Nonprofit Administration and Management Commons^™

Editorial, Teri Behrens

The Foundation Review

No abstract provided.

Front Matter

The Foundation Review

No abstract provided.

Evaluating Evaluation Policy In The X Foundation, Peter Dahler-Larsen

The Foundation Review

Evaluation policies, which are becoming increasingly important for philanthropic foundations, communicate internally and externally about how evaluations are planned, designed, and managed. An evaluation policy also prescribes how the use of evaluation systematically reflects the mission and role of a foundation. Not much is known, however, about how evaluation policies are developed and changed in practice. Few, if any, foundations have published an evaluation of their evaluation policy. This article, written by an external evaluator, describes how an evaluation policy was developed at a Danish grantmaker committed to supporting innovative methods in human services. Using this foundation as an example, …

Back Matter

The Foundation Review

No abstract provided.

Achieving Sustainability In Community Health Initiatives: Follow The Money, Jo Z. Carcedo, Jessica Pugil, Shao-Chee Sim, Bret Sinclair

The Foundation Review

The U.S. health system’s “sick care” model — as designed — currently spends $4.3 trillion annually to treat its people once they become ill, yet it has done little to meaningfully advance their health and well-being. In fact, research consistently demonstrates that socio-environmental factors and individual behaviors — the social determinants of health — have a far greater impact on health outcomes. Responding to this research, in 2017 the Episcopal Health Foundation launched the Texas Community-Centered Health Home Initiative. The $10 million, multiyear investment was a proactive, developmental effort to build the capacity of community-based clinics to go beyond clinical …

Building Skills And Collaboration For College Success: Lessons From The Detroit College Success Professional Learning Community For Youth Development Professionals, Sara Plachta Elliott, Sarah Szurpicki, Onjila Odeneal, Megan Fenkell

The Foundation Review

From 2018 through 2020, the Jamie and Denise Jacob Family Foundation made grants to 17 youth development organizations in Detroit that were at varying levels of readiness to advance college success outcomes with their program alumni. At the same time, it was funding three collaborating capacity-building organizations to structure and facilitate a professional learning community that would support the youth programs in improving outcomes for “striving students” — young people who are less likely to graduate college because they come from families or communities with less access to opportunity and resources. In total, 17 YDOs and four schools participated in …

Tfr 15.1 Full Issue

The Foundation Review

No abstract provided.

Theory Of A Philanthropic Alliance: The Case Of The Global Alliance For The Future Of Food, Michael Quinn Patton, Ruth Richardson

The Foundation Review

Different kinds of action entities need different theoretical frameworks. A theory of change hypothesizes how an intervention is expected to achieve desired impacts in the world. A theory of philanthropy articulates a foundation’s role in supporting specific kinds of theories of change. This article extends that analysis to a theory of philanthropic alliance, which explains and hypothesizes how several foundations working together can have greater collective impact than they could working separately. A theory of philanthropy will be contrasted with a theory of philanthropic alliance, using the Global Alliance for the Future of Food to illustrate and illuminate the distinction …

Place-Based Initiatives By National Funders: Reflections From A Recovering Place-Based Funder, Karl Stauber

The Foundation Review

Much of central Appalachia has experienced an outflow of people, skills, and capital and as a consequence has been one of the models for community failure going back for over a century. But there are growing numbers of people and organizations that do not accept this fate as inevitable. Using a developmental approach called place-based funding, supported by national and regional foundations and led by community groups and innovative practitioners located in and near the region, the Appalachian Investment Ecosystem Initiative is helping communities build a new way forward. Designed to accelerate investments in rural communities, this joint venture by …

Civil Society And Sense Of Community In Ukraine: From Dormancy To Action, Eric C. Martin, Kateryna Zarembo

Faculty Journal Articles

The academic literature offers different views on the strength of Ukraine’s civil society, but Ukraine’s massive civic engagement and collective action, most recently in defense against Russian aggression, offers a startling picture of grass-root activism. Based on interviews, surveys and archival research, we highlight changes and nuances to Ukrainian civil society, civic engagement and motivations over time, from Euromaidan, through the hybrid Russian aggression in the East, to the recent full-scale Russian invasion. In doing so, we explore a more inclusive understanding of civil society complemented by sense of community and community responsibility.

Latest Research: Summary 1. Climate Change Research And The Search For Solutions: Rethinking Interdisciplinarity

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

After the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Special Report on 1.5C in 2018, the escalated pressure to act on climate change has urged scientists to move past providing information regarding climate change and to helping define solutions. The growing need for solutions has put a spotlight on how different disciplines collaborate through interdisciplinary research approaches.

Nonprofit Spotlight 1: The Hydrous

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

The mission of the Hydrous is to create “open access oceans” so that all people may explore, understand, and engage with marine environments, which are severely threatened by climate change and human impacts.

Nonprofit Spotlight 2: Days For Girls International

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

At Days for Girls International (DfG) we are turning periods into pathways. We increase access to menstrual care and education by developing global partnerships, cultivating social enterprises, mobilizing volunteers, and innovating sustainable solutions that shatter stigma and limitations for women and girls.

Latest Research: Summary 4. Environmental Nonprofit Campaigns And State Competition: Influences On Climate Policy In California

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

In the last three decades, nonprofit organizations have tried to address climate change through specific climate campaigns that are aimed at influencing US government policy. Hall and Taplin (2010) dive into the relationship between nonprofits, levels of US government, and relevant policy.

Nonprofit Spotlight 3: Techcharities (Applied Technology Foundation)

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

The mission of TechCharities is to help low-income families build technical skills and confidence by providing computer resources and basic technical training as they move toward self-reliance.

A Case Study: Do Board Consultants And Funders Have It Wrong?, Mike Burns

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

The following case, a moment in time for a 25+ year-old nonprofit, features a smart, committed, driven, savvy, and uber persuasive nonprofit founder/executive who decided it was time to expand the building. Also featured: a board that has never been more than a figurehead to the executive and the public. This case is intended to highlight that the popular thinking about board and executive as partners may be no more than a false narrative throughout the nonprofit sector that should in-fact be rewritten to reflect more of a reality. As a subplot, this case acknowledges that when a board cannot …

Latest Research: Summary 2. Importance Of Food-Demand Management For Climate Mitigation

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

As the global population rises, demand for food increases across the globe. This demand simultaneously expands unsustainable agriculture practices, which contribute significant amounts of carbon emissions to the atmosphere, primarily through the increase in the number of livestock and production of livestock feed.

Decentralization And Centralization In Sociocratic Organizations—Dynamics, Combinations, And Hybrid Solutions, Ted Rau, Phd

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

The article discusses the interplay between decentralized and centralized aspects of governance in the context of decentralized self-governance and shares learnings from Sociocracy For All’s (SoFA) experience, including that decentralization is an active process that requires preparation, budget, strategy, and information can act as centralizing forces, and decentralization requires different ways of thinking about responsibility and leadership. SoFA is a young membership organization founded in 2016 promoting sociocracy, a governance system with consent-based decision-making in small groups, in nonprofits and other organizations.

World Less Than Satisfied With Climate Efforts, Julie Ray, Mary C. Evans

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

At the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP27) summit that took place in Egypt from November 6 to 18, 2022, nearly 200 nations rushed to seek deals to keep climate goals moving forward. The summit ended with minimal progress and many criticisms that more needs to be done.

To measure how people feel about their country’s efforts to preserve the environment, the Gallup World Poll asks people worldwide if they felt satisfied or dissatisfied with those efforts. Below, we explore the global data from this question and dive into the trend on this question in the United States …

Full Issue - Climate Change

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

No abstract provided.

Latest Research: Summary 5. A Review On The Impact Of Climate Change On Food Security And Malnutrition In The Sahel Region Of Cameroon

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

Climate change has direct and indirect impacts on human health. One indirect impact is food insecurity, which can lead to malnutrition. In the Sahel region of Cameroon, the population regularly experiences high levels of malnutrition, because harsh climate conditions (including extreme drought) have a negative influence on agriculture. In particular, the extreme drought conditions lead to a reduction in agricultural production, an important parameter of food security.

Latest Research: Summary 3. Exploring The Impact Of Climate Change On The Future Of Community-Based Wildlife Conservation

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

Rural populations with local, small-scale agricultural economies across southern and eastern Africa have adopted community-based conservation (CBC) as their wildlife governance approach. This approach is based on the idea that communities will sustainably govern their wildlife resources when they “receive an enduring interest in and are able control and profit from those resources” (p. 1). The key to the success of this approach is the people within those communities need to believe that the benefit from CBC outweighs the costs associated with living with human-wildlife conflicts (HWC). Human-wildlife conflicts include killing of crops or livestock, destruction of infrastructure, and human …

Revisiting Cybersecurity Awareness In The Midst Of Disruptions, Avideh Sadaghiani-Tabrizi

International Journal for Business Education

The awareness of cybersecurity and knowledge about risks from a variety of threats, which present harm or steal private information in internetworking could help in mitigation of vulnerabilities to risks of threats in safeguarding information from malware and bots. Revisiting cybersecurity awareness of every member and evaluation of organization’s posture might help to protect sensitive or private information from a network of computers, working together and forming into botnets. The purpose of the qualitative case study narrative was to explore prospects for integrating cybersecurity education into elementary school children’s curriculum through interviews of elementary schoolteachers, IT experts, and parents to …

How Refugees Can Be Integrated Into Development In Malawi Through An Entrepreneurship Approach, Desire Patience Iraguha

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

The study examines the potential of entrepreneurship as a means to effectively integrate refugees into the economic and social development of Malawi. Employing a mixed-methods approach, the research incorporates interviews with refugees and key stakeholders, a survey of refugee entrepreneurs, and a comprehensive literature review on entrepreneurship and refugee integration. The findings underscore the transformative power of entrepreneurship in facilitating economic self-sufficiency for refugees and promoting their integration into the host community. The study identifies various challenges confronted by refugee entrepreneurs in Malawi, such as limited access to financial resources, language barriers, and legal obstacles to business establishment. To address …

Using Input From Administrative Staff To Make Cost-Effective Decisions For Telecommuting, Technology, And Productivity During The Covid-19 Era, Chika Egemba

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

The purpose of this research was to examine if collaborative technologies enhance productivity in the face of remote work during the COVID-19 era using the diffusion of innovation framework. Dothan Housing is a Moving to Work (MTW) Expansion Agency under the Landlord Incentive Cohort #3. This means the agency was granted certain flexibility to pursue innovation. This research study used a post-positivist philosophy and a quantitative research design to investigate the thoughts, opinions, and feelings of Dothan Housing administrative staff about their experience with telecommuting during the COVID-19 pandemic. The participants were selected from among Dothan Housing staff who were …

Leading Climate & Environmental Action In The San Diego Region, Tessa Tinkler, Eo Hanabusa, Emily Young, Darbi Berry, Connelly Meschen

Environment

Leading Climate & Environmental Action in the San Diego Region presents the state of environment-focused nonprofits in the San Diego region and their legacies that position them to continue impactful climate action. Findings in this report are synthesized from quarterly public opinion pollings (San Diego Residents Survey), surveys of 30 local environmental nonprofit leaders (Nonprofit Leaders Survey), the latest nonprofit data from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and data on foundation grants awarded to local nonprofits (Candid). The environmental nonprofit sector in the San Diego region is relatively small, but it has worked on the frontlines for many years to …

Leadership In Nonprofit Organizations: Best Practices For Volunteer Retention, Jennifer Lawrence

DSW Capstone Projects

While there is a significant amount of research focusing on organizational leadership in business and for-profit organizations, comparatively little data has been collected and studied to address the role of leadership in volunteer organizations. By closing this gap in research and providing context around leadership, nonprofit organizations can enhance leadership, culture and climate, and volunteer engagement and retention. Fewer Americans are engaging in volunteerism in their community than any other time in the past twenty years. The Systemic Literature Review will aid in recognizing and addressing this decline which is important as volunteer organizations provide needed services to people and …

By Chameleonic Means; "Trust Based" Philanthropic Relationships, "The Business Of Yes," As Experienced By Black Fundraisers, Novien Yarber

Dissertations

In the wake of society’s reinvigorated consciousness around structural and systemic racism, conversations centering justice, equity, inclusion, access, and cultural diversification are going far beyond political discourse. Contemporary fundraising practices are also challenging antiquated hegemonic ways of philanthropy and are critically examining the practice from within. Among many things, this entails diversifying the historically White-female dominated fundraising workforce. In this, fundraising literature has paid minimal attention to intercultural/cross-racial dynamics as implications of diversification of the fundraiser workforce. Although some research may center fundraisers themselves (relative to their ethical and/or professional standards), this dissertation expands this field of study by offering …

Perceptions Of Organizational Politics And Interpersonal Relationships In Black Women's Organizations And Sororities, Mitzi S. Willis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Although much research has addressed the relationships between leaders and followers, none has focused on these relationships between Black women—specifically, in the context of Black women’s social service organizations and sororities—and the impact the leader’s chosen style of leadership has on the followers’ use of voice. Self silencing is a prominent response to the power dynamic in many leader–follower relationships. The purpose of this study was to describe the interactions between leaders and followers in Black women’s social service organizations and sororities and identify the influence leadership style has on follower engagement. This study extends the application of silencing the …

Technology As A Change Agent For Social Work Supervision, Hermaya Onunwor

DSW Capstone Projects

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a critical impact on the social work profession, with social workers relying heavily on technology to deliver services. There have been concerns about the effectiveness of these evolved practices, and practitioners are questioning whether they are acceptable as emergency orders caused by the pandemic begin to lapse. To address these concerns, a systematic literature review was conducted to synthesize scholarly literature on the effectiveness of telesupervision in social work practice. This capstone project aims to provide valuable insights into the effectiveness of telesupervision in social work practice

When evaluating the training and development of social …