Business Commons^™

How Do You Measure Up? Finding Fit Between Foundations And Their Evaluation Functions, Julia Coffman, Tanya Beer

The Foundation Review

As the number of foundations has grown, the philosophies and ways of working across the sector have diversified. This variance means that there is no one right model for how a foundation’s evaluation function should be designed. It is imperative for a foundation to think carefully about how the structure, position, focus, resources, and practices of its evaluation function can best fit its own needs and aspirations.

This article focuses on questions foundations can ask to assess that fit, and the specific considerations that can inform these decisions. It draws on 2015 benchmarking research conducted by the Center for Evaluation …

The Nonprofit Nerd (September 2016), The Nonprofit Institute At Portland State University

The Nonprofit Institute Newsletter

This month’s theme is Networked Philanthropy.

Let the resources and insights we share in The Nonprofit Nerd inspire you to get your nerd on and find innovative ways to make research and data work for you and your nonprofit!

Perceptual Determinants Of Consumption Philanthropy Donation Intentions: Consumption Or Philanthropy?, Nese Nasif

Theses and Dissertations

Consumption philanthropy is the concurrent consumption of self-interested products while contributing to a charitable cause. Although this overarching notion has been widely investigated in the context of cause-related marketing, there has been little work done in marketing or other disciplines in its alternative context of donor giving behavior. Thus, the current research conceptually develops and empirically investigates a model of consumption philanthropy donation intentions (CPDI) where a potentially valued gift is offered in return for a monetary donation by an individual consumer. The conceptual model integrates three fundamental frameworks from marketing and psychology, as well as incorporates a multi-disciplinary body …

Building A Field: Blue Shield Of California Foundation's Strong Field Project Leaves A Legacy And Valuable Lessons, Hanh Cao Yu, Jennifer Henderson-Frakes, Lucia Corral Peña

The Foundation Review

Relatively few comprehensive evaluations have assessed the principles, elements, and impacts of philanthropic organizations’ field-building endeavors. To help fill this gap, this article shares the results of a five-year evaluation of a large-scale field-building initiative: Blue Shield of California Foundation’s Strong Field Project.

The project’s goal was to strengthen the domestic violence field by equipping it with a critical mass of diverse individuals and organizations to lead a stronger movement to end domestic violence in California. Its approach aimed to strengthen field leadership and organizations, and to create vibrant collaborative networks.

Evaluation data show that the project achieved much of …

Conceptualization Of Csr Among Muslim Consumers In Dubai: Evolving From Philanthropy To Ethical And Economic Orientations, Valerie Priscilla Goby, Catherine Nickerson

All Works

© 2014, The Author(s). Many existing studies postulate that in developing economies philanthropy tends to dominate in the CSR orientation delivered by organizations and expected by local populations. To assess this in the emerging economy of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, we conducted a preliminary investigation of how locals are responding to the growing number of CSR initiatives that are being implemented in the Emirate. Moreover, given that scholars have argued that Islamic principles of philanthropy should guide CSR initiatives in Muslim countries, we also consider if our Emirati respondents connect CSR with Islamic philanthropy. Results from our survey …

Connecting And Cultivating Columbia: Vignettes Of Columbia's Most Connected Leaders, Allison Patricia Held

Senior Theses

This senior thesis project takes a look at the lives of some of Columbia's most philanthropic leaders. Inspired by my grandfather, I set out to interview and write vignettes about five of Columbia's leaders, learning about their lives and the paths that brought them to their current positions of influence. Through the project, I saw many differences and commonalities between the leaders.

2016 The Promise Of A New Day: Support For Service Members Transitioning To Civilian Life In San Diego, Kim D. Hunt, Mary Jo Schumann

Military

This report highlights the first year program evaluation of zero8hundred, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to proactively link transitioning military families to a broad range of resources, helping them successfully transition to civilian life in San Diego County.

2016 Food, Friends, And Health: An Evaluation Of North County Senior Connections Thyme Together Food Truck Lunch Program, Michelle Ahearne, Azadeh Davari, Tessa Tinkler, Mary Jo Schumann

Seniors

The North County Senior Connections Thyme Together Food Truck Lunch Program (subsequently referred to as NCSC) is a collaborative project initiated in November 2014 that provides affordable, nutritious lunches, recreational programming, and community information to seniors in the northern region of San Diego County (North County).

In May 2015, six months after NCSC launched, the Rancho Santa Fe Foundation commissioned the University of San Diego’s Caster Family Center for Nonprofit and Philanthropic Research (Caster Center) to: 1) evaluate NCSC’s progress towards meeting its objectives, and 2) provide feedback and recommendations for programmatic changes as necessary. This report presents the findings …

Cadenas De Auyuda Volunteer Toolbox & Resource Guide, Krista Fiser, Rebecca Nussbaum

Human Resource and Volunteer Management

This resource guide has been created specifically for Cadenas de Ayuda and includes an overview as well as information regarding best practices related to developing and maintaining an effective volunteer program.

Advancing Diversity And Innovation

Business Exchange

Alumni Joe and Sue Kosinski discuss why they contribute gifts to DePaul, endowed a scholarship in accountancy, mentor, network, and serve DePaul in other ways.

Corporate Social Responsibility: An Overview And New Research Directions: Thematic Issue On Corporate Social Responsibility [From The Editors], Heli Wang, Li Tong, Rikki Takeuchi, Gerard George

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

The idea of corporate social responsibility (CSR)—that is, businesses bearing a responsibility to society and a broader set of stakeholders beyond its shareholders—gained currency in the 1960s. Since then, attention on CSR has been growing in both academic and practitioner communities around the world. While there have been criticisms and debates on whether it was appropriate for corporations to expand their remit beyond shareholder value, an increasing majority of corporations have proactively committed to addressing larger societal challenges. With a variety of options for corporate engagement in mainstream society and local communities, corporations have created dedicated organizational units to effectively …

Internal Culture, External Impact: How A Change-Making Culture Positions Foundations To Achieve Transformational Change, Amy Celep, Sara Brenner, Rachel Mosher-Williams

The Foundation Review

This article argues that a foundation’s internal culture is critical to achieving large-scale social change, but that efforts to build a change-making culture too often are left out of strategy conversations.

While there is no one culture that suits every foundation, a particular set of characteristics must be present in those that seek large-scale social change: a focus on outcomes, transparency, authenticity, collaboration, racial equity and inclusion, continuous learning, and openness to risk.

This article offers insights into why culture can be challenging for foundations to address and maintain, examines cases of successful culture change at foundations, and offers advice …

Foundations Supporting Research And Innovation In Europe: Results And Lessons From The Eufori Study, Barbara Gouwenberg, Danique Ali, Barry Hoolwerf, Rene Bekkers, Theo Schuyt, Jan Smit

The Foundation Review

This article presents the most important results of the European Foundation for Research and Innovation Study, the first study to map the roles and collective contributions of Europe’s large, heterogeneous, and fragmented sector of research and innovation foundations.

The study, based on a review of about 1,000 foundations, estimates that they contribute at least $6.4 billion a year to research and innovation in Europe. While this estimate shows that the contribution is quite substantial, its economic weight is modest compared to that of government, the business sector, and other actors in the domain of research and innovation.

European foundations prefer …

The Hugo Sanchez Soccerland Foundation Board Manual, The Hugo Sanchez Soccerland Foundation

Governance

2016 Board Manual for the Hugo Sanchez Soccerland Foundation.

State Of Nonprofits Annual Report: 2016 Infographic, Laura Deitrick

State of Nonprofits in San Diego

The 2016 State of Nonprofits and Philanthropy annual report analyzes the health of San Diego’s nonprofit sector, identifies important trends, and reports on leadership perspectives.

The number of nonprofit organizations is rebounding to pre-recession levels, while revenues and nonprofit employment continue on an upward trend. Nonprofits remain an important contributor to the local economy. Accounting for nine percent of County employment, San Diego’s 10,196 nonprofits generated $14.9B in revenue and hold $23.8B in assets. Financial indicators as well as patterns of household giving and volunteering point to a more stable nonprofit sector in San Diego compared to the previous year. …

State Of Nonprofits Annual Report: 2016, Laura Deitrick, Mary Jo Schumann, Marcus Lam, Hans Peter Schmitz, Tessa Tinkler, Crystal Trull

State of Nonprofits in San Diego

The 2016 State of Nonprofits and Philanthropy report analyzes the health of San Diego’s nonprofit sector, identifies important trends, and reports on leadership perspectives.

In addition to an annual summary of the Caster Center’s State of Nonprofits Quarterly Index (SONP Index) this report draws on the most recently available data about nonprofits from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the California Employment Development Department (EDD). These data are synthesized with feedback from Trend Reporters1 along with the 2016 Nonprofit Leader Survey sent to executive level management in San Diego County to provide the most comprehensive picture of San Diego’s nonprofit …

Spinning Straw Into Gold: A Study Of Resource Creation, Flow, And Conversion In A Nonprofit Collaboration, Elizabeth A. Castillo

Dissertations

Throughout history people have joined together to improve their individual lives. In the modern era, organizations often work cooperatively to enhance their efficiency and effectiveness. Collaborating organizations in the nonprofit sector are increasingly expected to produce system-level change as well. This collective impact approach is under-theorized and therefore not consistently actionable. A central puzzle is how formal nonprofit collaborations acquire resource inputs and transform them into outputs, outcomes, and impact while producing financial returns to sustain the backbone organization. Resource dependence theory is sometimes proposed as an explanatory framework, yet it does not explain the generation of a double bottom …

Adding Up The Arts: The Great Recession And The Public-Private Debate In The Funding Of America's Art And Art Museums, Jasmine Kusumowidagdo

Scripps Senior Theses

The Great Recession dramatically reframed the debate on funding for the arts from a social one to a fiscal one. Instead of social ideology, economics came to the forefront; and fiscal conservatives replaced social conservatives as the loudest voice criticizing government funding for the arts. Under the shadow of an expanding government and staggering national debt, both supporters and critics argue in terms of the economic costs and benefits that the arts impose. These arguments against public funding for the arts are multi-tiered. Critics contend that the government arts agencies are ineffective, that federal arts funding is inefficient, and that …

Sincerity In Corporate Philanthropy, Stakeholder Perceptions And Firm Value, Ilya R. P. Cuypers, Ping-Sheng Koh, Heli Wang

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

This study extends the literature on symbolic management by incorporating the role of stakeholder perceptions into the context of corporate philanthropy. In particular, we differentiate between the quantitative (generous giving) and qualitative (innovative giving) aspects of giving. We argue that although stakeholders may perceive both types of giving as being substantive rather than symbolic, innovative giving is likely to be perceived as more substantive than generous giving is and, thus, has a greater impact on firm value. Furthermore, stakeholder perceptions of corporate philanthropy as being more symbolic or substantive are influenced by firm characteristics—the type of products or services that …