Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Changing Donor-Ngo Relations Thorough Viable Alternatives To Conventional Grantmaking, Kio Okawa

Capstone Collection

The purpose of this research is to explore ways in which non-governmental organizations (NGOs) can become more sustainable in light of a crucial challenge facing them today: that of financial instability. In the charitable sector in the U.S, NGOs, especially small-scale NGOs, have struggled with securing daily operating revenue rather than revenue for long-term program operations, in spite of the continuing needs of their beneficiaries (Janus, 2018; Le, 2017; Meehan & Jonker, 2017). Fundraising has come to involve relationships between NGOs and institutional donors such as foundations, government agencies and corporations. Competition among NGOs and rampant power asymmetry between donors …

Sit Graduate Institute: Moving Sit Towards A Model Of Inclusive Excellence In Diversity, Steffen Glenn Gillom

Capstone Collection

The Inclusive Excellence Model has been used by college diversity offices all across the United States to help streamline diversity policy and foster a more inclusive collegial environment for students, staff, and faculty. It is now time for SIT Graduate Institute to benefit from this model. SIT has a long and rich history of diversity and inclusion work. However, much of that history has been lost or stored away in long-forgotten archives. Also, much of this memory has never been analyzed in a way that increases institutional wisdom. This study takes on the challenge of analyzing SIT’s institutional memory on …

Us Advocacy For Azerbaijani Press Freedom And Democracy, Danny Burns

Capstone Collection

This study sought to determine best practices for policy advocates who promote press freedom, freedom of expression, and democracy in Azerbaijan to influence policymakers in the United States of America. Results from other studies, the literature on the topics of Azerbaijan and policy advocacy, and expert interviews were used for this study. Its goal is to increase the amount of influence the average policy advocate has in the US by analyzing current advocates' experiences and synthesizing concrete suggestions for actions to effectively enact desired policy changes. The interviews and literature clearly support the premise that the regime in Azerbaijan is …

Legacies Of War: How The Commercialization Of Plastics In The United States Contribute To Cycles Of Violence, Karis Johnston

Capstone Collection

Plastic manufacturing practices developed and justified during World War II transitioned into the commercial space, entered our homes, and became part of everyday life. This proliferation was due in large part to the consolidation of manufacturing processes organized and subsidized by government contracts and the plastics industry leaders’ marketing dynamism. Plastics are in the cars we drive, the way we package our food, and are invaluable throughout the medical field. Moreover, the use of plastics has tangible environmental and health ramifications. The plastics industry and consumption patterns in the United States contribute significantly to hydrocarbon emissions, ecological violence, and the …

Is The J-1 Trainee And Intern Exchange Visitor Program Still Fulfilling Its Original Purpose As An Educational And Cultural Exchange Program?, Rachael Ropkey

Capstone Collection

The J-1 Trainee and Intern Exchange Visitor program came out of the legislation of the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961. This policy was brought forth at the end of World War II. The J-1 is a “non-immigrant visa category … for individuals approved to participate in work-and study-based exchange visitor programs” (U.S. Department of State, J-1 Visa Basics). The J-1 has many subcategories, including Au Pairs, Summer Work Travel, College and University Student, Intern, Trainee and many more. The J-1 visa subcategories that will be the focus of this capstone paper are the …

Fake News, Political Narrative, & Social Media: A Structuration Approach, Adam M. Housh

Capstone Collection

This research aims to unveil a connection between fake news distribution, readership demand, and social media networks, in this case, Facebook. In this research, fake news is defined as “content that is deliberately false and published on websites that mimic traditional news websites (Johnson and Kelling 2017, p3)”. It is argued that fake news content is not produced at random, but is tailored to particular political demographics and narratives. Exposure to such media not only validates ideological positions, it polarizes political beliefs. Furthermore, Facebook not only acts as an effective distribution medium, but allows individual users to skip structural filters …

Values Driven Strategic Thinking And Planning In Federated Non-Profits, Michael Baker

Capstone Collection

This paper, as a reflective practice, will explore organizational models and frameworks commonly found in non-profit organizations, as per the Leading and Managing Social Sector Organizations course at SIT.

This paper attempts to draw on my experiences at the national non-profit, Reading Partners, and coursework from SIT to suggest the best decision making models for a mission driven, non-profit organization. The findings and reflections largely surround the methodologies of strategic thinking and planning for large, complex, federated organizations.

The paper first explains Reading Partners organizational structure, program model, and culture, as per the different organizational frames in Boleman and Deal …

Cacao Together: A Model For True Sustainability In The Chocolate Industry, Kerstin Roos

Capstone Collection

This Course Linked Capstone provides a critical analysis of the concept of sustainable development and then uses this analysis to create a social venture plan for a non-profit called Cacao Together. This capstone project will identify challenges in the sustainable use of cacao by first critiquing the mainstream sustainable development initiatives of certification schemes and corporate sustainability programs. It then offers an alternate framework through the 5 Capital Livelihood assessment tool which when applied, shows the gaps in cacao sustainability initiatives generally. I then propose a social venture that will addresses the needs of many parts of the chocolate supply …