Nonprofit Studies

Pictures of Me: user views on their representation in homelessness fundraising appeals

by Jon Dean

Co-authored with Beth Breeze.

There is a long-standing ethical debate regarding the ‘right’ representation of recipients in charity marketing... more There is a long-standing ethical debate regarding the ‘right’ representation of recipients in charity marketing materials that are intended to accurately define and represent social problems whilst also prompting the maximum response in voluntary income. The study presented in this article makes a contribution to that debate by highlighting the views of charity beneficiaries regarding their representation in fundraising campaigns. Drawing on data from five focus groups conducted in cities across England, we explore the views of young homeless people regarding the images of homelessness that appeared in major charity campaigns aimed at raising money to fund homelessness services. Participants displayed a high level of reflexivity, demonstrating that they understood the issues involved with homelessness and the perceptions of people like themselves that exist in the public sphere and in the consciousness of potential donors. Although the participants held the view that maximising revenues through the use of simple, eye-catching images is the prime goal of fundraising, they also expressed a desire for more nuanced campaigns that tell the dynamic stories of how people become homeless and the use of imagery that elicits empathy rather than merely arouses sympathy.

2012 Community-based Research on the Effects of the Financial Crisis on Community Service Organizations in Adams County, PA

by Michael Gibbons

also a podcast discussing the paper located at:
http://jax.sagepub.com/content/6/1/92/suppl/DC1

As a result of the financial crisis, several Adams County community service organizations went unfunded for three... more As a result of the financial crisis, several Adams County community service organizations went unfunded for three months in the summer and fall of 2009. Representatives of the community
service organizations and Gettysburg College collaborated on this project to document the effects of that lack of funding.Community service organizations cut programs and staff and extended credit. Community partners stepped in to provide basic funding. Increased community cohesion resulted, as did increased awareness of community needs.

Information, Community, and Action: How Nonprofit Organizations Use Social Media

by Gregory Saxton

Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, vol. 17, pp. 337-353, 2012.

The rapid diffusion of “micro-blogging” services such as Twitter is ushering in a new era of possibilities for... more The rapid diffusion of “micro-blogging” services such as Twitter is ushering in a new era of possibilities for organizations to communicate with and engage their core stakeholders and the general public. To enhance understanding of the communicative functions micro- blogging serves for organizations, this study examines the Twitter utilization practices of the 100 largest nonprofit organizations in the United States. The analysis reveals there are three key functions of micro-blogging updates —“information,” “community,” and “action.” Though the informational use of micro-blogging is extensive, nonprofit organizations are better at using Twitter to strategically engage their stakeholders via dialogic and community-building practices than they have been with traditional websites. The adoption of social media appears to have engendered new paradigms of public engagement.

Competition between NGO Projects: Evidence from Kiva

by Pierre Ly

World Development, Volume 40, Issue 3, March 2012, Pages 643–655 (Joint with Geri Mason)

Marketing and non-profit organizations in the Czech Republic

by Martin Bulla

George gives to geology Jane: The name letter effect and incidental similarity cues in fundraising

by Rene Bekkers

People tend to like others with attributes similar to their own (the similarity principle) and favor products with... more People tend to like others with attributes similar to their own (the similarity principle) and favor products with names similar to their own (the name letter effect). In the present field experiment, the name letter effect and similarity principle are tested in a phonaton among alumni of Utrecht University, The Netherlands. First name and surname initials, fields of education, and association memberships of alumni were matched to those of students soliciting contributions in the phonaton. Female alumni with first names and fields of study similar to those of solicitors were more
likely to donate, as were male alumni with first names similar to the field of study of solicitors. Both male and female alumni with first names similar to the name of the university donated more often than those with dissimilar names. Name letter effects are a cheap and effective instrument to increase donations in
fundraising campaigns conducted by telephone.

The nonprofit sector and democracy in the United States

by Angela Eikenberry

In R. C. Box (Ed.), Democracy and Public Administration (pp. 192-211). Armonk, NY: M. E. Sharpe.

Administrative reform in the United States: Toward partnership in governance

by Angela Eikenberry

co-authored with Pautz, M.; In Handbook of administrative reform: An international perspective. Editors: Jerri Killian and Niklas Eklund.

Nongovernmental organizations networking in disaster

by Angela Eikenberry

co-authored with Cooper , T. In Behavioral Health Response to Disasters edited by Martell L. Teasley and Julie L. Framingham. CRC Press, Taylor and Francis Group.

Refusing the market: Democratic discourse for voluntary nonprofit organizations

by Angela Eikenberry

Nonprofit & Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 38, 582-596.

Voluntary associations, nonprofit organizations and civic engagement

by Angela Eikenberry

Co-authored with C. Jensen; In Civic engagement in a comparative perspective, edited by Hindy Lauer Schachter and Kaifeng Yang. Information Age Publishing.

A Literature Review of Empirical Studies of Philanthropy: Eight Mechanisms That Drive Charitable Giving

by Rene Bekkers

Co-authored with Pamala Wiepking.

The authors present an overview of the academic literature on charitable giving based on a literature review of more... more The authors present an overview of the academic literature on charitable giving based on a literature review of more than 500 articles. They structure their review around the central question of why people donate money to charitable organizations.
They identify eight mechanisms as the most important forces that drive charitable giving: (a) awareness of need; (b) solicitation; (c) costs and benefits; (d) altruism; (e) reputation; (f) psychological benefits; (g) values; (h) efficacy. These mechanisms can provide a basic theoretical framework for future research explaining charitable giving.

Book review: Mark Sidel: Regulation of the Voluntary Sector: Freedom and Security in an Era of Uncertainty

by Rene Bekkers

Resolving Accountability Ambiguity in Nonprofit Organizations

by Andrew Williams

Co-authored with Jennifer Taylor

Accountability is a much studied subject in the social sciences and is known for its complexity, context dependence,... more Accountability is a much studied subject in the social sciences and is known for its complexity, context dependence, and ambiguity. By conducting a comprehensive literature review and analysis across nonprofit, public, and private sector literatures, this article identifies the causes of ambiguities present in many accountability frameworks and describes the trend toward understanding accountability as a constructed concept combining both instrumental and interpretive elements. The relationship between legitimacy and accountability is considered. The authors develop a holistic accountability framework that facilitates defining and implementing accountability in complex, multi-stakeholder environments, by providing a means to operationalize commonly encountered but ambiguous accountability goals through a social process of deliberative dialogue. The authors conclude by summarizing limitations of the approach and describing future research needed.

Book Review: Third Sector: The Contribution of Nonprofit and Cooperative Enterprises in Australia, by Mark Lyons. St. Leonards, Australia: Allen & Unwin, 2001.

by Garth Nowland-Foreman

Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 2003; 32; 147

A review of Mark Lyon's seminal text on Third Sector organisations in Australia.  The book provides a very... more A review of Mark Lyon's seminal text on Third Sector organisations in Australia.  The book provides a very accessible overview of the size and scope of the sector, but also outlines its history and the dynamics of its development, along with excellent summaries of how it operates (its governance and management, its financing, staffing and relations with other sectors).  The book concludes with chapters on the economic, social and political contribution of the sector, along with challenges both of the sector and to the sector.

Pool Funai - Community nonprofit wksp - fall11

by Angela Pool Funai

Greek Social Economy at the crossroads: Law 4019/2011 and the institutionalization challenge

by Ioannis Nasioulas

Multicultural organizational development

by Lorraine Gutierrez

"Civil Society and Social Capital in Australia and New Zealand"

by Garth Nowland-Foreman

Co-authored with Mark Lyons.  Chapter in Helmut Anheier & Stefan Toepler(2009). International Encyclopedia of Civil Society. Springer Reference: New York.

An overview of civil society organisations and the concepts of 'civil society' and 'social capital' in Australian and... more An overview of civil society organisations and the concepts of 'civil society' and 'social capital' in Australian and New Zealand research, politics and wider usage.  Similarities and differences between the two countries are noted, and basic descriptive data are also provided on the size and scope of civil society organisations in the two countries, along with some indicators of citizen engagement.

Neighborhood Housing Services Strategic Planning Initiative

by Scott Lawrence