Nonprofit Collaboration Research Articles

Meta-Analyzing the Trust-Performance Link in Collaboration: Moderating Effects of Conceptual and Contextual Factors

Trust is vital for effective collaboration, but its impact on collaboration performance has produced inconsistent findings. This study examines the trust-collaboration performance link by testing the moderating effects of diverse conceptual and contextual factors. Through a comprehensive meta-analysis of 31 empirical studies, we synthesize siloed findings and offer a systematic and evidence-based examination of the trust-collaboration performance link. Our findings show that the trust-collaboration performance relationship is positive and stronger when trust is cognition-based rather than affect-based, when performance content focuses on process and outcomes, and when performance is subjectively measured. In addition, trust is more important in low generalized trust countries and in cross-sectoral or nonprofit collaboration. These moderation effects manifest differently in different collaboration forms, with trust playing a less salient role in contracting. These findings unravel the nuanced dynamics of trust within collaboration and have substantial implications for scholars and practitioners in collaborative governance and network management.

Do Top managers’ Psychological Attributes Influence Nonprofit Alliances for Resource Acquisition? An Application of Stimulus-Organization-Behavior-Consequence (S-O-B-C) Theory

ABSTRACT Despite many investigations on nonprofit collaboration, examining nonprofit alliances from the behavioral attributes of top managers is nonexistent in the present literature. This paper studies how nonprofit top managers undertake strategic decisions on nonprofit alliances for resource acquisition through the Stimulus-Organization-Behavior-Consequence (S-O-B-C) theory. Information was collected through a questionnaire survey from 390 nonprofit top managers, and structural equation modeling was applied to process the data. Appropriate measures were undertaken to address questionnaire validation and common method bias. The positive stimuli for collaboration positively impacted, and the negative stimuli for alliance negatively impacted the top managers’ attitude and value toward an alliance with other nonprofits for resource acquisition in the nonprofits. The nonprofits’ top managers’ “attitude” and “value” positively impact their behavior for the alliance for resource acquisition with other nonprofits. However, the nonprofits’ top managers’ behavior did not significantly affect the consequences of the alliance for resource acquisition with other nonprofits.

Exploring the Distribution of 3D-Printed Simulator Designs Using Open-Source Databases to Facilitate Simulation-Based Learning Through a University and Nonprofit Collaboration: Protocol for a Scoping Review.

Advancements in technology have enhanced education, training, and application in health care. However, limitations are present surrounding the accessibility and use of simulation technology (eg, simulators) for health profession education. Improving the accessibility of technology developed in university-based research centers by nonprofit organizations (NPOs; eg, hospitals) has the potential to benefit the health of populations worldwide. One example of such technology is 3D-printed simulators. This scoping review aims to identify how the use of open-source databases for the distribution of simulator designs used for 3D printing can promote credible solutions for health care training while minimizing the risks of commercialization of designs for profit. This scoping review will follow the Arksey and O'Malley methodological framework and the Joanna Briggs Institute guidance for scoping reviews. Ovid MEDLINE, CINAHL, Web of Science, and PsycINFO will be searched with an applied time frame of 2012 to 2022. Additionally, gray literature will be searched along with reference list searching. Papers that explore the use of open-source databases in academic settings and the health care sector for the distribution of simulator designs will be included. A 2-step screening process will be administered to titles and abstracts, then full texts, to establish paper eligibility. Screening and data extraction of the papers will be completed by 2 reviewers (MS and SS) for quality assurance. The scoping review will report information on the facilitation of distributing 3D-printed simulator designs through open-source databases. The results of this review will identify gaps in forming partnerships with NPOs and university-based research centers to share simulator designs. The scoping review will be initiated in December 2024. The information collected will be relevant and useful for stakeholders such as health care providers, researchers, and NPOs for the purpose of overcoming the gaps in research regarding the use and distribution of simulation technology. The scoping review has not been conducted yet. Therefore, there are currently no findings to report on. PRR1-10.2196/53167.

The benefits of nonprofit reputation: Government funding, nonprofit performance, and nonprofit reputational gains

AbstractReputation is a valuable intangible resource whose role in public–nonprofit collaborations remains unexplored. Does nonprofit reputation influence government funding and nonprofit performance? Does nonprofit performance enhance nonprofit reputational gains? Our identification strategy adopts panel regression methods to assess whether nonprofit reputation influences government funding and nonprofit performance in 675 collaborations between the Brazilian Ministry of Health (MoH) and 60 nonprofit hospitals from 2012 to 2019. Our results indicate that reputable nonprofit hospitals receive more government funding, hire more staff and achieve higher levels of production. This research also suggests a virtuous cycle: Better nonprofit performance leads to nonprofit reputational gains in official rankings. We thus contribute to reputation and public–nonprofit collaboration scholarship by empirically examining the role of nonprofit reputation in public–nonprofit collaborations and identifying mediators of the nonprofit reputation–performance link while responding to calls for more panel data analyses.

Cooking Up Health: Academic-Community Collaboration to Teach Nutrition Education

Physicians are at the frontline of advising patients on nutrition; however, only 29% of medical schools teach the recommended 25 hours of nutrition, and fewer than 14% of practicing physicians feel adequately trained.1,2 Moreover, limited nutrition education in medical school may focus on vitamin deficiencies or treatment for specific disease states rather than general wellness.1 These outcomes negatively impact not only patients, but also the well-being of physician trainees themselves.Our project leverages existing community expertise by collaborating with a nonprofit, Common Threads, to deliver a hands-on nutrition curriculum to family medicine residents. Through a train-the-trainer model, resident physicians later apply what they learned to teach nutrition education to local middle school students. The purposes of this project were to (1) assess the feasibility of conducting a culinary medicine pilot within the context of an existing residency curriculum; and (2) determine the impact of a culinary medicine curriculum combining academic, culinary, and community components to achieve nutrition competencies.Twenty-three residents at the Northwestern McGaw Family Medicine Residency at Lake Forest were assigned asynchronous learning on the topics delineated in the Table, followed by 3 weekly synchronous virtual hourlong culinary training sessions led by Common Threads professional chefs. Topics were selected for their relevance to primary care.These sessions were followed by a 30-minute debrief and discussion of prework, led by residency faculty. Gift cards were provided to purchase groceries for each recipe. Applying knowledge learned in weeks 1 to 3, residents led three 45-minute classes during weeks 4 through 6 at a local middle school where 80% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. By connecting trainees with local schools, we aim to increase community engagement and positively impact our surrounding community, all while fostering self-care in health professionals around nutrition.Residents completed validated assessments and follow-up surveys, including the PrimeScreen self-reported dietary intake and others. Following the course, residents showed significant increases in their confidence in nutrition counseling (t=3.8, P=.004), confidence in cooking skills (t=2.8, P=.018), and ability to prepare plant-based meals (t=2.9, P=.016). There was also a significant increase in resident knowledge of plant-based diets (t=0.5, P=.002) and substituting animal-based proteins with plant-based proteins (t=4.3, P=.002). Eighty-one percent (13 of 16) reported a positive or neutral impact on their knowledge due to the virtual nature of the cooking classes.This pilot demonstrates the feasibility and positive impact of a residency and nonprofit collaboration to launch a culinary medicine curriculum for both resident and middle school learners. This model could be adapted for residents of any specialty with downstream impact on factors related to obesity and nutrition in patient care. Not only does each trainee interact with children during the course, but throughout their training and career each will touch the lives of thousands of patients. As a secondary benefit, this curriculum increases middle school student exposure to STEM careers through their interaction with resident physicians. This type of collaboration can empower future health care professionals and patients as agents of change for healthier schools and communities. In conclusion, this framework may offer a new model to deliver nutrition education to residents and fellows that can be replicated by many specialties and types of residency programs.The authors would like to acknowledge Kassandra Hinrichsen, Lindsey Fritz, and Stephanie Folkens of Common Threads, as well as Jennifer Martinez of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine for their contributions to the development of this manuscript.

Nonprofit Sector Size and the Breadth of Local Government Climate Actions: Exploring the Moderating Role of Collaboration

Existing studies often use the association between sector sizes to test the supplementary and complementary models of government–nonprofit relations, assuming that one mode of government–nonprofit relations dominates a policy subsector. We challenge this assumption and propose that the relationship between nonprofit sector size and the breadth of local government policy actions depends on their level of collaboration. Situated in the context of urban climate governance and drawing information from a national survey of U.S. local government climate actions, we test this modified model and find a statistically significant moderation effect of collaboration. However, contrary to our proposed hypotheses, our findings suggest that a positive association between the number of environmental nonprofits and governmental climate actions exists when the level of government–nonprofit collaboration is low to moderate. We posit that the adversarial lens of government–nonprofit relations and the cost of collaboration are key to understanding these surprising findings.

Medical Information Delivering Improved Customer Experience: A Guide.

Customer experience (CX) is essential in any business. In the pharmaceutical industry, the Medical Information Contact Center is a customer-facing unit that provides evidence-based, scientifically balanced information to healthcare professionals and patients in response to unsolicited inquiries. The purpose of this paper is to provide analysis and guidance for designing and measuring interactions in the Medical Information Contact Center to facilitate the delivery of a superior and continuously improving CX. Surveys were conducted to establish current trends in CX among a diverse group of CX professionals and members of phactMI, a non-profit collaboration of Medical Information leaders from the pharmaceutical industry. The top three observations from the CX professionals survey centered on establishing a clear CX strategy, use of technology, and frequency of sharing results. Three potential areas for improvement focus on CX strategy, measurements of CX, and sharing of results. An analysis of quality monitoring results of customer interactions in the pharmaceutical industry from Centerfirst, a contact center quality monitoring service provider, was also reviewed. This analysis found a positive correlation between CX and three agent skills: taking the lead, empathy, and strong compliance skills. Based on these results, a CX guide was developed and specifically tailored for the pharmaceutical industry. This tool may be used to help identify, assess, and possibly improve CX.

Who coauthors Cochrane Reviews related to genitourinary cancers? A 1998-2022 analysis of country and gender diversity.

436 Background: Women and individuals from low- and lower-middle-income countries (LMICs) are under-represented in urology literature, particularly in high-impact publications. Cochrane, a non-profit collaboration, publishes high‐quality systematic reviews that frequently impact policy and clinical practice worldwide. However, the state of the country and gender diversity amongst authors of urology-related Cochrane Reviews is unknown, which this work sought to determine. Methods: We searched the Cochrane Database, under the filter “Topic: Urology”, for all reviews related to genitourinary cancers, published until 25 July 2022, including both active reviews and those withdrawn for updation. We extracted authorship data and classified the national affiliation of authors into either high- and upper-middle-income countries (HICs) or LMICs based on the World Bank income classification. We treated a collaborative author group belonging to one country as a single-country affiliation. Given the higher accuracy of manual web searches for ascertaining gender over algorithmic estimation, we utilized the former to achieve ≥90% ascertainment. We endeavored to capture at least one webpage that demonstrated their gender, e.g. institutional profile, Google Scholar, ResearchGate, etc. Results: A total of 54 urology-related reviews, co-authored by a total of 324 authors, were included. 53 reviews were published by the Cochrane Urology Group, while one review was by the Incontinence Group. Zero authors were from LMICs. Countries with the highest representation of co-authors were the US (24.1%), UK (25.3%), Germany (23.5%), South Korea (6.8%), Australia (6.2%), Netherlands (3.7%), China (2.8%), Canada (2.5%), Brazil (1.5%). Gender could be ascertained for 94.14% (N=305/324) of co-authors. Women made up 27.5% (N=84/305) of co-authors, 16.0% (N=8/50) of first authors, and 16.89% (N=9/53) of corresponding authors. Conclusions: Women are well-represented in Cochrane Reviews related to genitourinary cancers compared to urology-specific journals and their representation in urology. However, LMICs contributed zero authors, while those from the US, UK, and Germany constitute >70% of authors for one of the highest-quality evidence sources in urology. Equitable authorship representation may help expand both the utilization and the global relevance of recommendations of such high-impact urology literature. Global capacity-building efforts are warranted, particularly in Africa, for enhancing the involvement of LMIC urologists with evidence synthesis.

An Algorithm for Free Clinic Deployment: Bridging the Gap in Healthcare Access in Rural Pennsylvania

Student-run free clinics play an essential role in meeting the needs of underserved populations while providing service-learning opportunities to health professions students. While these clinics have been an asset for many institutions, the success hinges on the successful selection of clinic locations, studying resource utilization, the receptiveness of the local population, and effective strategic planning. The Student-led and Collaborative Outreach Program for Health Equity (SCOPE) Free Mobile Clinic at the Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine was established in 2017 to address the needs of underserved populations in Central Pennsylvania. Starting from one clinic, SCOPE has grown to twelve different sites across the county and has addressed different needs in diverse populations from rural to urban. The clinic has reached 435 individuals, provided 95 consultations with attending physicians, and distributed more than 120 vaccinations in the three years it has been fully active. During its evolution, the organization has developed a guidance algorithm that is critical to its operations and expansion initiatives. This algorithm has enabled strategic community resource deployment, garnered interest from private nonprofit collaboration and local government investment. Based on objective data, we identified new patient populations and clinic sites. Here we describe our experience developing and utilizing our deployment algorithm and the challenges and lessons we learned in growing a novel clinic model in a rural landscape.

Resource Development and Use in a Nonprofit Collaboration

Collaboration in public and nonprofit sectors enhances organizations’ access to resources, but the very process of collaboration is resource-intensive. Yet to date, the topic of how to develop and use resources for effective collaboration remains underexamined in the literature. We identify this issue as the “resource dilemma,” and examine how resources are developed and used in collaboration, drawing on the resourcing perspective. Based on a longitudinal qualitative case analysis of a collaboration of seven nonprofit organizations over five years, we identify four actions through which collaboration participants develop and use resources—framing, orienting, mobilizing, and structuring. We demonstrate how collaboration participants use these actions to develop and use resources, thus facilitating the process of collaboration. The findings suggest a new way of understanding resources in collaboration and highlight the significance of actions of collaboration participants in creating and enhancing the value of resources in collaboration.

Applying the Repertory Grid Technique to Advance Nonprofit Collaboration: A Situational Theory of Partner Selection

Applying the Repertory Grid Technique to Advance Nonprofit Collaboration: A Situational Theory of Partner Selection

How the Euripid collaboration contributes to price transparency of pharmaceuticals

Abstract Background Spending on pharmaceuticals is growing continuously with a forecast of reaching over one trillion Euro in the next five years. Also, the average price of newly launched medicines is steeply raising, thus putting pressure on public payers. With several new advanced therapies in the pipeline, there are concerns in terms of both affordability and access for all patients who may need these treatments. To manage high launch prices, public payers in Europe more and more rely on private law contractual arrangements with pharmaceutical companies, requiring significant price discounts and other types of managed-entry agreements (MEAs). Methods In spring 2021 we analysed the EURIPID database (www.euripid.eu) for occurrence and frequency of MEA in the 28 countries (AT, BE, BG, CH, CY, CZ, DK, EE, EL, ES, FI, FR, HR, HU, IE, IL, IS, IT, LV, LT, NL, NO, PT, RO, SE, SI, SK, and UK) that are covered. Euripid is a voluntary, non-profit collaboration between mainly European countries on building up and maintaining a database with information on national prices of medicinal products. Results 24 out 28 countries acknowledge the existence of MEA in their country. The highest number was identified in Italy with 1,317 agreements, followed by Latvia with 555 and Austria with 235. Seven countries use MEA as more or less standard instrument to manage their public pharmaceutical budget, whereas other countries just use it on case-by-case basis. Analysis shows that products above 100.0 Euro per unit (i.e. per shot or tablet) are much more likely to have a MEA than products with lower prices. Still, we found MEA in place also for products with a sales price per unit with <1.0 Euro. When looking into therapeutic areas, Antineoplastic and immunomodulating agents (ATC group L) including cancer medicines and immunosuppressants and medicines for the nervous system (ATC group N) dominated. Also, for some companies the likelihood of a MEA is higher than for others. Key messages Managed Entry Agreements (MEA) have become a standard tool for many public payers to manage high launch prices of pharmaceuticals. The scope of use varies widely: in some countries almost all newly launched pharmaceuticals are subject to such an agreement.

Evaluating the Role of Government Collaboration in the Perceived Performance of Community-Based Nonprofits: Three Propositions

Abstract The topic of government–nonprofit collaboration continues to be much-discussed in the literature. However, there has been little consensus on whether and how collaborating with government is beneficial for the performance of community-based nonprofits. This article examines three dominant theoretical interpretations of the relationship between collaboration and performance: collaboration is necessary for the performance of nonprofits; the absence of collaboration is necessary for the performance of nonprofits; and the effect of collaboration is contingent on the nonprofits’ bridging and bonding network ties. Building on the ideas of governance, nonprofit, and social capital in their respective literature, this article uses set-theoretic methods (fsQCA) to conceptualize and test their relationship. Results show the pivotal role of the nonprofit’s network ties in mitigating the effects of either collaborating or abstaining from collaborating with government. Particularly, the political network ties of nonprofits are crucial to explaining the relationship between collaboration and performance. The evidence demonstrates the value of studying collaboration processes in context.

What contributes to the sustainability of self-organized non-profit collaboration in disaster relief？A fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis

ABSTRACT This study explores how intra-alliance factors (size, resource constraints, mission nature, operating mechanisms) and contextual factors combine to contribute to the sustainability of self-organized non-profit collaboration in disaster relief. A fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis was used to analyze 17 non-profit collaborations that emerged after the 2008 Wenchuan and 2013 Lushan earthquakes in China. The findings show that the absence of political pressure (a contextual factor) and having a formal contract-based operating mechanism (an intra-alliance factor) are two necessary conditions for a sustainable non-profit collaboration, and two configurations are identified to contribute to a high degree of sustainability for non-profit collaboration.

Dissemination of CATCH My Breath, a middle school E-Cigarette prevention program

ObjectivesIn 2016, the US Surgeon General issued a Call to Action to address adolescent e-cigarette use and school-based prevention interventions are an effective component of comprehensive tobacco control. This study describes the development and dissemination of CATCH My Breath, an e-cigarette prevention program for middle and high school students. MethodsStarting in 2014, a university and nonprofit collaboration designed, formatively evaluated, pilot tested, and disseminated the CATCH My Breath Program (CMB). The team used Social Cognitive Theory to develop the program and Diffusion of Innovations Theory to disseminate the program. Dissemination strategies were applied beginning in 2016. This paper describes the application of both theories and the resulting reach of CMB. ResultsSince dissemination began, CMB has been rapidly adopted, following the typical diffusion normal curve. As of June 2020, approximately 4,000 schools in the United States have adopted the program, 70,000 teachers have taught the program, and 1,400,000 students have been exposed to program materials. ConclusionThe application of Social Cognitive Theory and Diffusion of Innovation Theory resulted in effective prevention results and rapid, widespread adoption of the CMB. This level of adoption and implementation represents 25% of the school marketplace. CMB should be considered as the school component of the recommended combustible and e-cigarette prevention and control toolkit, alongside mass media, marketing restrictions, retail access, taxation, flavor ban, and FDA premarket approval. Other public health interventions seeking rapid adoption should consider applying principles of Diffusion of Innovation as a guide for development and dissemination.

Do U.S. Faith-Based Social Service Organizations Resist Collaboration? Examining the Role of Religiosity and Operational Capacity in Interorganizational Partnerships

Although nonprofit collaboration is commonplace, recent research suggests that faith-based organizations (FBOs) are less likely to collaborate than other nonprofits. This study builds on prior FBO, collaboration, and nonprofit capacity research to examine the influence of religiosity and operational capacity on FBOs’ within- and cross-sector partnerships. Findings from a survey with 197 FBOs across the United States reveal a complex picture of how religiosity and operational capacity influence FBO collaboration. More specifically, staff religiosity was positively related to cross-sector partnerships. Service religiosity (i.e., religious elements in staff–client interactions) was negatively associated with collaboration with government agencies. Results also indicated that FBOs with higher operational capacity had more partners in the nonprofit, business, and public sectors. These findings suggest that FBOs generally lack the operational capacity for collaboration and that service religiosity creates additional barriers to it. This article concludes with implications for research in FBOs, interorganizational collaboration, and nonprofit capacity.

Public–Nonprofit Collaboration in Homeless Services: Are Nonprofit-Led Networks More Effective in Winning Federal Funding?

Does nonprofit leadership have an impact on the performance of collaborative networks? This article examines the degree to which nonprofit-led networks and other governance characteristics matter in explaining the performance of network achieving federal funding. Specifically, we hypothesize that networks led by nonprofit organizations may achieve more funding and project awards than those led by government organizations. Using data from a national survey of local homeless service networks, we find that contrary to the hypothesized expectations, networks led by nonprofits are less successful in federal funding and project award than networks led by government organizations.

What do we know about nonprofit collaboration? A systematic review of the literature

AbstractThis systematic literature review reports on the content of past empirical studies of nonprofit collaboration within and across the sectors, published between 1972 and 2015 (n = 657). An analysis of these articles reveals four major themes: diverse but “siloed” data; imbalance in research coverage; the dominance of “big four” organization theories; and limited improvement in research sophistication. It further identifies five specific research gaps: the insufficient attention to the forms and intensity of nonprofit collaboration; the divergences and contradictions in theoretical reasoning and empirical evidence; the lack of attention to the moderators and/or mediators of collaboration; the lack of understanding of collaborative failure; and the lack of comparative studies. These findings help to inform collaboration research and practice by observing the value in using a broader scope of literature and methods to build knowledge in this area.

Web Appendices For: What Do We Know About Nonprofit Collaboration? A Systematic Review of the Literature

This document contains two appendices for an article titled What do We Know about Nonprofit Collaboration? A Systematic Review of the Literature, co-authored by Beth Gazley and Chao Guo. This systematic literature review reports on the content of past empirical studies of nonprofit collaboration within and across the sectors, published between 1972 and 2015 (n=657). An analysis of these articles reveals four major themes: diverse but “siloed” data; imbalance in research coverage; dominance of “big four” organization theories; and limited improvement in research sophistication. It further identifies five specific research gaps: the insufficient attention to the forms and intensity of nonprofit collaboration; the divergences and contradictions in theoretical reasoning and empirical evidence; the lack of attention to the moderators and/or mediators of collaboration; the lack of understanding of collaborative failure; and the lack of comparative studies. These findings help to inform collaboration research and practice by observing the value in using a broader scope of literature and methods to build knowledge in this area.

What factors contribute to nonprofit collaboration? An analysis of response and recovery efforts after the 2008 Wenchuan Earthquake, China

Nonprofit organizations (NPOs) can provide services to disaster-impacted communities and residents in a more timely manner than the government can. The Wenchuan earthquake, which occurred on May 12, 2008, was the most severe natural disaster in China in recent years. NPOs participated in rescue and reconstruction efforts and were an important emergency response force, leading some to call 2008 “the first year of nonprofit organizations in China” (Yang, 2015). The most striking feature of NPOs’ participation in the Wenchuan earthquake relief efforts was that they set up different types of collaborations among themselves to better leverage limited resources and expand on the power of any single organization acting alone. This article differentiates between two types of nonprofit collaboration—contract-based and voluntary-based collaborations—and explores the factors that facilitated the formation of each type of collaboration following the Wenchuan earthquake. Based on three in-depth case studies of (1) Sichuan 5/12 Center for Voluntary Disaster Relief (CVDR), (2) the Sichuan Province NPOs Joint Office (SPNJO), and (3) the New Hometown Plan (NHP), we found that resource dependence, network effect, and volunteerism played different roles in the formation of the two types of collaboration. These findings lead to policy recommendations for improving nonprofit collaboration to respond to and recover from natural catastrophes.