Showing papers in "Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly in 2017"
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined the relative efficacy of two theoretically distinct variables for predicting job satisfaction and turnover intentions for workers in nonprofit organizations: perceived job characteristics and perceived organizational support.
Abstract: We examine the relative efficacy of two theoretically distinct variables for predicting job satisfaction and turnover intentions for workers in nonprofit organizations. The first, perceived job characteristics, reflects the structure of jobs in terms of autonomy, skill variety, task identity, task significance, and feedback. The second, perceived organizational support, reflects the quality of the employee–organization relationship. We collected data from 196 full-time, nonprofit employees across two time periods, and we tested hypotheses using hierarchical regression and relative importance analysis. Results emphasize the significance of managing employees in a supportive manner and structuring jobs so that employees can work autonomously.
64 citations
TL;DR: This paper explored the role of entrepreneurial elements manifested in the pre-start-up phase of social venture creation according to their importance for upstream and downstream processes and identified collaboration as a pivotal additional element for social EO along with proactiveness and innovativeness.
Abstract: Although behaving entrepreneurially has become increasingly important for many nonprofit organizations, research on entrepreneurial orientation (EO) lacks a clear understanding of the construct in the nonprofit context. This study examines how EO is shaped on the organizational level of a nonprofit organization and contributes to the creation of a social venture. With a qualitative research design, we explore the role of entrepreneurial elements manifested in the pre-start-up phase of social venture creation according to their importance for upstream and downstream processes. Our findings show how risk taking has a financial and a social dimension and we identify collaboration as a pivotal additional element for social EO along with proactiveness and innovativeness.
61 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors focus on the involvement and management of spontaneous volunteers and develop a new theory called the "involvement/exclusion" paradox about a situation which is frequently manifested when SVs converge in times of disaster.
Abstract: This article focuses on the involvement and management of spontaneous volunteers (SVs). It develops a new theory—which we call the “involvement/exclusion” paradox—about a situation which is frequently manifested when SVs converge in times of disaster. After reviewing research and policy guidance relating to spontaneous volunteering, we present findings from a study of responses to winter flood episodes in England. Taking together the empirical findings and the literature, the article analyzes elements inherent in the involvement/exclusion paradox and develops a conceptual model to illustrate and explain the paradox. Implications for managers and future research are discussed.
57 citations
TL;DR: The link between financial indicators and program outcomes has been largely unexamined as mentioned in this paper, but the link between the two metrics has been examined in the context of nonprofit organizations' capacity to serve.
Abstract: Financial measures are routinely used as a proxy for nonprofit organizations’ capacity to serve, but the link between financial indicators and program outcomes has been largely unexamined. This stu...
55 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors investigated the moderating role of community service self-efficacy (CSSE) on the relationships between two demands (organizational constraints and role ambiguity) and volunteer engagement.
Abstract: The declining number of U.S. volunteers is troubling, necessitating improved understanding of drivers of volunteer retention such as volunteer engagement. We utilized the job demands-resources model to investigate the moderating role of community service self-efficacy (CSSE) on the relationships between two demands (organizational constraints and role ambiguity) and volunteer engagement. Volunteers (N = 235) from three U.S. nonprofit organizations participated in a survey as part of a volunteer program assessment. Volunteers who encountered greater organizational constraints and role ambiguity were less engaged. In addition, CSSE attenuated the negative relationship between organizational constraints and engagement, but not the negative association between role ambiguity and engagement. When faced with organizational constraints, volunteers with higher CSSE reported greater engagement than those with lower CSSE. Organizations should therefore assess and support volunteers’ CSSE to bolster their engagement...
52 citations
TL;DR: For example, this paper found that older volunteers identify more strongly with the volunteer role as compensation for the absence of other productive roles, and that retirement plays an important role in this.
Abstract: Volunteer role identity has long been of interest to social scientists seeking to understand volunteer commitment and the psychological consequences of volunteering. The study reported here tests the theory that predicts that people identify more strongly with the volunteer role as compensation for the absence of other productive roles. Using a sample (n = 572) of Dutch volunteers over the age of 50, we find a strong association between age and volunteer role identity. For older volunteers, the volunteer role is a more important part of who they are. We find that retirement plays an important role in this. The retirement effect, in turn, is accounted for by the extra time retirees invest in the role, signaling a compensation strategy. We find a similar substitution effect for the unemployed/disabled, but not for widowhood. The study makes a contribution by situating the explanation of volunteer role identity within a life-course framework.
52 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors explore the extent and repercussions of nonprofits becoming more business-like, and how practitioners learn to understand themselves as nonprofit professionals, and propose a framework to help them understand themselves.
Abstract: How do nonprofit practitioners learn to understand themselves as nonprofit professionals? Although the literature has explored the extent and repercussions of nonprofits becoming more business-like...
51 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined whether uncertainty in subsidies leads to mission drift in micro-finance institutions (MFIs) using a worldwide sample of 1,151 MFIs active in 104 countries, and found that interest rates increase with aid volatility while average loan size is inversely related to aid volatility.
Abstract: Uncertainty makes objectives harder to reach. This article examines whether uncertainty in subsidies leads to mission drift in microfinance institutions (MFIs). Using a worldwide sample of 1,151 MFIs active in 104 countries, we find that interest rates increase with aid volatility while average loan size (ALS) is inversely related to aid volatility. These results suggest that MFIs consider ALS as a signaling device for commitment to their social mission, but use interest rates as an adjustment variable to cope with uncertainty. The policy prescription to donor agencies wishing to curtail the rise in interest rates is to deliver subsidies predictably and transparently.
43 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors study financial efficiency in the nonprofit sector and document that organizations that rely mainly on commercial revenues are more efficient in managing their overhead and administrative expenses compared with nonprofits that rely solely on donations.
Abstract: We study financial efficiency in the nonprofit sector and document that organizations that rely mainly on commercial revenues are more efficient in managing their overhead and administrative expenses compared with nonprofits that rely mainly on donations We also record a positive relationship between the extent of a nonprofit’s reliance on donations and its efficiency in generating them Our findings suggest economies of scale in the nonprofit sector and also a positive (negative) relationship between receiving government grants (membership income) and overall efficiency We discuss what our findings imply for social enterprises and traditional nonprofits
42 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined differences in the volunteering experience during an emergency situation using a life stage perspective using a sample of 472 volunteers from the UK National Voluntary Service (NSS).
Abstract: The present study examined differences in the volunteering experience during an emergency situation using a life stage perspective. The volunteering experience was examined in a sample of 472 volun...
41 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors identify factors influencing the organization's capital and revenue structure and demonstrate which of them may be actively influenced by an organization's management and which stem from conditions of the organization that cannot be readily overcome by managerial interventions (such as age, size, and legal form).
Abstract: Nonprofit organizations (NPO) rely on a diverse mix of revenue sources. The existing literature mainly supports diversification among different revenue sources as desirable because it enables organizational stability. Using a new data set of over 200 Swiss fundraising charities, we prove the opposite to be true: organizations that displayed a higher degree of revenue concentration grew stronger between 2005 and 2012. We identify factors influencing the organization’s capital and revenue structure. These factors can be divided into “nature” and “nurture” factors, which allows us to demonstrate which of them may be actively influenced by an organization’s management and which stem from conditions of the organization that cannot be readily overcome by managerial interventions (such as age, size, and legal form). Revenue concentration is positively influenced both by an organization’s geographical range of activity and dependence on its primary revenue source, and negatively influenced by board size and diver...
TL;DR: This paper explored the impact of identity and personality on three giving behaviors: donating money, volunteering, and personality for three different types of giving behaviors (donating money, volunteering, etc.).
Abstract: Building on previous research that examined role identity in relation to volunteering, this study explored the impact of identity and personality for three giving behaviors: donating money, volunte...
TL;DR: In this article, a longitudinal case study of one non-profit organisation in the UK that is highly dependent on a single funder is presented, with a focus on the board.
Abstract: Accountability is a crucial element of governance. Non-profit organisations are typically accountable to multiple stakeholders and often ‘do’ accountability in multiple ways. But what happens when a non-profit organisation is highly dependent on a single source of funding? This paper provides an empirical exploration of this issue. It draws on a longitudinal case study of one non-profit organisation in the UK that is highly dependent on a single funder to examine how accountability is constructed and enacted, with a focus on the board. It critically examines accountability processes through direct observation of board and committee meetings and in-depth interviews with board members. The analysis shows how board members work to construct broader forms of accountability beyond accountability to the funder, but then struggle to enact them. This paper provides in-depth insight into the challenges that non-profit board members face and offers a rare example of observational research on board behaviour.
TL;DR: In this article, a survey of 1,221 human service organizations participated in a capacity-building demonstration project is used to assess the fit of two conceptual models of capacity using confirmatory factor analysis.
Abstract: Organizational capacity is the set of structures and functions a nonprofit organization needs to effectively serve the community. Although capacity is defined in the nonprofit literature, no standardized measures exist, making it difficult to accurately assess organizational capacity. Data from a survey of nonprofit human service organizations (N = 1,221) that participated in a capacity-building demonstration project are used to assess the fit of two conceptual models of capacity using confirmatory factor analysis. Results indicated that a model that measured capacity with more than 40 performance-related indicators did not fit the data well. However, a model using fewer (19) indicators of organizations’ self-assessed capacity-building progress fit the data well and was invariant by tenure. Implications for measuring nonprofit organizational capacity are discussed.
TL;DR: The authors survey 200 nonprofit executives to investigate the pressure they experience to manage so-called efficiency ratios, and their reactions to that pressure, and investigate whether they can cope with that pressure.
Abstract: We survey 200 nonprofit executives to investigate the pressure they experience to manage so-called efficiency ratios, and their reactions to that pressure. Specifically, we investigate whether mana...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors created and validated an inventory of individuals' interests in eight different types of volunteering: administrative volunteering, helping animals, interpersonal helping (autonomy or dependency), donating, physical volunteering (built or natural environments), and political volunteering.
Abstract: Given that volunteers perform a diverse range of behaviors aimed at helping distinct causes, a more nuanced understanding of how types of volunteer behaviors are similar and different would enrich both basic and applied perspectives on volunteerism. We created and validated an inventory of individuals’ interests in eight different types of volunteering: administrative volunteering, helping animals, interpersonal helping (autonomy or dependency), donating, physical volunteering (built or natural environments), and political volunteering. Grouping these eight types of positions into two general categories (interpersonal and skills-based volunteer positions), we also examined convergent and discriminant validity, linking interest in these positions to constructs from the volunteerism literature (i.e., prosocial personality, volunteer motivations, and volunteer satisfaction). This research demonstrates that volunteer behaviors can be classified into types, certain individuals are interested in different types...
TL;DR: In recent years, colleges and universities have begun investing significant resources into an innovative pedagogy known as experiential philanthropy as discussed by the authors, which is considered to be a form of serv...
Abstract: In recent years, colleges and universities have begun investing significant resources into an innovative pedagogy known as experiential philanthropy. The pedagogy is considered to be a form of serv...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors conduct the first large-scale study focusing on the arts and cultural sector and find that nonprofits face increasing pressure to compete in the market, while they must maintain their civic commitment.
Abstract: Nonprofits face increasing pressure to compete in the market, while they must maintain their civic commitment. Focusing on the arts and cultural sector, this study conducts the first large-scale, c...
TL;DR: The authors used panel regression methods to estimate the links between nonprofits' revenues by source and the uses of those revenues and found that charities overwhelmingly save revenue from donations, and that this saving is not driven by donor restrictions or by short-term strategic shifts but is consistent with expense smoothing over time.
Abstract: Panel regression methods are used to estimate the links between nonprofits’ revenues by source and the uses of those revenues. While charities spend most types of revenue on program services, they overwhelmingly save revenue from donations. This is true for all types of charity by National Taxonomy of Exempt Entities code. This saving is not driven by donor restrictions or by short-term strategic shifts but is consistent with expense smoothing over time. Policy makers should consider effects of donation incentives and government grants on the timing of outputs that result from different revenue sources.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined the impact of specific revenue sources on charitable giving and found that the impact depends on the characteristics of the source of revenue and the distribution of the revenue.
Abstract: Considerable research examines the impact of nonprofit organizational characteristics on charitable giving. Unresolved questions remain, however, about the impact of specific revenue sources on cha...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present a study of supported social enterprise, a hybrid organization that not only either employs or trains members of marginalized social groups, often on disability pensions and so on.
Abstract: This article presents a study of supported social enterprise, a hybrid organization that not only either employs or trains members of marginalized social groups, often on disability pensions and so...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors hypothesize a nonlinear relationship between competition for resources and fundraising performance of local United Way (UW) affiliates, drawing upon population ecology, and hypothesize that competition can affect fundraising performance.
Abstract: How does competition for resources affect the fundraising performance of local United Way (UW) affiliates? Drawing upon population ecology, we hypothesize a nonlinear relationship between competiti...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors delineate different motivations for holding endowment by nonprofits, analyzes the definitions and measurement of endowment in the literature, and details newly available data on endowmen.
Abstract: This note delineates different motivations for holding endowment by nonprofits, analyzes the definitions and measurement of endowment in the literature, and details newly available data on endowmen...
TL;DR: This paper conducted a field experiment to find out whether a sample of the New Zealand general public preferred to give money to World Vision, an international development charity, or the Salvation Army, or both.
Abstract: We conducted a field experiment to find out whether a sample of the New Zealand general public preferred to give money to World Vision, an international development charity, or the Salvation Army, ...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigate how governance mechanisms can affect community representation within nonprofit organizations, focusing on Italian Bank Foundations where the community is on board by law, and investigate the impact of these mechanisms on community representation.
Abstract: The study investigates how governance mechanisms can affect community representation within nonprofit organizations, focusing on Italian Bank Foundations where the community is on board by law. To ...
TL;DR: In this paper, the effect that religious environments have on community-level outcomes such as neighborhood stability, economic development, and crime has been highlighted, highlighting the effect of religious environments on neighborhood stability and economic development.
Abstract: Previous scholarship highlights the effect that religious environments have on community-level outcomes such as neighborhood stability, economic development, and crime. In the present study, I exte...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors experimentally test the impact of a formal signal (a third-party certificate) and an informal signal (self-proclaimed management quality with respect to social entrepreneurship) on stakeholder supportive intentions and perceived organizational effectiveness.
Abstract: In this study, we experimentally test the impact of a formal signal (a third-party certificate) and an informal signal (self-proclaimed management quality with respect to social entrepreneurship) on stakeholder supportive intentions and perceived organizational effectiveness. Our study confirms the social entrepreneurship advantage, but we find no proof of a convincing effect from the formal signal. However, complementary analyses and additional testing of control variables add new perspectives on the relative importance of the social entrepreneurship advantage and on potential moderators that could better explain in future studies the varying effects and specific contextual elements that influence formal and informal reputation-building signals.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examine the interplay between rebranding processes and dual identities of 10 re-branded charitable organizations, in particular how these identities are reflected in managers' narratives and subsequently shape re-branding strategies.
Abstract: Nonprofit organizations that engage in rebranding strategies face challenges reconciling normative (social or mission driven) and utilitarian (business driven) identities of their organizations. This research examines the interplay between rebranding processes and dual identities of 10 rebranded charitable organizations, in particular how these identities are reflected in managers’ narratives and subsequently shape rebranding strategies. The study reveals four types of rebranding strategies and the potential drivers for their adoption. Pressure to secure resources can lead nonprofit organizations to emphasize utilitarian identities in rebranding, and so surface hidden tensions among stakeholders reluctant to relinquish established normative identities. In managing the process of rebranding, senior managers engage in practices of justifying, re-visioning, and influencing to reduce emerging tensions. The research suggests that both utilitarian and normative identity concerns need to be addressed during the process.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined the vulnerability of nonprofit organizations arising from governmental funding instability using hazard analysis and found that the relationship between hazard rate and time-at-risk has an inverted U-shape curve; hazard rate increases with time at risk, reaches a maximum then descends.
Abstract: Financial vulnerability of nonprofit organizations arising from governmental funding instability is examined using hazard analysis. Funding instability is characterized by time-at-risk, and vulnerability is expressed by hazard rate measuring the speed of nonprofit organizations closure. The analysis provides estimation of instantaneous probability of a nonprofit organization failure at a given point in time. Drawing on 2,660 Israeli nonprofit organizations, we found that the relationship between hazard rate and time-at-risk has an inverted U–shape curve; hazard rate increases with time-at-risk, reaches a maximum then descends.
TL;DR: In this paper, a document analysis of 83 application packets used by funders in the United States to collect and assess nonprofit suitability for funding shows significant differences between private-and public-sector control over nonprofits decisions to network.
Abstract: Nonprofit sector organizations tackle intractable problems by seeking support from external funding agencies, resulting in funders holding power through resource control. Nonprofits also access resources and coordinate activities through building networks with other nonprofits. Such networks have been viewed as emergent with an underlying assumption that the nonprofits determine when and with whom to partner. Given the power of funders, however, how much control do the nonprofits have in determining whether or not to partner? Document analysis of 83 application packets used by funders in the United States to collect and assess nonprofit suitability for funding shows significant differences between private- and public-sector control over nonprofits decisions to network. Unlike private-sector foundations, public-agency funding documents mandate awardees to network, which has practical and theoretical implications. Although the idea of building a network implies autonomous acts on the part of nonprofits, som...