Nonprofit Studies Commons^™

Ngo Advocacy And Immigration Policy Reform In San Diego, Benicio Benavides-Garb

csuglobaljournal

The field of immigrant policy is a highly contested space, and among the primary actors involved in immigrant advocacy are non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Throughout California, NGOs are involved at the local, state, national, and international levels. In addition to introducing some of the directions being taken by NGOs in the San Diego area, this paper will examine the work of the San Diego City Council. The included NGOs were selected based on their intentional work in providing “systems-level” support, such as progressive immigration policy reform and advocacy. These organizations are the following: the Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans …

Spiritual Practices In Survivor Care: A Qualitative Analysis Of Christian Faith-Based Shelters And Survivor Well-Being, Jeanne L. Allert

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

Christian faith-based organizations constituted a significant proportion of shelter programs for survivors of sex trafficking in the United States, with an estimated 63% identifying as Christian-affiliated (Institute for Survivor Care, 2024). Despite their prevalence, such programs often elicited skepticism due to the rise of secularism (Pew Research, 2022) and concerns that spiritual programming might retraumatize survivors (Ahrens et al., 2010; Hodge, 2020). However, Ahrens et al. (2010) and Hodge (2020) also found that religious practices can be helpful. This qualitative study employed a trauma-informed, descriptive survey design to explore the experiences of 158 trafficking survivors, who had either resided in …

Digital Infrastructure For The Regenerative Movement: A Case Study Of The Mycelium Learning Network, Abigail Karparis

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

The regenerative movement is gaining momentum worldwide, driven by communities working to restore ecological and social systems through place-based, culturally rooted action. Yet many of the groups leading this work, especially in the Global South or in hyper-local contexts, remain digitally invisible due to structural barriers, including limited access to appropriate technology, funding constraints, and misalignment between available tools and local values. Conventional digital infrastructures often exclude or marginalize these efforts, leaving regenerative practitioners disconnected from each other and from potential sources of support.

This article explores these challenges and presents a case study response: the co-creation of accessible, relational …

A Call For Change: Supporting Children With Tourette Syndrome, Matt Reall

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

Tourette Syndrome affects 1 in 100 U.S. children but remains widely misunderstood due to stigma, delayed diagnosis, and media misrepresentation. This neurological disorder is characterized by involuntary tics and often co-occurs with ADHD, anxiety, and sleep disorders. Children with Tourette Syndrome face disproportionate challenges in social, academic, and emotional settings—despite having average or above-average intelligence. One-third engage in self-harm, and suicide rates are four times the national average. Peer-education programs like the Tourette Association of America’s Youth Ambassador initiative have shown promise in reducing stigma, but unequal access and weak institutional support limit their impact. This paper calls for early …

Relationship Between Access To Adventist Education And Belief In The Spirit Of Prophecy, Safary Wa-Mbaleka, Karl G. D. Bailey

Adventist Human-Subject Researchers Association

Adventist education prepares students for service in this world and in the world to come, focusing on the mental, physical, social, and spiritual dimensions. This study based on the Global Church Member Survey (2023) investigated the relationship between access to Adventist education and belief in the Spirit of Prophecy of the members of the members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Entropy In Leadership: Reframing Performance Decline As A Failure Of Internal Growth, Joshua M. K. Simmons

M.S. in Leadership

This project explored leadership degradation among mid-to-senior enlisted members (E5–E9) of the United States Air Force using the concept of leadership entropy, the gradual decline of psychological and relational capacity in the absence of sustained support. The topic was selected to address a gap in understanding how internal leadership resilience erodes despite continued performance. A convergent mixed methods design was used, integrating quantitative survey constructs such as burnout, psychological capital, and perceived organizational support with open-ended narrative responses. Twenty-four participants contributed data. Results showed that while leaders remain outwardly effective, internal motivation and connection often deteriorate over time, especially at …

Csey Data Advocacy: Reducing Harm Through Data - Csey Survivors, Maria Barquin Sommers, Brianna Armstrong

SMU Human Trafficking Data Conference

This presentation will focus on the crucial overlap of time management and protection for survivors during data collection. Time management is an essential part of any successful organization, especially when working with vulnerable populations, such as survivors of human trafficking, and facing tight schedules and budgets. It is time- consuming to read through blocks of narratives to find necessary details on survivors, but more importantly, survivors can be harmed by being forced to relive their trauma during data collection. On the other hand, narratives written by advocates can harm survivors if subpoenaed. Documentation data systems that gather quantitative information and …

Can Machine Learning Prevent Human Trafficking? Using Data And Technology To Tailor Policies And Programs Toward Vulnerable Populations In Your Community, Kristen Hubbell

SMU Human Trafficking Data Conference

This presentation will investigate how to use data and technology to prevent human trafficking in communities, before it starts. It will explore the opportunity to utilize a novel machine learning approach to identify local risk factors to guide collaborative, data-oriented prevention programs. Surprising findings from a case study will be shared that challenge existing assumptions on the key drivers of human trafficking.

Reclaiming Data To Transform Anti-Trafficking Systems, Laura Hackney

SMU Human Trafficking Data Conference

AnnieCannons believes that the people closest to the problem are closest to the solution. Yet in the anti-trafficking movement, data about survivors is often collected without survivors. Co-founder and CEO Laura Hackney will discuss how reclaiming data can transform systems of care accountability, and prevention. She will share lessons learned from the development of ResourceFull, a digital platform led and co- designed with trafficking survivors to safely connect individuals to trustworthy services and track outcomes across fragmented care systems. There are ethical, technical, and human-centered challenges of collecting and of using data in a space where safety and trust are …

Benefits And Challenges Of Collaborative Networks Addressing Food System Disruptions During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Dikshya Dahal, Tania Schusler

School of Environmental Sustainability: Faculty Publications and Other Works

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted food systems with disproportionate impacts on marginalized social groups, which in the USA included racial and ethnic minorities, working class families, immigrants, seniors, and people with disabilities, among others. The pandemic also greatly affected the operations of nonprofit organizations, which play important roles in disaster response. We explored how social networks supported non-profit organizations’ efforts to address increased food insecurity and food-related business disruptions during the pandemic in the Chicago region, IL, USA. We used mixed methods including a Social Network Analysis (SNA) of 48 organizations and their reported partners plus focus group discussions with representatives …

United Seas For Resilient Reefs: A Blueprint For Coral Conservation Through International Cooperation, John J. Bohorquez, Maoz Fine, Dana I. Grieco, David A. Gill, Ali Al-Swalimih, Jacqueline Padilla-Gamino, Isaiah W. Bolden, Margaux Hein, Callum Backstrom, Melanie Mcfield, Raphael Martinez, Benjamin Midberry, Fahd Al-Guthmy, Ellen K. Pikitch, Natalia Benejam, Chen Azulay, Britt Ronen, Oren Levy, Anne Mcelroy, Karine Kleinhaus

School of Marine & Atmospheric Sciences Faculty Publications

Coral reefs are one of Earth’s most vital and threatened ecosystems. They protect coastlines, generate billions of dollars of tourism revenue, support valuable fisheries, and contribute to the development of vital medicines. Yet half of the world's coral reefs have been lost in the last 50 years, and 90% of remaining reefs are projected to die off by the middle of this century, mainly due to warming seas from climate change.

Despite these challenges there is reason for hope. Some coral reefs – such as in the northern Red Sea and Gulf of Aqaba – have demonstrated remarkable resilience to …

Comparing Campaigns To End The Subminimum Wage With A Multiple Streams Approach, Chris Peraino

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Labor organizations do not significantly represent the interests of restaurant workers in the United States. In the absence of labor representation, nonprofits have become the main advocates for restaurant workers in politics. Among the most active is OneFairWage (OFW), a nonprofit focused on eliminating the subminimum wage for tipped restaurant workers. OFW’s legislative efforts have had mixed outcomes. Two of its campaigns - D.C. and Chicago - were successful. All other campaigns, like those in New York state and Michigan, have struggled to achieve their goal. Why has nearly identical legislation with the same target population of restaurant workers passed …

Bridging The Gap: Exploring The Intersection Of Formal Mental Health Services And Informal Social Supports In Bipoc Communities, Patrice D. Patton-Campbell

Dissertations

Despite growing awareness of mental health disparities, BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) communities continue to face significant barriers in accessing culturally responsive mental health care. This dissertation explores the intersection between formal mental health services and informal social supports such as family, religious institutions, and community networks to understand which systems are more trusted, accessible, and effective for BIPOC individuals. Grounded in Urban Liberation Psychology and guided by decolonial and culturally responsive care frameworks, this qualitative study draws from focus groups and interviews with 33 participants, including both community members and service providers from the Chicagoland area and …

Examining Nonprofit Organizations' Use Of Social Media To Reach Organizational Goals, Amanda L. Margiotta

Student Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigated the impact of social media on nonprofit organizations’(NPOs) efforts to reach their organizational goals. Focusing on a breast cancer organization, the Ellen Hermanson Foundation, and a domestic violence organization, Hope’s Door, and their social media use, this study analyzed their marketing and fundraising campaigns for breast cancer awareness and domestic violence awareness months, as well as Giving Tuesday. With the use of qualitative content analysis, this study identified the use of communicative strategies such as testimonials, reporting and statistics, storytelling through short videos, and call to action to make posts compelling and solicit engagement. It also identified …

The Politics Of Being Heard: Communication And Power Struggles In Hunters Point Naval Shipyard, Caroline Trejo

Master's Projects and Capstones

The environmental and public health challenges in Bayview-Hunters Point have catalyzed widespread community activism, as residents and advocates respond to the ongoing fallout from radiological contamination at the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard. Communication plays a vital role in bridging the gap between affected communities and government entities throughout the cleanup process. This research asks: how have the communication strategies of advocacy groups influenced government actions and policies during the Bayview-Hunters Point Shipyard cleanup? To explore this question, I conducted semi-structured interviews with three community advocates, two former members of a non-partisan civil jury, one independent researcher, and one government official. …

Having A Home To Come Home To: How Subsidized Housing Impacts Unhoused Pregnant Women, Stephanie O. Porvaznik

Master's Projects and Capstones

Community based organizations (CBOs) lead the charge in the fight to end housing insecurity and often must make up where local governments fall short. San Francisco is an example of a municipality that has a long history of addressing instances of housing insecurity for its residents, and where CBOs step in to provide housing support for populations with unique and special circumstances. One CBO that operates in San Francisco that I was interested in studying was the Homeless Prenatal Program (HPP), and the Jelani House, a housing subsidy that is funded and operated by the HPP for pregnant women who …

The Lasting Impact Of Belonging: Exploring The Relationship Between Undergraduate Experiences And Black Alumni Contributions, Kauna Greene

Graduate Theses & Dissertations

Black alumni at predominantly white institutions (PWIs) remain underrepresented in alumni engagement and philanthropic research, despite a long and well-documented tradition of Black philanthropy. This qualitative, phenomenological study examines the relationship between undergraduate experiences and the post-graduation engagement of Black alumni from a private PWI in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Guided by Strayhorn's (2019) theory of sense of belonging, the study investigates what motivates Black alumni to contribute financially, non-financially (through mentorship, event attendance, and volunteering), or not at all, and how undergraduate feelings of belonging shape those decisions. Data were collected through an anonymous online survey …

Exploring The Landscape Of Animal Advocacy In Egypt: Insights Into Stray, Wildlife, And Farmed Animal Rights, Yara Moussa, Wasseem Emam

General - Animal Protection

This article examines the landscape of animal advocacy in Egypt, a nascent and growing field in one of Africa’s largest economies and most densely populated countries. It focuses on three types of animal advocacy: 1) stray animal welfare, 2) wildlife conservation, and 3) farmed animal welfare. The paper critically analyses current practices and trends in each of these areas, highlighting the main challenges and opportunities facing the growth of the movement. Our research draws on insights from interviews with active animal welfare organizations, situating their practical experiences, daily operational struggles, as well as instances of success, within Egypt’s wider socio-economic …

The Impact Of Digital Storytelling In Nonprofit Marketing: Increasing Donor Engagement, Haley Cote

Honors Theses

Digital storytelling has emerged as a powerful tool in nonprofit marketing, reshaping how organizations engage donors, communicate their mission, and drive action. This thesis explores the impact of digital storytelling in nonprofit marketing, analyzing how nonprofit organizations leverage various digital platforms – websites, email marketing, social media—and frame their messages to enhance donor engagement. Using framing theory as a foundation, the research examines how the way nonprofit messages are structured influences donor perception and behavior. Through a literature review, case study analysis of Charity: Water, and survey data, thstudy evaluates key storytelling techniques such as positioning the donor as the …

Empowering Diversity: A Comprehensvie Approach To Minority Risk Management Education, Jahqethea Johnson

Applied Science Program: Theses

Federal programs are pivotal to the foundation of the United States agricultural sector. Program payments impact the economic well-being of agricultural producers, yet accessibility, outreach and education disparities remain prevalent among socially disadvantaged producer and agriculturists. From 2020-2024, an average of $21.7 billion dollars in federal agricultural payments have been paid to producers. Although federal funding historically supports commodity crops, livestock producers also depend on a distinct set of federal risk management programs, which are often less visible but pertinent for operational sustainability. There is a growing focus on the need for addressing disparities faced by socially disadvantaged producers and …