Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly recent issues

"Looking for a Few Good Women": Volunteerism as an Interaction in Two Organizations

Taylor, T., Mallinson, C., Bloch, K. — 2008-07-26

A substantial body of research examines volunteerism via surveys of individual volunteers or volunteer organizations. The authors argue that researchers must expand this conceptualization of volunteering to include the interactive process between the volunteer and the organization. Using structuration theory as a guiding framework, the authors examine how volunteers' behavior is both shaped by and also affects the way in which two organizations are structured. In this comparative case study, the authors utilize participant observation, interviews, and archival analysis to illustrate this interaction in two organizations, a no-kill cat shelter and a resource organization for women who partner with women. They find that the character of the labor process, and specifically whether it entails the expenditure of emotional labor, leads to either burdensome or rewarding volunteer experiences. The authors further underscore the importance of examining emerging trends in "episodic volunteering" and shifts in nonprofit organizations toward more bureaucratized business forms.

Diaspora Philanthropy in an At-Risk Society: The Case of Coptic Orphans in Egypt

Brinkerhoff, J. M. — 2008-07-26

This article seeks to answer two questions: How can the potential gains from diaspora philanthropy be extended beyond individual households and sustained beyond one generation? And how can these gains be mobilized for poverty alleviation, justice, and development, especially in at-risk countries? Following reviews of potential diaspora contributions and the parameters of at-risk societies, the case of Coptic Orphans is presented. Coptic Orphans provides a model for channeling remittances to meet the subsistence and development needs of the poorest of the poor and sustaining these contributions beyond the first generation. It illustrates how diaspora organizations can effectively navigate the social and legal challenges of operating in an at-risk society. Finally, it suggests that diaspora organizations may increasingly overcome voluntary failures to become a significant sector in the international development arena.

Government Funding and Nonprofit Organizations

Luksetich, W. — 2008-07-26

In this article, the author tests whether there is a simultaneous relationship between the number of nonprofits and government funding of nonprofit activity and whether the fundraising efforts of nonprofits are the means by which nonprofits affect the grants available to them. Estimates of the model are consistent with the proposition that government grants and contracts (program revenues) received by nonprofits are strong determinants of the number of nonprofits in a state. They lend support to the argument that nonprofit fundraising activities have an independent effect on the availability of the grants and contracts; however, although the number of nonprofit organizations per state has a similar effect on grants to nonprofits, they do not have an effect on the contacts they receive.

Serving Workers in the Human Services: The Roles of Organizational Ownership, Chain Affiliation, and Professional Leadership in Frontline Job Benefits

Haley-Lock, A., Kruzich, J. — 2008-07-26

A growing body of research has sought to understand forces shaping firms' approaches to employee compensation and the impacts of job benefits on both organizational performance and worker well-being. One such line of work has documented advantages from employers adopting generous compensation practices, as evidenced by more successful worker recruitment and retention. Little of this work, however, has attended to benefits provided within nonprofit and public human service settings or to low-level workers. Drawing on a sample of Wisconsin nursing homes, this study addresses this gap by examining the roles of ownership, chain affiliation, and professional leadership in compensation provided to nursing assistants. Results indicate that public and nonprofit ownership and chain membership are positively related to benefit levels. Workers fare unexpectedly less well with professional directors in for-profit and public settings but better within professionally led nonprofits.

Charity Brand Personality: The Relationship With Giving Behavior

Sargeant, A., Ford, J. B., Hudson, J. — 2008-07-26

Charity brands have been found to assist income generation by enhancing donor understanding of an organization and what it stands for. Despite an increasing interest in this topic, few studies have addressed the dimensions of such brands and sought to explore the link (if any) with donor behavior. The authors report the results of a large-scale postal survey of donors to nine national nonprofits and conclude that traits associated with benevolence, progression, and conservatism are incapable of distinguishing between the study's participating brands. Traits associated with emotional engagement, service, voice, and tradition are capable of serving as the basis for differentiation and are also linked to facets of individual giving behavior.

The Importance of the State: Political Dimensions of a Nonprofit Network in Oaxaca, Mexico

Neal, R. — 2008-07-26

This article examines a network of nonprofit nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), government agencies, and other social and political actors in Oaxaca, Mexico. Analyses indicate that NGOs are more connected to government authorities than to any type of nonstate organization. Results also suggest that NGOs located in municipalities where support was the highest and lowest in the 1994 to 2001 elections for the long-ruling Partido Revolucionario Institucional were best connected to the government. The size of Indigenous populations located around the NGOs also appears to have had an impact on NGO connectedness to the government. These results offer support for social origins theory, which acknowledges the impact of social—political environments on the development of NGO sectors.

Private Voluntary Organizations Engaged in International Assistance, 1939-2004

McCleary, R. M., Barro, R. J. — 2008-07-26

U.S.-based private and voluntary organizations (PVOs) play an important role in international assistance. To assess this role, the authors constructed a new data set that covers more than 1,600 secular and religious PVOs that registered with the U.S. federal government between 1939 and 2004. In the post—World War II period, major revenue patterns are the rise of Evangelical PVOs, decline of Jewish PVOs, and rapid growth of secular PVOs from the mid-1980s to mid-1990s. The authors analyze the determinants of changes in PVO size, gauged by real revenue. They focus on the interplay between public revenue (from the federal government, international organizations, and other governments) and private revenue. Specifically, they investigate whether funds from the federal government and other public entities serve as a magnet for subsequent private support.

Using Lessons From Public Affairs to Inform Strategic Philanthropy

Sandfort, J. — 2008-07-26

Although private, institutional philanthropy can be an engine of significant social change, often this possibility is not realized. This article creates a new framework to inform philanthropic strategy built from lessons gleaned from decades of public affairs research. Drawing on what is known about social change movements, government relationships with nonprofits, and nonprofit management, key questions help foundation staff develop and hone their strategy. A flexible framework for private investment in human services fields is developed and implications for practice and future research are considered.

Book Review: Charity Law and Social Inclusion: An International Study, by Kerry O'Halloran. New York: Routledge, 2006. 437 pp. $44.95

Pollak, T. H. — 2008-07-26

Book Review: Fighting for Our Lives: New York's AIDS Community and the Politics of Disease, by Susan Chambre. Piscataway, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 2006. 262 pp. $24.95

Grettenberger, S. — 2008-07-26

Book Review: Social Science for What? Philanthropy and the Social Question in a World Turned Rightside Up, by Alice O'Connor. New York: Russell Sage Foundation, 2007. 179 pp. $22.50

Magat, R. — 2008-07-26

Book Review: Nonprofits & Technology: Emerging Research for Usable Knowledge, edited by Michael Cortes and Kevin M. Rafter. Chicago: Lyceum, 2007. 212 pp. $32.95

Balser, D. — 2008-07-26

Book Review: Nonprofit Organizations: Challenges and Collaborations, by Alfred Vernis, Maria Iglesias, Beatriz Sanz, and Angel Saz-Carranza. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2006. 172 pp. $42.50 (hardcover)

Lee, Y.-j. — 2008-07-26

Book Review: Thoughtful Fundraising: Concepts, Issues, and Perspectives, edited by Jill Mordaunt and Rob Paton. New York: Routledge, 2007. 220 pp. $44.95 (soft-cover)

Sowa, J. E. — 2008-07-26

Book Review: A Dictionary of Nonprofit Terms and Concepts, by David Horton Smith, Robert A. Stebbins, and Michael A. Dover. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2007. 337 pp. $35.00

Jeavons, T. — 2008-07-26

Book Review: Politics and Volunteering in Japan: A Global Perspective, by Mary Alice Haddad. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2007. 218 pp. $80.00 (hardcover)

Raskoff, S. A. — 2008-07-26

Account Space: How Accountability Requirements Shape Nonprofit Practice

Benjamin, L. M. — 2008-05-16

Improving nonprofit accountability is one of the most important issues facing the sector. Improving nonprofit accountability in ways that are attentive to what we might consider unique and valuable about how nonprofits address public problems is the challenge at hand. This article presents a framework for examining the consequences of accountability systems for nonprofit practice. Drawing on empirical findings from three case studies and early sociological work on accounts, the framework considers four questions (i.e., When do organizations give accounts? What is the purpose of the account? When are those accounts accepted or rejected by important stakeholders? And with what consequence?) but makes a distinction between a verification and explanatory accountability process. By making this distinction and clarifying the relationship between these two accountability processes, the proposed framework can be used to identify conflicts between accountability systems and nonprofit practice and to understand how efforts to ensure accountability can spur a change in nonprofit practice, change stakeholder expectations for nonprofits or leave both intact.

Adaptive Capacity in Israeli Social Change Nonprofits

Strichman, N., Bickel, W.E., Marshood, F. — 2008-05-16

Adaptive capacity, considered one of the essential organizational capacities for enabling nonprofits to achieve their missions, requires nonprofits to act as learning organizations and to use evaluation as a tool to enhance organizational learning and performance. Nonprofits at the start-up or growth phase face a particular set of challenges in maintaining their adaptive capacity. A theoretical framework for assessing a nonprofit's organizational readiness to improve its adaptive capacity was developed and applied to 10 emerging social change nonprofits in Israel. The results demonstrate the utility of the conceptual framework while providing insight into the day-to-day realities of organizational life that help to shape the adaptive capacity of the 10 nonprofits in the sample. Key issues relating to the adaptive capacity of the nonprofits and their particular stage of organizational development also are raised.

Voluntary Associations, Trust, and Civic Engagement: A Multilevel Approach

Wollebaek, D., Stromsnes, K. — 2008-05-16

This article argues that the scope of the voluntary sector is more important than the activity level of members for the formation of social capital. The intensity and scope of 13 European voluntary sectors are analyzed on both the individual and aggregate levels. This reveals no additional effect of face-to-face contact (active participation) over passive membership. Thus, the primary mechanism of social capital formation in the voluntary sector cannot be socialization of individual members. Furthermore, effects at the aggregate level are much stronger than at the individual level. This indicates that social capital is constructed through institutional (macro), not social (micro) processes. It is not face-to-face encounters but awareness of strong and visible voluntary organizations in society that generate a belief in the utility and rationality of collective action. Thus, voluntary organizations institutionalize rather than generate social capital.

Income Volatility and Wealth: The Effect on Charitable Giving

Hughes, P., Luksetich, W. — 2008-05-16

Charitable giving in the United States provides a major source of funding for nonprofit organizations, but it is also a highly variable source of funding. A possible explanation for the substantial variability in giving lies in the measurement of income. In addition to permanent and transitory income, this article introduces the variability of income as a factor affecting charitable donations. The variability of income increases with the level of household income and varies by the source of income. In distinguishing types of income the authors are also able to shed some light on decision making by married couples. The effect of changes in permanent household income on charitable giving is significantly larger than that of transitory household income. Greater variability in the flow of annual household income has a negative effect on total giving. In addition, the authors find some significant differences in the impact on giving between the husband's and wife's earnings.

Asymmetric Mutuality: User Involvement as a Government--Voluntary Sector Relationship in Norway

Andreassen, T. A. — 2008-05-16

User involvement (UI) has been introduced as a measure to ensure more focused, efficient, client-oriented, service-minded health and welfare services. User involvement as participation in planning and decision making requires collective action on behalf of more or less formally organized groups of people for whom welfare policy is targeted, for instance people with long-term somatic or mental health problems or impairments. User involvement is thus to be understood as a specific kind of government-voluntary relationship. By utilizing a combination of social movement perspectives and neoinstitutional perspectives, the article explores the conditions behind the growth of UI and the characteristics of the relationship of UI compared with other government-voluntary relationships in the field of health and welfare—philanthropy and corporatist relations.

Art for Art's Sake? An Examination of Motives for Arts Performance Attendance

Swanson, S. R., Davis, J. C., Yushan Zhao, — 2008-05-16

Given finite amounts of time for leisure activities and a consuming public that continues to feel time pressured, what drives attendance at arts performances? This study builds on existing arts research and its use of demographic characteristics by considering the psychological motives of theater patrons. Six potential motives of performing arts attendees are identified, and their relationship with demographic characteristics and behavioral outcomes are assessed. Data were obtained from a midwestern U.S. performing arts center; the sample was drawn from spectators at three different performances. Analysis of variance and t-test results indicate significant relationships between certain motivations and patronage variables such as years of attendance, number of performances attended, and time frame for planning to attend future events. Similarly, significant differences in motivation were found by gender, age, income, and education level, suggesting that attendance could be enhanced by tailoring motive specific messages to each of these groups.

"Building a Culture": The Construction and Evolution of Venture Philanthropy as a New Organizational Field

Moody, M. — 2008-05-16

"Venture philanthropy" burst loudly onto the scene in the mid- to late 1990s, promoted as a way to revolutionize grantmaking. Today the field has been refined, and its proponents are more modest. The case of venture philanthropy provides insights into the construction and evolution of a "new" organizational field and "new" professional culture, topics that require further scholarly exploration. Qualitative research examining venture philanthropy organizations and their leaders is reported here. Findings suggest that although the dot-com boom was an important prompt, the construction and diffusion of the field depended on opinion leaders who strategically defined, legitimated, and advocated the new model. The fit with existing culture and institutionalization via networks were also important. Implementation difficulties and the business—nonprofit culture clash are among factors forcing evolution of the field. Several avenues for further research on this understudied field, and on other new fields and hybrid professional cultures, are suggested by these findings.

A New Direction in Women's Philanthropy

Caster, J. J. — 2008-05-16

The article is a case study of the highly successful and much replicated Los Angeles—based women's giving circle, Everychild Foundation. As American women's philanthropic opportunities have traditionally been limited to participation in fund-raising events, this model has demonstrated that there is a stimulating and effective alternative. Members join together, pooling brain power and yearly dues, in order to select a single annual grant in their community that will fund an innovative, replicable project for children. By leveraging their dollars, they are able to have a much more significant impact in the community than they could individually. With its democratic voting system, lack of hierarchy, and flexibility, the model is inclusive and fits within the lifestyle of busy contemporary women. Its formula has enabled its members to feel a "sense of ownership" in the organization and inspired many to venture further into the philanthropic world on their own. Its system of accountability has provided its members with the confidence that their dollars are well spent.

Book Review: The Foundation: A Great American Secret; How Private Wealth Is Changing the World, by Joel Fleishman. New York: Public Affairs, 2007. 357 pp., $27.95

Wells, R. A. — 2008-05-16

Book Review: Civic Service Worldwide: Impacts and Inquiry, edited by Amanda Moore McBride and Michael Sherraden. Armonk, NY, and London, UK: M. E. Sharpe, 2007. 288 pp. $49.95 (cloth)

Brinkerhoff, D. W. — 2008-05-16

Book Review: Momentum: Igniting Social Change in the Connected Age, by Allison H. Fine. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2006. 220 pp. $27.95 (hardcover)

Mossberger, K. — 2008-05-16

Book Review: Arts Marketing Insights: The Dynamics of Building and Retaining Performing Arts Audiences, by Joanne Scheff Bernstein. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2007. 294 pp. $27.95 (hardcover)

Hager, M. A. — 2008-05-16

Book Review: Charitable Choice at Work: Evaluating Faith-Based Job Programs in the States, by Sheila Suess Kennedy and Wolfgang Bielefeld. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press, 2006. 234 pp. $26.95 (paper)

Koopman, D. L. — 2008-05-16

Book Review: The Politics of Foundations, A Comparative Analysis, edited by Helmut K. Anheier and Siobhan Daly. Oxford, UK: Routledge, 2006. 368 pp. $120.00 (hardcover)

Eisenberg, P. — 2008-05-16

Book Review: Empowering Society: An Analysis of Business, Government and Social Development Approaches to Empowerment, by Usha Jumani. New Delhi: Foundation Books, 2006. 263 pp. $42.95

Mitchell, A. — 2008-05-16

Health and Philanthropy: Leveraging Change

Schneider, W. H., Meslin, E. M., Daniken, C. — 2008-02-06

Entrepreneurial Philanthropy and Innovative Medical Research: The Arthur C. Frantzreb Lecture at Indiana University's Center on Philanthropy 19th Annual Symposium: "Health and Philanthropy: Leveraging Change"

Simon, G. — 2008-02-06

Information technology has radically transformed virtually every sphere of human activity through the power of networks. Health care and the search for health cures lag behind, however — as much for cultural reasons as for technical ones — and innovation is suffering as a result. Philanthropy's goal can no longer be to fund pet projects or to build stand-alone organizations. The role of entrepreneurial philanthropists should be to invest in building new networks that will accelerate the development of medical solutions that will improve the quality of our lives. Most philanthropists, however, do not have access to the information that foundations gather on work going on in their areas of interest. FasterCures is creating an information resource that will describe the landscape of nonprofit medical research in order to help entrepreneurial philanthropists make the best-informed decisions about their giving.

Expectations Are Changing for Disaster Relief

Aeberhard, P. — 2008-02-06

Health is often the most critical issue during the initial emergency period after a disaster, whereas the next period is typically devoted to reconstruction. There has been a considerable amount of change in the field of disaster relief over the past 30 years. For example, access to victims has now become a right, the coordination between the different actors has become more organized, and principles have been created to guide relief response activities. Also, fund-raising continues to become increasingly more efficient. Still, there are many improvements that need to be made to prevent disasters and to best organize relief action when disaster does occur.

Population-Based Approaches to Inform Policy: Men's Health Disparities and Opportunities for Nonprofits and Philanthropy to Leverage Change

Treadwell, H. — 2008-02-06

Certain racial, ethnic, and economic groups, specifically men of color and men with low incomes, experience disproportionately high rates of chronic illness and of diseases and conditions that are leading causes of death in the United States. The dismal rates of morbidity and premature death among poor men and men of color in the United States underscore societal inequities and exacerbate health disparities among these populations. As the evidence of disparities continues to compound, the need for many-layered responses to address complex and intractable health inequalities becomes more obvious. Detailing the actual utilization of health services in specific populations by gender, race, ethnicity, and income can contribute to a wider understanding of health disparities and the costs of inadequate access to quality health care. Such population-based approaches to data collection and health service delivery within a community context can both ameliorate health disparities and suggest novel interventions to inform policy decisions. Nontraditional collaborations that create broad community coalitions around population-based approaches and join nonprofits with philanthropy, academe, and local, state, and federal governmental entities hold the greatest potential for lever-aging change.

Throw the Money Upstream: An Alternative Strategy to Improve Public Health

Mohan, A., Patrick-Mohan, C. — 2008-02-06

In 2004, almost $20 billion in health care philanthropy was directed toward "downstream" efforts that directly expanded access to care or improved quality of care. Although downstream investment is attractive because of its immediate and measurable impact, this approach has a lower return on investment than do "upstream" strategies, which focus on root causes. This article explores investment in the development of a health care workforce with core professional responsibilities of health advocacy, public leadership, and interprofessional collaboration as one such upstream strategy. By supporting students who are engaged in communities, funders can build health professionals who are able to fulfill core roles of service and advocacy and become meaningfully engaged in re-envisioning American health care.

Health-Related Philanthropy: Toward Understanding the Relationship Between the Donation of the Body (and Its Parts) and Traditional Forms of Philanthropic Giving

Meslin, E. M., Rooney, P. M., Wolf, J. G. — 2008-02-06

The academic study of philanthropy has focused on the public good from private action and includes the study of the public good of improving health and studies of the various determinants of giving. Yet one very obvious act of giving in the health field has been largely neglected in philanthropic studies: the donation of the body, such as blood and tissue donation, organ donation, and the donation of one's body for medical research or education. In August 2003, a research team at the Indiana University Center for Bioethics conducted a study of these two aspects of philanthropy as part of a project titled Health Related Philanthropy: The Donation of the Body (and Parts Thereof). This article describes the project and summarizes the results of a national survey conducted as part of that project.

Health, History, and Hard Choices: Funding Dilemmas in a Fast-Changing World

Prentice, T. — 2008-02-06

This article offers a perspective based on World Health Organization (WHO) evidence on the state of global health today. It briefly traces the role of WHO in the history of major health achievements in recent decades, including the gradual elimination or control of major infectious diseases, often with philanthropic support from many countries and institutions. It also contributes to the current debate concerning the trends and directions of philanthropy in health in the first decade of the 21st century.

The Transaction Cost Theory of the Nonprofit Firm: Beyond Opportunism

Valentinov, V. — 2008-02-06

Building on the transaction cost theory of the for-profit firm, the article argues that the transaction cost-economizing role of the nonprofit firm has two distinct dimensions. One of them consists of reducing the cost of searching for, processing, and communicating information and the other minimizes opportunistic behavior by means of aligning incentives of concerned stakeholders. So far, the transaction cost theory of the nonprofit firm has been emphasizing the second dimension while largely ignoring the first one. The article fills this gap by demonstrating that nonprofit firms are able to economize on transaction cost not only by minimizing opportunism but also by facilitating cooperation among those stakeholders who derive utility from contributing to the realization of their nonprofit firm's missions and hence would not be interested in opportunistic behavior. The article concludes by emphasizing the complementarity of the two dimensions of the nonprofit firm's transaction cost-economizing role.

The Sources and Uses of Funds for Community Development Financial Institutions: The Role of the Nonprofit Intermediary

Smith, B. C. — 2008-02-06

The interorganizational connections maintained by community development financial institutions (CDFIs) are examined with data obtained from a survey of CDFI executive directors and three case studies. The network actors are observed across three dimensions: collaboration, resource dependence, and information exchange, from the perspective of an intermediary organization. The following analysis, couched in the theory of efficient network structure, illustrates that governance structures within the CDFI industry involve an identifiable cohort of public, nonprofit, and private sector actors, and these associations facilitate a system of network links across an expansive array of resource needs.

With Strings Attached: Nonprofits and the Adoption of Donor Choice

Barman, E. — 2008-02-06

Donors' ability to attach strings to their contributions has become increasingly prevalent in the nonprofit sector. Using the case of workplace charity, this article examines the determinants of nonprofit organizations' adoption of donor choice as a mode of fund-raising. Drawing from a nationwide survey, it tests three competing tenets to explain United Ways' implementation of donor choice. Employing logistic regression analysis, the findings indicate that United Ways allow for donor control when facing donors' demands for choice, regardless of the composition of the local market or fundraisers' organizational characteristics.

Socioeconomic Disparities in Voluntary Organization Involvement Among Older Adults

Fengyan Tang, — 2008-02-06

This study examines the relationship between volunteer socioeconomic status (SES) and voluntary organization involvement among older adults. Using longitudinal data from the Americans' Changing Lives surveys, this study assesses the effects of education and income on the type and scope of voluntary organization involvement. Multiple imputation and generalized estimating equations methods are used in the data analysis. The results indicate that more highly educated, older adults are more likely than their less-educated counterparts to volunteer in all five types of organizations (i.e., religious, educational, political, senior citizen, and others), volunteer in a wider range of organizations, and devote more hours. However, income makes little significant difference in organizational volunteering. Voluntary organizations are advised to facilitate older adults from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds in taking volunteer roles. Innovative recruitment programs are needed to tap the resource for volunteering that elders from all SES groups represent.

The Interchangeability of Paid Staff and Volunteers in Nonprofit Organizations

Handy, F., Mook, L., Quarter, J. — 2008-02-06

This article examines the interchangeability of paid and volunteer labor. It reports on estimates and prevalence of such interchangeability through a series of studies of Canadian nonprofits: two national surveys of nonprofit organizations and case studies of two hospitals. The first study found evidence that volunteers were replacing paid staff and that paid staff were replacing volunteers, sometimes in the same organization. The second study explored this pattern further and found the percentage of tasks that were interchangeable. The third study found that about two-thirds of the organizations in the sample agreed that the interchangeability of tasks occurred, but the data indicated that it was limited to about 12% of tasks, not dissimilar to the estimates from the case studies. The implications of the results are discussed, and a model for the interchangeability of paid and volunteer labor is presented.

Civic Engagement and Nonprofit Lobbying in California, 1998-2003

Suarez, D. F., Hwang, H. — 2008-02-06

Which types of nonprofit organizations make claims to the state by lobbying and what explains their involvement in the activity? Although many studies focus on organization-level characteristics, the authors argue that nonprofit lobbying is driven by two different dynamics that operate at the field level: cross-sector competition and social change mission. Analyzing data on nonprofit organizations in California from 1998 to 2003, the authors show that nonprofits in mission-driven fields are more likely to lobby than nonprofits in other fields, but cross-sector competition does not seem to influence lobbying at the field level. The authors also find that many organization-level characteristics matter and nonprofits with lobbying experience tend to make the activity a regular component of their organizational repertoire. These findings have a variety of implications for work on civic engagement and the authors conclude with a discussion of the implications.

Causes of Dissolution Among Spanish Nonprofit Associations

Fernandez, J. J. — 2008-02-06

Voluntary associations play increasingly important roles in many industrialized societies. However, little is still known about why they die. This article attempts to fill this gap. It reconstructs the history of 41 closed Spanish voluntary associations of Madrid's metropolitan area through archival research and semistructured interviews to define the causes of their dissolutions. The conclusions indicate that the majority of the organizations dissolved due to mission completion (particularly goal fulfillment) and resource insufficiency. This article also uses central predictions of new institutionalism, population ecology, and resource dependence theories and shows that these three models provide valuable insights to account for these dissolutions. As each theory respectively predicts, those organizations with lower sociopolitical legitimacy, that were younger and smaller, or that were funded by only one source dissolved younger.

Do Antipoverty Nonprofits Locate Where People Need Them? Evidence From a Spatial Analysis of Phoenix

Peck, L. R. — 2008-02-06

This work explores the spatial connections between nonprofit organizations that have an antipoverty focus and poor residents in the greater Phoenix, Arizona, metropolitan area. Substantial population and service growth occurred in Phoenix between 1990 and 2000, with almost twice the number of organizations and almost three times the amount of expenditures in 2000 than in 1990. Empirical evidence supports that these nonprofits locate in areas of greater need, but evidence that those organizations affect neighborhood poverty is weak, suggesting that the government should not retract services and that further nonprofit organizational growth may be necessary. The comprehensive measure of accessibility and two-way causal analysis are proposed for future replication.

A Comparison of CEO and Director Perceptions of Board Involvement in Strategy

Siciliano, J. I. — 2008-02-06

The assessment of board involvement in the strategic management process relies on data from CEOs and board members, and empirical studies assess board activity by either combining the ratings of CEOs and directors or by sampling one group of respondents only. This research note reports on discrepancies found between CEO and director perceptions of board involvement in the strategic management of credit unions. Consensus scores measure the dispersion of opinion, and the scores are compared to outcome measures using stepwise TOBIT analysis, which is rarely used in management research but is appropriate for studies with clustering of dependent variables. Findings reveal that the level of agreement about the board's involvement in mission statement development is associated with board member satisfaction. However, increases in the level of agreement about the board's involvement in monitoring strategy implementation are found in organizations that have less favorable financial soundness ratings.

Wholesaling Social Change: Philanthropy's Strategic Inflection Point

Hecht, B. — 2008-02-06

There are times in almost every sector that forces of change come together to fundamentally disrupt the way that sector works. Former Intel Chairman Andy Grove calls this a strategic inflection point. Philanthropy is on the brink of its own strategic inflection point. Just as the internet changed the face of commerce, so it can change fundamentally the way that social change can happen. Today, organizations can wholesale social change or develop programs that almost overnight touch millions of people. These `wholesaling' organizations share many common characteristics such as: (1) intent to impact the masses; (2) marginal, incremental cost to serve the next customer; (3) borderless service delivery; (4) grants plus' business model; (5) redefining fundamental power relationships; (6) engage markets and market-driven solutions; (7) redirect ongoing flows of public or private sector funds to institutionalize desired change; and (8) use technology itself to provide innovative solutions. Philanthropy should define what `wholesaling activity' is, recognize it, and create mechanisms that will support acceleration of wholesale social change.

Book Review: Dennis R. Young (with the assistance of Nicholas Harvey): The Nonprofit Sector: A Research Handbook (2nd ed.), by Walter W. Powell and Richard Steinberg. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2006. 672 pp. $65.00 (cloth)

Young, D. R., Ramsey, E. A., Harvey, N. — 2008-02-06

Book Review: Nonprofit Marketing: Marketing Management for Charitable and Nongovernmental Organizations, by Walter Wymer, Patricia A. Knowles, and Roger Gomes. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2006. 384 pp., $79.95: Cause Marketing for Nonprofits: Partner for Purpose, Passion and Profits, by Jocelyne Daw. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, 2006. 312 pp., $45.00

Popely, D. R. — 2008-02-06

Book Review: Rebuilding Communities the Public Trust Way: Community Foundation Assistance to CDCs, 1980-2000, by Jeffrey S. Lowe. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2006. 116 pp. $21.95 (paperback)

Martinez, C. L. — 2008-02-06

Book Review: Mrs. Russell Sage: Women's Activism and Philanthropy in Gilded Age and Progressive Era America, by Ruth Crocker. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2006. 526 pp., $49.95 (hardcover)

Magat, R. — 2008-02-06

Book Review: Mediating Organizations, Private Government, and Civil Society: Disinvestment Through the Preservation of Wealth in Cleveland, Ohio (1950-1990), by Stuart C. Mendel. Lewiston, NY: Edwin Mellen Press, 2005. 189 pp. $109.95 (hardcover)

Stapleton, D. H. — 2008-02-06

Book Review: The Other Philadelphia Story: How Local Congregations Support Quality of Life in Urban America, by Ram A. Cnaan, with Stephanie C. Boddie, Charlene C. McGrew, and Jennifer Kang. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2006. 352 pp. $69.95 (cloth)

Smidt, C. E. — 2008-02-06