Sustainability Of Nonprofit Organizations Research Articles

Communal focused or market focused: Moral judgment on business practices in nonprofit organizations

AbstractAlthough the adoption of business‐like practices, such as commercialization and managerialization, may enhance the capacity and sustainability of nonprofit organizations, these practices may elicit negative reactions from the general public. This tension poses a challenge for nonprofit organizations as they seek to strike a balance between implementing practices that promote growth and survival and maintaining public support. This study focuses on people's moral judgment of nonprofits' practices and offers a social psychological explanation for why some business‐like practices may be viewed as inappropriate by the public. Specifically, we illuminate the significance of people's normative preferences for communal‐ or market‐focused principles as a basis for determining how an organization should operate and deliver its services. Using an online experiment with a sample size of 1255 participants, we found that: (1) people express a relatively high level of moral acceptance of business‐like practices, but this level is significantly lower than that of nonprofits' societal practices; (2) individuals are more likely to rate business‐like practices that have revenue‐seeking intentions as less acceptable when they believe that an organization should operate and deliver services based on communal principles. Moreover, our findings reveal that people's normative preferences differ more based on the service (e.g., health, microfinance, art) than on the organizational ownership (nonprofit vs. for‐profit).

Sustainability of Non-Profit Organizations: A Systematic Review

This study aims to present the state of the academic literature on the sustainability of non-profit organizations (NPOs) and how previous researchers have approached NPO sustainability. The review has resulted in the final 30 articles for review and analysis. The research characteristics of the articles are identified by examining the publication outlet. It is observed that research in the 1990s on NPO sustainability is scarce, with a focus on understanding and identifying models of sustainability. Research in the first decade of the 21st Century has focused on the financial and non-financial approaches to address the sustainability of NPO. Meanwhile, research in the 21st Century's second decade acknowledged the need to integrate the diverse perspective of NPO sustainability into a comprehensive framework. This study found various approaches that influence NPO sustainability: financial or economic approach; organizational characteristics and strategy; capacity building; partnership or collaboration; and value-based perspective. Theoretically, this study provides an overall view of how academic researchers have attempted to address NPOs' sustainability. In terms of practical contribution, this study serves as a guide for the NPOs and relevant regulators on how to address the organization’s sustainability from various perspectives. We further set out suggestions for future research as well as the limitations and contributions of this study.

Racial Justice in the Nonprofit Sector: Addressing Nonprofit Sustainability in Diverse Communities

Nonprofit organizations in the United States depend upon a diverse set of funding streams to sustain their operations. This study will consist of revisiting the 2011 Nonprofit Management and Leadership article “Nonprofit Sustainability During Times of Uncertainty,” which examined the ability of nonprofits to leverage funds from the private sector during the 2008 economic downturn, with specific attention on how nonprofits incorporated board members and community leaders in continuing services during a time of resource scarcity. This 2011 study also received the journal’s “Best of the 2010s” award. This current research expands upon that article by investigating the intersection between racial justice and nonprofit sustainability, as well as additional questions related to racial justice, through the utilization of a case study site, Gary, IN. Implications of the findings include the greater role community foundations play in sustaining nonprofits in diverse communities, as well as in facilitating broader social justice initiatives.

When do arts organizations merge? A window of opportunity for nonprofit mergers

AbstractNegative repercussions of the COVID‐19 pandemic have escalated a continued interest in mergers. Research on the reasons or preconditions for merger implementation remains insufficient, however. This study focused on mergers involving arts organizations (“arts mergers”) and identified a set of conditions that open up a window of opportunity for nonprofit merger implementation. Two arts mergers have been studied using grounded theory. This study finds that nonprofit mergers are implemented when a shared concern for long‐term financial viability is coupled with foreseeable merger benefits and provision of merger support by external sources. Additionally, this study reports new findings on arts mergers and their unique traits. Findings suggest that support for mergers or similar types of interorganizational integration can be an effective means for strengthening the long‐term sustainability of nonprofits and the sector at large.

Surviving a Pandemic: The Adaptability and Sustainability of Nonprofit Organizations through COVID-19

Like many other organizations in Canada and globally, nonprofit organizations have not been insulated from the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. It has affected Canadian nonprofit organizations in numerous ways. This ranges from the effects of COVID-19 on the health of workers and clients to its effect on revenue. As predominantly essential service providers, nonprofit organizations have to find ways to continue operations during the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure that no one is left to fall through the cracks in an uncertain economy. RÉSUMÉ Comme bien d’autres organismes au Canada et dans le monde, les organismes sans but lucratif (OSBL) n’ont pas été épargnés par la pandémie du COVID-19. En effet, pour les OSBL canadiens, celle-ci a eu des incidences dans divers secteurs, allant de la santé des clients et employés jusqu’au revenu. Les OSBL, comme ils sont à toutes fins pratiques des fournisseurs de services essentiels, doivent trouver le moyen de continuer à fonctionner pendant la pandémie afin de s’assurer que personne ne soit oublié dans un contexte économique incertain.

In Search of Sustainable Social Impact: A System Dynamics Approach to Managing Nonprofit Organizations Operating in Multi-Project Contexts

Nonprofit organizations are typically seen as institutional settings that contribute to finding grassroots solutions to various social problems. But in their own turn, these entities exhibit by design manyfold frailties given by factors such as - precarious funding sustainability, balancing the multiple and, at times, divergent interests of stakeholders, finding a suitable manner to assess managerial performance. The aim of this paper consist in employing a system dynamics approach to modelling the managerial behaviour of nonprofit entities delivering their output through project networks. The system dynamics concepts of causal loops, stocks and flows dependencies are used to depict the complex relationships between projects, funding sources and social outcomes. This approach leads to identifying the systemic threatening to nonprofit sustainability and the dynamic nature of managerial decisions in the context of the interactions between nonprofit organizations, their beneficiaries and funding agencies.

Mechanisms of the sustainable development of non-profit organizations in the region

This research is focused on the main mechanisms of sustainable development in relation to non-profit organizations (NPO) activities. New laws were adopted, new players appeared on the social field, the social climate was transformed and all these factors, including a number of other influences, made many traditional issues reformulated. Thus, the attention of researchers was focused on the problem of sustainability of non-profit organizations. The authors have reviewed two mechanisms for sustainability of non-profit organizations in their work: 1) financial and 2) organizational. The analysis of the components of factors of NPOs’ financial stability in the region was carried out, as well as the components of the organizational mechanism. Sustainable NPO development in the region is a response to the human society’s need to develop qualitatively, but rather than quantitatively, and in accordance with the constraints resulting from the region’s environment. “The advantage of non-profit organizations is their focus on market behavior, taking into account the specifics of the region, while fully meeting the needs of the founders in performing socially necessary works and services, as well as a high level of independence in making operational decisions, while” [1] subordinating to the strategic targets of the founders.

Facebook Satisfaction and Its Impacts on Fundraising: A Case Study at a Portuguese Non-Profit Organization

Non-profit organizations have invested in the development of content for their Facebook pages, believing be an efficient and effective means to publicize its mission and raising resources, whether monetary or human. The purpose of this study is to assess the satisfaction of the participants with the Facebook page, and how that satisfaction influences the dissemination of the organization through the word-of-mouth and the donations practices. In this context, a questionnaire was administered to 204 participants that were aware of the Portuguese non-profit organization “Leigos para o Desenvolvimento” (People for Development). The results show that the participants are satisfied with Facebook page of the organization, and that there is influence of satisfaction on the word-of-mouth and on the frequency and amount of donations. However, satisfaction with the Facebook, itself, does not appear crucial to the realization of donations, either in the present or in future as intended. The study focuses only on one organization and includes a sample that may not represent all the population extracts and so inhibit the generalization of the findings to other populations. The paper includes implications for the development of an effective use of the Facebook as a digital marketing tool that can contribute to the sustainability of non-profit organizations. The study confirms the importance of the Facebook as a digital marketing tool that can contribute to the sustainability of non-profit organizations.

Sustainability of Non-profit Organizations: A Case from the Great East Japan Earthquake

Sustainability of Non-profit Organizations: A Case from the Great East Japan Earthquake

Važnost fundraisinga za održivost neprofitnih organizacija

Neprofitne organizacije temelj su svakoga demokratskog društva. Neprofitne organizacije imaju ključnu ulogu u modernizaciji socijalnih država, izgradnji povjerenja, civilnih vrlina i socijalnog kapitala, a suradnjom unutar lokalne zajednice stvaraju dodatne sposobnosti (kapacitete) za rješavanje problema i unaprjeđenje kvalitete života. Međutim, djelovanju neprofitnih organizacija imanentan je čitav niz upravljačkih problema. Problemi koji se najčešće ističu su nedostatak financijskih sredstava i neodrživost razvoja, neprofesionalnost u radu, netransparentnost organizacija i njihova neutemeljenost u širem članstvu, nedostatak vodstva, slaba umreženost i niska razina suradnje među organizacijama, slaba suradnja s medijima te nerazvijena uloga zagovaranja (Bežovan, 2005). Nedostatak financijskih sredstava dolazi u novije vrijeme sve više do izražaja ponajprije zato što su neprofitne organizacije ovisne o sredstvima iz javnog proračuna (dotacije), a s druge strane jer je prisutan i sve veći broj registriranih neprofitnih organizacija koje se natječu za sve manji raspoloživi iznos javnih sredstava. Slijedom toga, upitna je dugoročna održivost neprofitnih organizacija. Rješenje se može pronaći u pomno planiranim aktivnostima prikupljanja sredstava (engl. fundraising) od potencijalnih donatora i/ili sponzora kako bi se povećao udio donacija i vlastitih prihoda i smanjio udio dotacija. U hrvatskome neprofitnom sektoru još se uvijek nedovoljno govori o fundraisingu, a istraživanja su pokazala da neprofitne organizacije u Hrvatskoj ne znaju što sve taj pojam obuhvaća.

Financial Crisis 2008: Impacts on Sustainability of Non-Profit Organizations (NPOs) in Malaysia

Financial Crisis 2008: Impacts on Sustainability of Non-Profit Organizations (NPOs) in Malaysia

Mack Center on Nonprofit and Public Sector Management in Human Service Organizations

This invited set of reflections upon the research carried out under the auspices of a school of social work is part of a series featuring research centers. It reflects 25 years of scholarly work related to both public and nonprofit human service organizations at the only university-based research center in the United States devoted to research on the management of human service organizations. Organized in the predefined categories of center history, structure, past projects, and current projects, it features current and past research in the areas of welfare services, child welfare services, adult and aging services, organizational support for evidence-informed practice, sustainability of nonprofits, international human services, and practice research methodology. Dedicated to the principles of team science by including graduate students, postdoctorate fellows, and consulting researchers, the Mack Center features the processes of practice research in which practitioners play a major role in the research process.

Toward a Romanian NPOs Sustainability Model: Determinants of Sustainability

Non-profit organizations (NPOs) have become increasingly important in the last decade for Romanian society since the state often failed to fulfill some of its social responsibilities. Romania’s economic and financial crisis several years ago hardly hit non-profit sector because it led to a significant drop in public spending at the government level and cuts of financing programs from companies, two main donors for NPOs while simultaneously has amplified society’s problems and gave rise to new target groups requiring support. This led to an acute need to address sustainability at organizational level since existing sustainability models in the literature are hardly adequate for Romanian context. We developed a model based on literature survey and Romanian experts’ interviews, which allow us to identify relevant factors for Romanian non-profit sustainability. Three determinants were considered: Cognitive competence (nine items analyzed), Social awareness (seven items analyzed) and Financial vulnerability (four items analyzed), as well as two types of results: economic and social. The model was tested through an empirical research on 103 Romanian NPOs and on two sub-samples (nongovernment organizations and community based organizations) and found, using univariate and bivariate analysis, that the three considered determinants are correlated and statistically influence Romanian NPOs sustainability.

‘People Can’t Believe We exist!’: Social Sustainability and Alternative Nonprofit Organizing

Nonprofit organizational sustainability is increasingly framed in terms of fiscal expediency. This framing of sustainability has led nonprofit organizations to increasingly adopt for-profit innovations, at times at the expense of core organizational values or nonprofit mission. Drawing on ethnographic field methods and semi-structured interviews, I examine how one anarchist-run homeless shelter resists and challenges current trends in nonprofit sustainability. I argue that by drawing on a personalist organizing model, this shelter offers a refutation of the necessity of adopting business-like organizing practices to maintain organizational sustainability. The findings from this paper highlight how this organization has used personal connections and anarchist organizing practices over more than 30 years to continue organizational operations in a shifting market economy. The results have implications for how nonprofit sustainability may be accomplished, and more broadly offers an alternative to the idealized marketized nonprofit organization.

指定管理者制度の活用からみた NPO 法人の持続可能性―京都府を事例に―

指定管理者制度の活用からみた NPO 法人の持続可能性―京都府を事例に―

From “virtuous” to “pragmatic” pursuit of social mission

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to offer a sustainability-based typology for non-profit organizations and corresponding strategies to sustain the mission and/or financial objectives of non-profit organizations. The balance of mission and money, known in the non-profit literature as the double bottom line, is a challenge for professional managers who run non-profits and scholars who study them.Design/methodology/approach– Typologies are often used to classify phenomena to improve understanding and bring about clarity. In this paper, non-profit organizations are viewed from a social and fiscal viability perspective, developed from the long standing challenge of balancing mission and money.Findings– The typology developed in this paper identifies several normative strategies that correspond to the social and fiscal viability of non-profit organizations. In fact, the strategies offered in this paper can help non-profit managers achieve organizational sustainability, thus enabling them to continue what they are meant to do – to provide greater social value to their constituents.Research limitations/implications– The typology presented is a classification system rather than a theoretical typology. Its purpose is to help managers of non-profits to recognize threats to their organizations’ long-term survival and offer strategies that if adopted can move the organizations to less vulnerable positions. However, the recommended strategies are by no means exhaustive. Furthermore, the focus of the paper is on non-profit organizations, not profit-driven or hybrid entities. The sustainability-based typology of non-profit organizations and the corresponding strategies have implications for practitioners and academics. The typology and its contents can help managers assess their non-profits, competitive environment and their current strategies, plan their double bottom line strategies and last but not the least, develop and implement strategies for social and fiscal sustainability. In addition, our paper provides great opportunities for future research to subject our typology and its contents to conceptual and empirical scrutiny.Practical implications– The strategies described here are developed based on scholarly research and examples from successful non-profits. The typology and the related list of strategies provide a manager with the tools to accurately diagnose organizational challenges and adopt plans to improve the organization’s viability.Social implications– Non-profit organizations are an integral part of society that bolsters economic prosperity, environmental integrity and social justice. This paper may provide guidance for a number of non-profit managers to keep their organizations operating and serving important social missions.Originality/value– In the context of organizations for social mission, several typologies exist that looked at firms from the perspectives of ownership versus profit objectives, entrepreneurship conceptualizations of economists and origins and development paths of social enterprises. While these typologies provided foundations for theoretical and empirical work into social enterprises, our typology offers strategies for the sustainability of mission and/or money objectives of non-profits. The value of this research lies in integrating virtuous and pragmatic objectives of non-profit sustainability that, in turn, can ensure the social mission of non-profits.

Sustainability of Rural Nonprofit Organizations: Czech Republic and Beyond

Sustainability of nonprofit organizations is a key concern for today’s nonprofit scholars and practitioners. Building upon the nonprofit economics literature, the present paper introduces the distinction between the demand-side and supply-side determinants of nonprofit sustainability and makes the case for the discrepancy between them. This discrepancy presents not only a generic conceptual explanation of the nonprofit sustainability problems but is also applicable to the context of the European rural nonprofit sector. Three arguments are advanced. First, the notorious implementation problems of LEADER partnerships can be explained as a manifestation of the above discrepancy. Second, and related, the rural context implies the tendency of the supply-side determinants of nonprofit sustainability to undermine the demand-side ones. Third, recent empirical findings from the Czech Republic show that this tendency does not necessarily imply the possibility of a clear classification of the demand-side and supply-side sustainability determinants. Rather, those features of rural areas and communities that significantly affect the size of the local nonprofit sector exhibit a controversial entanglement of demand-side and supply-side identities.

Buenas prácticas de sostenibilidad financiera: El caso del desarrollo acelerado de las organizaciones no lucrativas coreanas

El éxito de las Beyoungri Danche depende de las estrategias financieras que sus líderes utilizan para hacerlas sostenibles en el tiempo. La recopilación de buenas prácticas de las Beyoungri Danche coreanas en la literatura y una investigación exploratoria de contenidos web de tres organizaciones exitosas, permite aprender tácticas de otra cultura que ha demostrado un alto nivel organizacional y fortalecer el diálogo alrededor de un tema de interés común.

Enhancing the Sustainability of Nonprofit Organizations through Service-Learning: Increasing the Propensity for Post-Graduation Volunteerism

Enhancing the Sustainability of Nonprofit Organizations through Service-Learning: Increasing the Propensity for Post-Graduation Volunteerism

What makes non-profit soccer teams run? A panel data approach using a sample of Braga teams

Amateur soccer teams are influenced by different local and regional factors from professional soccer teams. This article revisits the literature on the determinants of soccer performance and the sustainability of non-profit organizations. Using panel data techniques, we conclude that the outcomes of non-profit soccer teams depend on specific local markets and on the institutional environments of nonprofit organizations.