Small Nonprofit Organizations Research Articles

A profile of urban agricultural growers, organizations, their needs, and challenges in the Northeastern United States.

Urban agriculture is increasingly valued as a strategy for improving quality of life in cities, but urban growers face challenges and often lack coordinated support from governments and the agricultural industry. We surveyed urban growers through an online survey, primarily in the Northeastern United States, to develop a profile of growers and associated organizations, assess the current state of urban agriculture, and determine how universities could help meet their needs. A total of 394 respondents completed the survey and most urban growers were white (non-Hispanic) and younger than 45 years old. Women and men were in almost equal proportion. Urban growers were well-educated, but most did not receive a degree in agriculture. Urban agriculture in our study area was dominated by relatively small non-profit organizations and home and community gardens were the most common types of organizations. Urban agricultural organizations want to improve environmental sustainability and socio-cultural conditions through food access and security, regardless of their tax status. Urban growers face diverse barriers and challenges and the most ubiquitous barriers and challenges reported by respondents were related to availability of land and long-term access in urban areas. Many respondents received low revenue or were operating at a net loss even though they reported diverse income streams. Respondents need a wide range of training, including in traditional agricultural topics as well as financial management and business trainings. Universities can play a key role in promoting urban agriculture by offering training and research. Workforce development is a large priority among universities, so urban growers should regularly be consulted, and the results shared with career and workforce development professionals and researchers in urban areas to identify training and research that meets the needs of stakeholders.

A Founder’s Story Taking a Social Program from Small Startup to Long-Term Sustainability

Starting the Conversation (STC) began in 2016 as a mental health program created by a small grassroots organization in St. Louis, Missouri. In 2019, following success of the program, the organization incorporated as a nonprofit. By 2021, the organization was financially sound and positioned to grow, but its all-volunteer leaders were grappling with how to sustain the program, as they were being pulled in other directions. To save this important service, they proposed a merger with a large nonprofit: the Gateway Region YMCA (GRYMCA), an association of 24 YMCA branches across Missouri and Illinois. The GRYMCA’s leadership embraced the merger proposal because they saw a programmatic opportunity. Thereafter, the STC program became an integral part of the GRYMCA’s community-focused work. The journey to this win-win outcome has revealed important lessons that can help existing and would-be founders of small nonprofits, as well as leaders and managers of large established nonprofits.

Microfoundations of Dynamic Capabilities for Social Innovations in Small Non-Profit Organizations

The promotion of social innovations by non-profit and business organizations has gained increasing interest. Yet, there has been limited research on routines that organizations use to facilitate social innovations. This paper uses a dynamic capabilities framework to understand the microfoundations of dynamic capabilities for social innovation in small non-profit organizations. Through analysis of routines of 20 small organizations in five European metropolitan areas, the paper demonstrates that many microfoundation aspects resemble generic abilities of opportunity identification, alliancing, user engagement, networking, and organizational learning. However, their orientation toward public values requires incorporating commitments to social value and principles of ethics, responsibility, and sustainability, into different organizational processes. We suggest that social impact does not always require substantial investment and can be achievable through modest changes such as repurposing surplus resources. Building flexible routines that enable such incremental changes is a key element of organizational capability to adapt to changing contexts.

Understanding social responsibility and relational pressures in nonprofit organisations

Relational pressures across multiple levels push organisations to behave socially responsibly or sometimes irresponsibly. But how do relational pressures across multiple levels influence social responsibility of small nonprofit organisations working with marginalised groups? Nonprofit organisations are increasing in importance owing to their role in development and representation of marginalised groups’ interests, yet their social responsibility is little understood. Using the lens of standpoint theory, we explore social responsibility of small disability arts organisations in the nonprofit sector in Australia drawing on 53 interviews involving actors at multiple levels, supplemented by site visits and observations. We find small nonprofit organisations’ social responsibility in a state of flux, influenced by differing priorities, expectations, and demands from various actors across levels. We provide insights into organisational social responsibility dynamics, identifying three major tensions that small arts organisations face – formality versus informality, agency versus representation, and access versus excellence – in seeking to be socially responsible. Our findings have relevance for organisations in the wider nonprofit sector, underscoring the need to explore their social responsibility from a relational perspective. Further, the resultant tensions from relational pressures, as identified in our study, provide important implications for organisational social responsibility advancing theoretical and practical knowledge in this emerging field.

An Executive Search Gone AwryBiased Hiring Practices in a Small Organization

This teaching case describes an executive search gone awry. A small nonprofit organization committed to social justice set out to hire their first executive director and inad-vertently created a biased hiring process that resulted in a failed search. Through this case, students will learn to identify how resource constraints affect hiring decisions in small organizations, explain the importance of a comprehensive job development plan, develop and introduce a proposal to hire an organization’s first executive director, identify the microfoundations (i.e., individual-level behaviors) of biased hiring practices, and intervene effectively in unproductive or harmful board-level discussions. These learning objectives can be adapted to fit the objectives of courses in board governance, leadership, team dynamics, and human resource management. This case is appropriate for undergraduate and graduate students.

Nonprofit Planning and Impact with Regard to the 2018 Tax Law

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) is considered the largest tax overhaul since 1986 and was anticipated to produce declining charitable donations for nonprofits and was expected to create disruption across the nonprofit sector in 2018. This study tests whether small nonprofits (under $250,000 in revenues) or large nonprofits (over $250,000 in revenues) planned differently due to the law and secondly, how they were affected by the law. Utilizing survey data from 50 nonprofits, this research offers qualitative data on both large and small nonprofit organizational awareness as it relates to the rollout of the law.

Идеоматериальные полисистемы и политика

The article proposes a theoretical concept of social ideomaterial polysystems (SMPS), considers its applications in the field of political science. The highest type of SMPS are civilizations, the most complex systems in the universe. IMPS is a complex of ideomaterial systems (IMS). SMPS are holistic sociocultural systems that make up a developed society. A feature of such systems is that some of the elements of these systems are material, and some are ideal, many of them do not have clear boundaries, the strength of interactions in these systems and between them varies from weak and unstable to strong and constant. Ideomaterial systems of people, artifacts and, in some cases, animals and plants form an integrity due to the system of ideas that unites them. It gives meaning to social IMPS, unites the community, determines its behavior and direction of development. IMPS are very diverse: they can be scientific communities in which science brings together scientists, scientific instruments, theory, texts, social institutions, buildings; it can be religions in which faith unites priests, parishioners, temples, sacred texts and attributes, there can be simpler communities, like sports fans, there can be large and small non-profit organizations united by some social goals. The complex of ideas on which these systems are based is of a holistic character. Humans and other material elements also form holistic systems. These systems are necessarily self-reproducing, that is they must reproduce the people who carry the ideas, making them, respectively, scientists, believers, chess players, fans, music lovers, and so on. Each of these people can simultaneously be an element of other ideo-material systems, giving them part of the time of their lives. These systems often have fuzzy boundaries, they are also in a network of regular and sporadic, synergistic and antagonistic interactions with each other. They compete for the time of people, their carriers. A huge number of interacting IMSIs create systems of systems: modern civilizations. For the analysis of complexes and conglomerates formed by ideo-material systems located in a network of fuzzy interactions, the concept of polysystems by I. Even-Zohar was used. The largest ideomaterial polysystems include ethnic groups, nations, states, world religions and global ideologies. Based on a few existing scientific approaches, the central of which is the sociology of knowledge, the general principles of organization and self-reproduction of such unifying systems of ideas are analyzed. As a measure of the power of ideomaterial polysystems, it is proposed to use the total time spent by the communities of these systems to maintain their functioning. Possible directions of application of the concept of ideomaterial polysystems in political research are considered.

Beyond Donations: Isomorphism and Revenue Mix in Nonprofit Start-Ups

The literature on nonprofit growth contains a practical ambiguity regarding which types of revenues to cultivate as a start-up nonprofit. The revenue portfolio of a more established organization may be inappropriate (or unattainable) for a new one, but there may be perils in relying too long on sources of nonprofit start-up capital. We posit that nonprofit entrepreneurs choose to mimic larger organizations in their field for growth rather than rely on the revenue mix of their start-up stage. This study uses two different dynamic econometric models to estimate the role of revenue type and other organizational factors in the growth of young and small nonprofits. We find that mimicking the revenue habits of larger organizations is generally (but not universally) advisable, with most conclusions sensitive to subsector.

Increasing small nonprofits’ influence through strategic storytelling

In the last few years, marketing has increasingly focused on storytelling as a way for brands to deepen relationships with customers. However, there is limited guidance for practitioners on how to apply storytelling in nonprofit contexts, especially in small ones that are financially constrained. After a brief review of the literature on storytelling for charitable organizations, we present a storytelling framework for small nonprofits, illustrated with examples primarily from animal rescues. The use of our suggestions should result in more effective and meaningful storytelling for small nonprofits that seek the support of donors, volunteers, and other community members.

Impact of Non-Profit Organizations’ Accountability: Empirical evidence from the democratic Republic of Congo

Aid on health, education and economy provided by Small Non-Profit Organizations (NPOs) in Africa should focus on transmitting transparency, responsibility and efficacy in their work concerning NPOs’ downward accountability for beneficiaries, as beneficiaries are one of the most important NPO stakeholders. This research focuses on NPOs’ downward accountability for beneficiaries, as beneficiaries are one of the most important NPO stakeholders where researchers have not focused thoroughly. A survey was designed and divided into various issues of accountability and their impact on the beneficiaries’ perception of economic improvement. The multivariate analysis obtained interesting results, showing that beneficiaries have a positive perception of NPOs’ aid to their families and village and find that the NPO discloses its objectives clearly and has high networking activity. However, they believe that the NPO should be more flexible and align its work more closely with local and public policy in the area. They also believe that the NPO should improve publication and dissemination of information on its objectives, activities and results. Based on these findings, small NPOs should receive more training in protocols about accountability issues to improve performance, as the majority of NPOs fail to use accountability outcomes to improve performance.

Guest Editors’ Introduction: Opening Conversations that Matter in Public Music Studies

Guest Editors’ Introduction: Opening Conversations that Matter in Public Music Studies

How small nonprofits can minimize admin and maximize mission

Nonprofit organizations play a fundamental role within their communities. Providing services such as healthcare, financial aid, education, animal welfare and general support. They are pillars to their respective communities giving a voice to those they serve. All nonprofits have their own unique missions and inspirations behind these objectives. However, a significant challenge for these organizations is maintaining adequate overhead costs to ensure that budgets are effectively managed and finding appropriate donor tools (Donor Tools Feature—Uncommon Good, 2022a) and marketing software (Marketing Features—Uncommon Good, 2022b) can be like finding a needle in a haystack.

Presentation of accounting information on non-current assets using simplified methods

Subject. This article deals with the topical issues of the methodology for accounting for non-current assets using simplified methods due to changes in the accounting legislation of the Russian Federation in terms of the application of Federal Accounting Standards FSBU 6/2020 – Fixed Assets, FSBU 26/2020 – Capital Investments and FSBU 25/2018 – Lease Accounting. Objectives. The article aims to group simplified accounting methods for non-current assets and apply them when presenting accounting information about these assets. Methods. For the study, we used the methods of analysis, systematization, comparison, and grouping. Results. Based on the analysis of changes in accounting legislation on accounting for non-current assets, the article groups the statutory regulation of simplified methods. It offers accounting records for intangible assets, property, plant and equipment, capital investments and lease items, and defines the main simplified ways of accounting for non-current assets that must be approved in the accounting policy. Conclusions and Relevance. Based on the analysis of federal accounting standards, the article concludes that the development and practical application of simplified methods of accounting are relevant for reflecting the accounting events by small businesses and non-profit organizations. The results obtained can be applied both in the theory and practice of accounting in relation to the accounting of items using simplified methods.

Set expectations, explain benefits of board member volunteerism

In small nonprofits with no paid staff, board members volunteering their time on programmatic duties is common and usually necessary for the organization to make any sort of progress towards its mission. But for larger organizations with paid staff, board members may not be as keen to volunteer their time on non‐board‐related activities.

Boost board member volunteerism with clear understanding of expectations, benefits

In small nonprofits with no paid staff, board members volunteering their time on programmatic duties is common and usually necessary for the organization to make any sort of progress towards its mission. But for larger organizations with paid staff, board members may not be as keen to volunteer their time on non‐board‐related activities.

The Need to Incorporate Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Reflections from a National Initiative Measuring Fruit and Vegetable Intake

The Need to Incorporate Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Reflections from a National Initiative Measuring Fruit and Vegetable Intake

Barriers to Meeting Community Needs in New York State during COVID-19: Results From a Pilot Survey of Nongovernmental Population and Community Health Professionals.

Capacity building and training help empower the community and population health organizations to partner with local health departments and collaboratively design multisectoral interventions that account for the complexity of public health and health promotion challenges in the era of COVID-19 and beyond. Ideally, training programs should be informed by an understanding of the needs and priorities of the professionals for whom they are intended. This brief report focuses on the results of a pilot online survey conducted as part of a larger pilot study by the New York State Association of County Health Officials and the Region 2 Public Health Training Center among population and community health professionals (n = 27) from four counties in New York State during the COVID-19 pandemic. Survey participants included a diverse group of staff members from various large and small nonprofit organizations, federally qualified health centers, academic institutions, hospitals, and insurers. Survey findings provide preliminary insights into the extent to which these organizations have been involved in the COVID-19 response in partnership with LHDs, barriers they faced in responding to the needs of the populations they serve and adjusting their work routines/operations to COVID-19 guidelines, and their top emerging organizational and training needs. Lessons learned from conducting an online survey during a public health emergency and implications for future training interventions for population and community health professionals are also discussed within the context of promoting multisectoral collaboration with local health departments, solving complex public health problems, and advancing health equity.

Flexible Work Arrangements and Employee Work Attitudes: A Case-Based Inquiry of a Small Non-Profit Response to Crisis

We conducted an exploratory case-based study to examine the impact of adopting flexible work arrangements strategies in response to the Covid-19 pandemic on employee work attitudes for a small, regional non-profit. Our findings indicated the importance of managerial support and organizational commitment to moderate the relationship between flexible work arrangements and job satisfaction. We also explored the influence of technology efficacy and work-life balance on the model. Our paper provides support for the prior empirical and theoretical assumptions that flexible work arrangements can have a positive impact on employee work attitudes and may be an effective managerial tool in response to a crisis.

Recovery Capacity of Small Nonprofits in Post-2017 Hurricane Puerto Rico

Problem, research strategy, and findings Although planners today generally agree that nonprofits should be involved in postdisaster recovery planning, they lack insight into the capacity of nonprofits to be engaged in recovery and whether this capacity differs by organization type. This could lead to the marginalization of small nonprofits in planning, affecting social capital formation and the sustainability of recovery plans. Using data from field research and a survey of registered nonprofits in Puerto Rico after the 2017 Hurricanes Maria and Irma, we compared the recovery capacity of small versus medium/large nonprofits. Our study shows that small nonprofits experienced lower levels of operational impact than medium/large ones but also reported lower levels of postdisaster grant funding and attended fewer postdisaster networking events and workshops. Our study also shows that small nonprofits desire additional training and technical assistance to engage with broader recovery institutions. Planners can help by providing such training and promoting networking between small and larger organizations to encourage institutional learning. Takeaway for practice Community-based recovery planning benefits from engaging with small nonprofits because they typically have greater connection and interest in local matters. Our study shows that small nonprofits may not have the capacity to engage in recovery despite wanting to do so. Planners can help small nonprofits to be better engaged in recovery by helping to build their capacity through pre-event training in disaster recovery, facilitating pre- and postdisaster workshops on recovery financing, and facilitating pre- and postdisaster networking.

Payment for Results: Funding Non‐Profit Operations

Payment for results (PfR) funding approach, where donors reimburse the non‐profit organization (NPO) based on outcomes, is being increasingly adopted in the non‐profit sector. However, there is also concern expressed by many voluntary organizations that such a funding approach puts an undue financial burden on small NPOs and could actually be detrimental to social welfare. In this study, we build a theoretical framework to analyze PfR funding mechanisms. We use a sequential game to model the interaction between the donor and the NPO, with the donor as the first mover. This model captures how PfR funding is typically implemented in practice using social impact bonds (SIB), wherein social investors provide the upfront funding needed by the NPO to implement the project. The donor provides funding, based on the actual benefit delivered, at the end of the project and the investors are paid back using these funds. We find that higher targets set by the donor do not necessarily translate to higher expected utility or expected benefit delivered under PfR. When comparing the performance of PfR and traditional funding (TF) mechanisms, we find that the donor typically has a higher expected utility under the PfR mechanism when the probability of a negative outcome shock is either high or low, and is better off using the TF approach otherwise. When the donor’s opportunity cost of funding the project is high, the donor is better off using a PfR mechanism when her belief about the NPO having low efficiency is sufficiently high. Interestingly, we find that for a large range of parameter values there is a mismatch between the approach that gives a higher expected utility to the donor and the approach that maximizes the expected social benefit delivered. Our model and analysis suggest that the optimal funding approach, and the optimal target set under PfR, depend on the NPO’s financing cost from social investors and project outcome uncertainty.