The number of career profiles published online and in hard copies of Oceanography quietly passed the 100 mark in late 2023. Recognizing students’ need for career information, professional societies—and many university departments—have been organizing activities to help fill this knowledge gap and enable students to make connections with scientists who have pursued careers outside of academia.

Značaj marketinga u sektoru zdravstva

In modern society, the application of the marketing concept becomes crucial, even in the nonprofit sector, including areas such as healthcare, education, and culture. Although marketing traditionally has not been prevalent in nonprofit organizations, changes in funding sources and increased competition encourage these organizations to reconsider their approach. Analyzing the roles of marketing in the healthcare sector, we emphasize the need for adaptable strategies due to dynamic circumstances and the necessity of embracing the marketing concept in the daily operations of healthcare institutions. Many healthcare institutions have not fully grasped the specificity of healthcare services compared to other service industries, nor the specificity and concept of patients compared to typical customers. Besides healthcare, staff should provide patients with so-called cognitive and emotional care. It is precisely from such specificities, such as patient participation in their treatment, that reasons for building loyalty or patient disengagement from a particular healthcare institution arise. By utilizing numerous studies in the field of relational marketing, this paper aims to highlight numerous shortcomings that healthcare institutions make in their relationships with current or prospective patients. A holistic marketing approach can ensure the influx of new patients, but only the creation and maintenance of quality relationships with them can provide healthcare institutions with patient loyalty, as well as the opportunity for long-term growth and development.

USING CULTURE AS A PARADIGM FOR ERADICATING CORRUPTION IN NIGERIA, YORUBA CULTURE IN THE CONTEXT

Culture serves as a social tool for maintaining historical knowledge and maintaining order in all premodern societies. One way to look at it is as teaching one the fundamentals of what constitutes right and wrong behaviour, moral versus immoral behaviour or acceptable versus unacceptable behaviour in the society. Comparatively, development is most likely to emerge in acceptable behaviour valued and upheld. The incorrect, immoral or unacceptable behaviour could hinder development in the society. The unacceptable behaviour contradict the culture of respect, honesty, transparency, openness, accountability, probity, belief systems and way of life valued in the same society (Baecker, 1997). Corrupt practices are by all standards unacceptable behaviours and according to International Transparency (IT, 2021), corruption takes place in many forms, including behaviors such as: Public employees requesting or accepting money or favors in return for services, politicians squandering public funds or providing public positions or contracts to their sponsors, friends, or families, and companies bribing authorities to get lucrative business agreements. Corruption exists in every facet of society, from business to government to the judicial system to the news media to the nonprofit sector to even the sports world. Professional enablers including bankers, attorneys, accountants, and real estate agents, as well as opaque financial systems and faceless companies, facilitate corruption by making it easier for corrupt individuals to engage in corrupt schemes and launder and conceal their unlawful money. Adamolekun (2015) argued that corruption has eaten deep into the fabric of the society that civilize society or country become curious about how to eradicate it. David Cameron, the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, supported such idea in 2016 "Corruption is the cancer that eats away at the foundation of so many of today's issues. It has an annual cost to the global economy of billions of pounds and is responsible for the destruction of employment and slow growth. Because of this, the world's impoverished are kept in abject poverty when governments are corrupt, they steal money from their citizens and keep them from enjoying the progress that is rightfully theirs. When corrupt people and businesses do not pay the taxes they should, it deprives public institutions like schools and hospitals of much-needed funding (Cameron, 2016). IT (2021) warns that corruption damages confidence, undermines democracy, slows economic growth, and deepens social and environmental divisions. As Paul Collier cited in Cameron (2016) explained, there are hotspots where corruption is more prevalent than others; these might be specific companies, countries, or historical periods. The extraction of natural resources and the construction industry have a special negative reputation for corruption. Therefore, this study interrogates how the efficacy of Yoruba traditional cultural values can be harnessed as paradigm for eradicating corruption in contemporary Nigeria state.

공익법인 공시제도 강화가 공익법인의 재공시에 미치는 영향

[Purpose] This study investigated the impact of the enhancement of the disclosure system and the supervisory functions of the National Tax Service on the restatement of nonprofit organizations(NPOs). Specifically, this study analyzes whether there are differences in the restatement and the time required for restatement of NPOs before and after the 2020 financial statements. Additionally, the study analyzes whether there is a differential impact on the restatement and the time required for restatement based on the type of external auditor.
 [Methodology] Applying the methodologies of previous studies on NPOs, this study selected and analyzed a sample of 615 organization-year data from 205 social welfare NPOs in the period from 2019 to 2021.
 [Findings] Empirical analysis results indicate the following：Firstly, the restatement occurrence and duration of NPOs significantly decreased after 2020 compared to the disclosure of 2019 financial statements. This is interpreted as a reduction in the restatement occurrence and duration of NPOs due to the strengthened the disclosure system and supervision by the National Tax Service. Furthermore, the decreasing duration of restatement suggests that NPOs are expediting the restatement process, leading to a gradual improvement in financial reporting quality. Secondly, it was confirmed that the type of external auditor influences the financial reporting quality of NPOs.
 [Implications] This study is the first to empirically analyze how the strengthened disclosure system affects the restatement of NPOs. Furthermore, it contributes to the continuity of empirical research in the nonprofit sector and expands on previous research that suggests restatement occurrences and the required time can serve as variables to measure the financial reporting quality of NPOs. The research results will be valuable to management authorities, donors, and NPOs in the future by highlighting the effects and significance of strengthening the disclosure system.

Learning Organization: The Cornerstone of Organizational Development in Non Profit Management

The developmental organizations are trying to develop and incorporate the learning organization’s culture in their strategic plans as profit organizations do. Today learning culture is integral to many NGOs in Europe and America. Though the concept of a learning organization is familiar in the business world, its scope is not yet identified in the Indian nonprofit sector. This quantitative study using survey research design attempts to know the level of understanding of learning organizational practices in nonprofit organizations, various dimensions of a learning organization, and how it is conceptualized by NGO leaders and other professionals. The study was conducted in sixteen rehabilitation NGOs, with 150 respondents including NGO managers and Professionals. The survey used a five-point Learning Organization scale based on Peter Senge’s (1990) Learning Organizations Theory. The survey found a significant difference between the level of understanding of the Learning Organization concept among NGO leaders and professionals in most of the NGOs. The findings suggest that there is an urge among NGO management to practice learning in their respective NGOs by giving prime focus to learning organizational dimensions. It is quite essential to promote individual learning but the organization needs to learn how to learn together to ensure sustainability, professional enhancement, and development.

Structural and comparative analysis of R&D funding impact on the level of innovation development: The empirical evidence of GII’s leaders and Ukraine

The study aims to determine the influence of the R&D expenditure structure funded by different sectors of stakeholders on the level of innovation development. The data sample involves values of GII and R&D expenditure funded by business, government, higher education, private non-profit sectors, and foreign sources for 10 countries – Ukraine and 9 top countries in GII-2022 for 2011–2020. Pearson/Spearman correlation analysis considers time lags to determine the nature and strength of relationships. For GII’s top countries, the relationship with innovation development level is confirmed as direct for funding R&D by business (in 8 from 9 countries), higher education (5 from 7), and foreign sources (5 from 9) with power from moderate to very high and 0-3-year lag. In Ukraine, the direct relationship is for financing by business (very high power and 3-year lag) and foreign sources (high power and 1-year lag). The regression modeling of dependences (Arellano-Bover/Blundell-Bond dynamic model for panel data and linear model for Ukraine) was also applied using STATA 18. In GII’s top countries, increasing the share of R&D expenditures financed by business by 1% contributes to increasing GII’s score by 0.25%, higher education – 2.47%; government, non-profit sector, and foreign sources – decreasing by 0.89%, 1.68% and 0.81% accordingly. In Ukraine, increasing financing R&D by the government by 1% leads to a similar decrease of GII estimate by 0.19% with a 2-year lag, and the business sector – an increase of 0.16% with a 3-year time lag. Vice versa, in Ukraine, R&D expenditures financed by higher education lead to GII’s score decreasing.

Advancing Strategies to Address Racism and White Dominant Culture in U.S. Anti-Gender-Based Violence Non-Profit Organizations

In this article, we detail a participatory action research project conducted by and for advocates of color working in anti-violence organizations in a state in the eastern part of the United States. When mainstream, white-led, anti-gender-based violence (anti-GBV) organizations were founded in the 1970s, they lacked intersectional and critical perspectives, a legacy that persists today. The toxic culture within white dominant culture (WDC)-oriented non-profits results in high burnout and turnover for employees of color and affects employees’ ability to serve the community. Without addressing WDC in these organizations, we harm ourselves and our ability to make the social change our organizations were created to affect. Our project aims to challenge these practices by engaging with advocates of color in listening sessions to discuss their experiences of racism, workplace challenges, and visions for creating truly feminist, equitable, inclusive, and anti-racist organizations. Employing participatory action research, critical race feminist theory and an intersectional framework, we ensure that the people directly affected by implicit and explicit racism in the anti-GBV sector are the people who develop the solutions that will disrupt the manifestations of WDC in anti-GBV organizations and other social-change-oriented organizations within the non-profit sector.

Проблемы развития третьего сектора Приволжья: необходимость стратегического планирования

The paper focuses on strategic planning of non-profit organizations in changing environment. Particular attention is paid to analyzing the specifics of the situation of young NPOs and their attitude to strategic planning. It is concluded that for successful functioning of the non-profit sector it is especially important to consider the problem field of NPO development and adaptation of organizations' development strategies to changes. Volga Region NPOs today have sufficient experience and maturity to realize the need to develop new strategies for their activities in the changing environment. Moreover, the conclusion is made about the importance of interaction be- tween NGOs, authorities and business structures in the interests of successful development of the territory of pres- ence. The formation of a localizable social mechanism of intersectoral interaction for these purposes is proposed. The article is based on the results of a sociological research conducted by the Association of NGOs “Sluzhenie”, a network of resource centers of SO NGOs of the Volga Federal District, and the Department of Sociology of Project Activities and Pro-Competitive Regulation of Lobachevsky State University of Nizhny Novgorod in the spring of 2023 in the Volga Federal District, Russia.

Университетская «точка кипения» как инструмент развития образования, науки, технологий, а также поддержки социальных проектов некоммерческих организаций

Support of scientific, educational and technological initiatives of youth associations and non-profit organiza-tions is an important aspect in the development of Russian science and education. The participation of higher education organizations in the implementation of such initiatives makes it possible to ensure partnership be-tween scientists, representatives of public associations, as well as students and teachers. A system of support for social initiatives of the non-profit sector has been created and is actively developing in Russia. This study will consider the additional potential for the development of the support system for non-profit organizations at the expense of state and non-state organizations, including through the activities of the university “Boiling Point”, which actually performs the functionality of the resource center for NGO support. The team of authors in this study conducted a comprehensive analysis of the support of social initiatives of non-profit organizations and youth associations in the “Boiling Point” of the State University of Management (SUM), which took first place in Russia in terms of the number of events and visitors.

VISUALIZING AGING EQUITY: CROSS-SECTORAL PARTNERSHIPS TO CREATE MAPPING TOOLS FOR SOCIAL CHANGE

Abstract This symposium will feature ways in which gerontologists are advancing the development of online, interactive mapping tools on aging. Utilizing GIS mapping technology and leveraging cross-sectoral partnerships, the speakers will present case illustrations of efforts to develop aging-focused mapping tools that aggregate data sources at the municipal, state, and national levels to advance a spatial awareness of supports for older adults across diverse communities. First, as an example from the nonprofit sector, the New York Academy of Medicine will present on IMAGE:NYC, The Interactive Map of Aging. This presentation will describe the utility of this tool for policymakers, planners, researchers, and social service providers. Representing work from within the academic sector, the Rutgers School of Social Work will describe an academic-public sector partnership to adapt the IMAGE:NYC map for two counties in New Jersey. Next, presenters from the University of North Texas will describe their partnership with the City of San Antonio to develop an intelligent demand responsive transportation system for older adults and individuals with disabilities. This project involves the use of GIS mapping tools and qualitative research methods to identify place-based transportation gaps and strategies for improvement. Focusing on the national level, the National Council on Aging will describe its work developing mapping tools, including a map that displays area-level rates in eligibility gaps for three federal benefit programs. With an orientation to aging equity, these tools hold promise for fostering inclusive and healthy communities where older adults of diverse intersectional socio-spatial positions can age well. This is an Environmental Gerontology Interest Group Sponsored Symposium.

Revitalising Rural Spaces: Lessons Learnt from Brownfield Regeneration in a Shrinking Region

In the post-socialistic space, old, industrialised regions are not only dealing with problems with the regeneration of industrial brownfields but also with the occurrence of post-agricultural brownfields. The main objective of this paper is to identify and interpret how a successful network of cooperating actors was formed that participated in the process of transforming an agricultural brownfield into a successful rural business zone. From a methodological perspective, the article is based on the findings derived from a set of written memories with ten key actors who were involved in the redevelopment process. The studied regeneration project, which was implemented thanks to the successful cooperation of network of actors both from different hierarchical levels (local, regional and central level) and from the different sectors (public, private and non-profit sector), regenerated an area of 10.4 hectares thanks to both public and private investments of approximately CZK 240 million. Regeneration contributed to the creation of approximately 450 new jobs, and thanks to this project, the population in Třanovice also increased significantly in the transition period (1991–2021), which the studied community positively distinguishes from the shrinking urban centres and rural communities in the post-industrial neighbourhoods.

Organizational Factors in Clinical Data Sharing for Artificial Intelligence in Health Care

Limited sharing of data sets that accurately represent disease and patient diversity limits the generalizability of artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms in health care. To explore the factors associated with organizational motivation to share health data for AI development. This qualitative study investigated organizational readiness for sharing health data across the academic, governmental, nonprofit, and private sectors. Using a multiple case studies approach, 27 semistructured interviews were conducted with leaders in data-sharing roles from August 29, 2022, to January 9, 2023. The interviews were conducted in the English language using a video conferencing platform. Using a purposive and nonprobabilistic sampling strategy, 78 individuals across 52 unique organizations were identified. Of these, 35 participants were enrolled. Participant recruitment concluded after 27 interviews, as theoretical saturation was reached and no additional themes emerged. Concepts defining organizational readiness for data sharing and the association between data-sharing factors and organizational behavior were mapped through iterative qualitative analysis to establish a framework defining organizational readiness for sharing clinical data for AI development. Interviews included 27 leaders from 18 organizations (academia: 10, government: 7, nonprofit: 8, and private: 2). Organizational readiness for data sharing centered around 2 main constructs: motivation and capabilities. Motivation related to the alignment of an organization's values with data-sharing priorities and was associated with its engagement in data-sharing efforts. However, organizational motivation could be modulated by extrinsic incentives for financial or reputational gains. Organizational capabilities comprised infrastructure, people, expertise, and access to data. Cross-sector collaboration was a key strategy to mitigate barriers to access health data. This qualitative study identified sector-specific factors that may affect the data-sharing behaviors of health organizations. External incentives may bolster cross-sector collaborations by helping overcome barriers to accessing health data for AI development. The findings suggest that tailored incentives may boost organizational motivation and facilitate sustainable flow of health data for AI development.

Active Labour Market Policies: What Works for the Long-Term Unemployed?

Abstract There is still a lack of knowledge on how to effectively help the long-term unemployed into employment. We evaluate a wide range of active labour market policies for this target group, using a dynamic matching approach. Measures vary considerably in the extent to which they improve labour market prospects. Human capital-intensive training programs that substantially enhance vocational skills and employment programs are most effective, short activating job search training the least. Our results suggest that not only wage subsidies in the private sector, but also direct job creation in the public and non-profit sectors can work, if properly designed.

Data Governance Model For Nation-Wide Non-Profit Organization

According to Connolly's (2017) research, the context of nonprofit organizations exhibits variations when compared to commercial organizations or businesses, as supported by Zhang's (2010) study. Hence, it is imperative for both theoretical and empirical studies to contribute towards enhancing our comprehension of the strategy, implementation, and utilization of information systems in the specific context of nonprofit organizations. The investigation of information systems within the context of non-profit organizations offers a promising avenue for advancing the field of information systems research. This study focuses on the development of an information systems framework using the soft systems methodology, which has already been established. One opportunity for the advancement of information systems in non-profit organizations lies in the establishment of a comprehensive framework that facilitates adoption and is accompanied by robust data governance. This framework enables the analysis of data and the generation of valuable insights, thereby contributing to the development of information systems in the non-profit sector. The choice of data governance was informed by Zhang's (2010) research, which demonstrated that non-profit organizations face significant obstacles in the form of privacy and data security concerns. Furthermore, it is apparent that the preservation of data privacy plays a crucial role in the acceptance and utilization of information systems within non-profit entities. This research aims to contribute to the resolution of the issue by establishing a governance framework for information systems that effectively communicates to users the absence of data privacy risks associated with the systems employed by organizations. The objective of this study is to create a data governance model that will fill the research gap mentioned earlier and make a valuable contribution to the field of information systems research. The formation of the data governance model will involve the integration of soft systems methodology and the DAMA framework. The outcome of this study will be a data governance model specifically designed for a nationwide non-profit organization that utilizes microservices as its cutting-edge technology.

A longitudinal investigation of job demands‐resources theory in volunteer firefighters working for the nonprofit sector

AbstractMany nonprofit emergency service organizations rely heavily on volunteers. With the recent decline in volunteer numbers and the associated economic cost, it is important for nonprofit organizations to develop strategies aimed at improving volunteer retention. To this end, we applied job demands‐resources theory to examine how volunteer demands and resources explain volunteers' well‐being (i.e., exhaustion and engagement) and consequently, retention and mental health (i.e., depressive symptoms). Specifically, we hypothesized that: (1) exhaustion mediates the positive relationship between demands and depressive symptoms, and the negative relationship between demands and retention; (2) engagement mediates the positive relationship between resources and retention; (3) resources buffer the positive relationship between demands and exhaustion; and (4) demands boost the positive relationship between resources and engagement. Volunteer firefighters (N = 126) were asked to complete a self‐report questionnaire twice over a 1‐year period. Results showed that increases in engagement mediated the positive relationship between resources and retention over time. Contrary to expectations, volunteer resources boosted the positive relationship between volunteer demands and increases in exhaustion. Namely, demands related positively with exhaustion particularly when resources were high (instead of low). Collectively, the study results have important theoretical implications since they suggest that demands do not always have long‐term, unfavorable consequences for volunteer firefighters. In contrast, resources enhance volunteer engagement and consequently, promote retention in the long run. Therefore, it is important for volunteer organizations to provide relevant resources to their members to keep them engaged and enhance their willingness to remain in the force.