Research Notes for Nonprofit Executives

How to make volunteering more inclusive?
Authors: Philine S. M. van Overbeeke, Stephanie A. Koolen-Maas, Lucas C.P.M. Meijs, & Jeffrey L. Brudney
Provided by: Teresa Sofio from Centre for European Volunteering (CEV)

Certain groups tend to be excluded from volunteer opportunities based on perceptions about lack of previous volunteering experience and perceptions by receiving organisations. What strategies can be used by organisations that recruit and place volunteers to guarantee a more diverse and inclusive environment for participants?

Corporate Foundations as Partnership Brokers in Supporting the SDGs
Author: Theresa Gehringer
Provided by: Sevda Kilicalp from Philea Philanthropy Europe Association (Philea)

To what extent do Corporate Foundations (CF) consider SDGs in their processes and activities? To what extent do CF perceive themselves as initiators of cross-sector collaborative arrangements to support SDGs? This article seeks to understand whether corporate foundations (CF) proactively incorporate SDGs and agree on their role to act not only as direct financiers but also as brokers facilitating the process of cross-sector partnerships.

Organisational factors as recipes for success in gaining higher donations
Authors: Gina Rossi – University of Udine| Chiara Leardini – University of Verona| Stefano Landi – University of Verona| Luca Piubello Orsini – University of Verona
Provided by: Sam Thomas from Verdantly Consulting
This article investigates whether certain combinations of factors from the economic model of giving can influence the capacity of a non-profit to obtain donations. Does the presence or absence of organisational factors have a positive, negative or neutral influence on donation levels?

Barriers to social impact assessment and foundations
Authors: Elisa Ricciuti – Bocconi University | Francesca Calò – Glasgow Caledonian University
Provided by: Filippo Candela from Compagnia di San Paolo Foundation

Foundations are key players in the philanthropic sector in Italy. However, it is unclear how they are engaged in Social Impact Assessment (SIA) in terms of motivations, methods and approach. The authors explore foundations’ understanding of impact, their methods in undertaking the process and the barriers they face.

Does socio-economic inequality affect individuals’ civic engagement?
Authors: Joris Schröder – Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam | Michaela Neumayr – Vienna University of Economics and Business
Provided by: Cornelia Walther from the University of Pennsylvania and POZE Global Network

Higher inequality is often negatively related to civic engagement, and individual factors moderate this relation. This study is relevant for people working in philanthropy because empirical results vary considerably, and explanations about what underlies this relationship remain fragmented. How does inequality affect individuals’ civic engagement in charitable giving, volunteering and non-profit membership?

Is giving a civil act for personal reasons or for social standing?
Author: Johan Vamstad – Marie Cederschiöld University
Provided by: Heather Little

This article seeks to understand the reasons why people give to charities. It explores the social and individual reasons for giving using social origins theory to analyse the results.  This study focuses on whether giving is an act of individual civility (altruistic/personal reasons or making the donor feel as though they are doing good) or societal civicness (conforming to societal norms or affirming the bond between the donor and society more broadly).

Successful fundraising for unpopular causes
Authors: Alison Body – University of Kent | Beth Breeze – University of Kent
Provided by: Matthew Ross from the Royal Academy of Music

This article asks why some charitable causes are seen as unpopular and identify five practices that enable apparently unpopular charities to raise significant funds. How do donors choose between charities? Why are certain causes unpopular? How do some charities in unpopular cause areas fundraise successfully, and what can other charities learn from their example?

Aligning interests, accountabilities and Social Impact Bonds
Authors: Reinhard Millner (WU Vienna), Michael Meyer (WU Vienna)
Provided by: Sophie HersbergerLangloh (Consense Philanthropy Consulting)

The authors examine the case of the first Social Impact Bond (SIB) in Austria and take a closer look at the influence of the – often divergent – interests of the parties involved. Key questions: How do different interests and accountabilities shape the arrangement of a SIB? How do they influence its collaborative governance?

Strengthening engagement with philanthropic foundations
Authors: Tobias Jung (University of St Andrews), Kevin Orr (University of St Andrews)
Provided by: Maliha Hasan (University of Toronto)

The authors suggest using a distinct way to advance our theoretical understanding of philanthropic institutions known as ‘foundations’. They suggest using spectrality – a lens that enables an exploration of important social, ethical and political questions of influence and nuance, historical reasonings, people, practices and perspectives that may not be blatantly obvious, clearly stated or even rooted in the present but influence how foundations are set up, their impact, operations and how they are perceived. They propose and critically explore spectrality as a strategic platform from which stronger theorizing on philanthropic foundations as a distinct institutional form can proceed.

What organisational factors affect volunteering?
Authors: Sibylle Studer  (University of Basel), Georg von Schnurbein (University of Basel)
Provided by: Nevena Mijatovi? (University of Belgrade)

This study aimed to shed light on the organisational factors affecting volunteers that were previously captured in the academic literature. The authors systematically analysed abstracts of 396 publications tackling volunteer coordination from different scientific disciplines and research traditions.

Comprehensive INGO accountability improves perceived effectiveness
Authors: Alice Hengevoss – University of Basel
Provided by: Scott Mcdonald from Root Capital

International non-governmental organisations (INGOs) have been under increased scrutiny from the public and academia. Critics argue that INGOs should be more accountable to various stakeholders, particularly to beneficiaries. Evidence shows that a more comprehensive approach to accountability can improve INGO performance. This paper analyses survey data of over 200 INGO leaders in 21 countries to develop a framework for comprehensive accountability. The framework identifies three accountability approaches, or logics: resource logic, outcome assessment logic, and discursive logic.

Delivering effective leadership transitions and succession planning in nonprofits
Author: Nils Geib – Universität Hamburg | Silke Boenigk – Universität Hamburg
Provided by: Sufina Ahmad (John Ellerman Foundation)

This study argues that effective nonprofit leadership continuity or succession planning should be a shared leadership responsibility that Boards deliver, Executive Directors/Division Executives and Human Resources (HR) professionals working together. The researchers hypothesise that nonprofit succession planning is rarely considered or applied by nonprofits and primarily involves Boards and Executive Directors/Division Executives.

How socialization influences informal volunteering
Authors: Marlou Ramaekers – Radboud University  | Ellen Verbakel – Radboud University | Gerbert Kraaykamp – Radboud University
Provided by: Katy Adams from the University of Heidelberg

Concerns have been raised over the potential decline of community life. This study discusses the impact of parents and current partners on behaviours during adulthood that foster social bonds. The study questions whether parents and partners modelling and encouraging prosocial behaviour affects adults‘ informal volunteering.

Unlocking Insights from Elite Donors
Author: Beth Breeze – University of Kent
Provided by: Gregory Knott of the University of Connecticut Foundation

Elite donors are crucial for many non-profits, but an overreliance on indirect indicators of their motivations, experiences, and perspectives limits organizations’ understanding of this key constituency. This study presents strategies to overcome the challenges in gaining access and engaging in direct, substantive dialogue with elite donors.

The rise of benefit corporations as the new form of firm altruism
Author: Livia Ventura | University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership | University of Geneva
Provided by: Theresa Gehringer from SKKG Stiftung für Kunst, Kultur und Geschichte

Over the past decade, companies have increasingly recognized the importance of achieving positive environmental and social impacts beyond generating profits. In response to civil society’s demands, new hybrid organizational forms such as the “benefit corporations” have emerged in the U.S. These corporations are characterized by a governance structure that incorporates altruism into the decision-making processes. As such, benefit corporations represent a new governance model that goes beyond philanthropy and corporate social responsibility. The voluntary inclusion of a “public benefit” for society and the environment in the corporate purpose is the main characteristic of such organizations.

Balancing financial and social goals in dual-purpose companies
Authors: Julie Battilana – Harvard University | Tomasz Obloj – HEC Paris | Anne-Claire Pache – ESSEC Business School | Metin Sengul – Boston College
Provided by: Ana Pimenta from Blink CV

There is a growing trend of companies attempting to balance financial and social goals simultaneously. However, they often face challenges because different stakeholders have different expectations. When these challenges become more intense, companies might prioritize one goal, which can lead to them losing their original mission or even going bankrupt. In this article, the authors explore the conditions that influence the intensity of the financial/social trade-offs experienced by dual-purpose companies.

Unraveling disintermediated giving
Author(s): Ian MacQuillin – Rogare – The Fundraising Think Tank | Rita Kottasz – Kingston Business School | Juniper Locilento – National Arts Centre Foundation | Neil Gallaiford – Stephen Thomas Ltd
Provided by: Mårten Palmefors from Giva Sverige, the Swedish Fundraising Association

Disintermediated giving, or giving to a cause without partly or fully using a middleman such as a charity organisation to reach the beneficiary, raises questions about practices, ethics, regulation and accountability. However, without a framework in place, addressing these questions in a structured manner becomes challenging. The study creates a typology of the main types of disintermediated giving and conducts a brief exploration of the ethical and regulatory issues within each one.

Who is most likely to volunteer with refugees?
Author(s): Maikel Meijeren – Radboud University | Marcel Lubbers – Utrecht University | Peer Scheepers – Radboud University
Provided by: Ksenija Fonovic from CSV Lazio

Socio-Structural Determinants in Volunteering for Humanitarian Organizations: A Resource-Based Approach” helps volunteer coordinators, advocacy leaders, and volunteer support centers understand the characteristics of individuals most likely to engage in volunteer activities for integration. The authors distinguish between ‘activist,’ ‘interest,’ and ‘leisure’ organizations; each of these types attracts potential volunteers with somewhat different characteristics.

Benefits and downsides of unrestricted funding to non-profit organisations
Author(s): Pamala Wiepking – IU Luly Family School of Philanthropy and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam | Arjen de Wit – Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Provided by: Esther Edlundh-Rose from SEB

The authors have studied how unrestricted funding affects a number of capacities of non-profit organisations. This provides a starting point to better understand how unrestricted funding supports the development of non-profit organisations and guidelines for grant makers and philanthropists in their strategic planning. The key question in this article is what positive and negative effects unrestricted funding has on non-profit organisations.

Managing tensions between volunteers and health care professionals
Author(s): Georg von Schnurbein – University of Basel | Eva Hollenstein – Swiss Centre for International Health | Nicholas Arnold – University of Basel | Florian Liberatore – Zurich University of Applied Sciences
Provided by: Connor Audsley from The Centre for European Volunteering

This paper analyses reasons for tensions between volunteers and health care professionals working together within the health sector, and how these tensions can be managed, with implications for how the sector can best collaborate. What preceeds tensions between Volunteers and Healthcare Professionals, and how is this viewed differently by managers and volunteers?

Rethinking volunteering as a natural resource
Author(s): Stephanie Koolen-Maas – VU Amsterdam | Lucas Meijs – Erasmus University | Philine van Overbeeke – Erasmus University | Jeffrey Brudney† – University of North Carolina
Provided by: Megan Burgoyne from The Centre for European Volunteering

The article focusses on redefining the concept of volunteering as a natural resource. It proposes to break down this concept into three distinct volunteer resources, each with its own characteristics and dynamics. The paper aims to provide a more nuanced understanding of volunteering and its various forms and dynamics. The key concept is that volunteering can be understood as a human-made, renewable resource that can be grown and recycled. The concept of volunteering is compared to a natural resource and suggests that, as a result, better management of volunteering is required to manage this ‘resource’.

A particular type of intervention
Author(s): Georg Mildenberger –  Heidelberg University, Center for Social Investment | Gudrun-Christine Schimpf – Heidelberg University, Center for Social Investment  |Jürgen Streicher  – Joanneum Research, Institute for Economic, Social and Innovation Research
Provided by: Alina Porumb from the Association for the Practice of Transformation – Inspire Change.

The problems we are facing today, such as climate degradation, energy shortages, increasing inequality, and demographic change, require new approaches and far-reaching changes. Technology innovation can help address them, but we cannot rely on technology alone, we also need social innovation (SI) – new ideas, paths, and measures for dealing with society challenges – as a driver of society change. In comparison to technology assessments, research about the SI impacts is in its early stages. New concepts are needed to better record and evaluate SI effects, especially on the systemic and society level, and to develop standards for the assessment process.

Exploring Employee involvement in corporate philanthropy
Author(s): Beth Breeze – University of Kent | Pamala Wiepking – Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis
Provided by: Elisabetta Gazzola

This research presents a qualitative study of shop floor employees’ experience with, and involvement in, CP decision-making related to fundraising in the workplace. The authors focus on the following questions: How are lower level employees involved in decisions related to CP? What are the criteria involved when lower level employees make CP decisions, in particular in relation to the selection of charitable beneficiaries? And which CP decisions and activities are most likely to improve employee morale and foster other corporate and social goals?

Creating social innovation in urban development via collaborative processes
Author(s): Georg von Schnurbein – University of Basel | Oto Potluka – University of Basel | Anne Mayer – University of Basel
Provided by: Caroline Broadhurst from The Rank Foundation

The success factors that create effective social innovation in an urban context is contested with two different schools of thought and approaches; the systemic approach, which accounts for the social practices and subsequent changes as a result of the innovation; and the pragmatic approach, which follows a well-trodden planning process, which focuses on creating solutions to a defined social problem. What conditions enable successful social innovations to emerge from collaborative processes in urban development?

How moral goodness drives unethical behaviour in NGOs
Author(s): Isabel de Bruin Cardoso – Erasmus University | Allison R. Russell – The University of Texas at Dallas | Muel Kaptein – Erasmus University | Lucas Meijs – Erasmus University
Provided by: Anna-Leah Gebühr from UNO-Flüchtlingshilfe e.V.

The objective of this article is to understand – through generating empirical evidence – how the NGO halo effect, i.e. the inflation of moral goodness in NGOs, can explain unethical behaviour. The key question of this article is whether people in NGOs glorify their mission, morals, and people, and if so, how this glorification can explain NGO unethical behaviour. The authors conclude that the NGO halo effect exists, that there are three mechanisms that can explain unethical behaviour.

How pragmatic sociology can enable research to embrace the complexities of the third sector
Author(s): Janis Petzinger – University of St Andrews | Tobias Jung – University of St Andrews | Kevin Orr – University of St Andrews
Provided by: Katy Adams from the University of Heidelberg

The objective of this article is to show how the theoretical framework of pragmatic sociology can enable research to recognise and reflect on the uncertainties and ambiguities of the third sector. The key question of this article is how third sector research can respond to times of upheaval and organisational ambiguity.

The civic action of volunteering through flexible forms of organising
Author(s): Cristine Dyhrberg Højgaard – Copenhagen Business School | Liv Egholm – Copenhagen Business School
Provided by: Inés Sevilla Cabedo from Centre for European Volunteering

Volunteering is evolving and adapting to people’s needs and preferences, and it is important to understand how these new forms of volunteering can contribute to community well-being and how different ways of organising volunteering can impact the community actions. How do more flexible forms of organisation influence volunteering actions?

Informal Place Leadership: A Challenge to Formal Political Leadership?
Author(s): Oto Potluka – University of Basel, Center for Philanthropy | Lenka Svecova – University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, School of Business | Lucie Zarubova – University of West Bohemia, Faculty of Economics
Provided by: Leigha McCarroll from Carleton University, Canada

In response to a growing trend of dissatisfaction with political representation (e.g., Brexit, the 2016 U.S. presidential election), there has been an increased focus on place-based approaches to political decision-making. In this article, the authors further investigate this dynamic in the context of the EU Cohesion Policy, analyzing the relationship between formal and informal leadership and politics to illuminate whether informal place leadership is filling the void created by growing dissatisfaction with formal political leadership.

How does an individual’s experience of crisis influence charitable giving?
Author(s): Julia Litofcenko – Vienna University of Economics and Business | Michael Meyer – Vienna University of Economics and Business | Michaela Neumayr – Vienna University of Economics and Business | Astrid Pennerstorfer – Vienna University of Economics and Business
Provided by: Rebecca McMurray

The world is in a state of ‘permacrisis’ and non-profits, reliant on the generous support of the public, need to continue to learn about the trends and motivators for giving, particularly how an individual’s experience of crises influences their giving behaviour. How does an individual’s experience of existential threats, such as a pandemic, change charitable giving behaviour?

NGO Resilience in Czech Republic during Ukrainian Refugee Crisis
Author(s): Tara Kolar Bryan – University of Tennessee at Knoxville | Monica Lea – University of Nebraska at Omaha | Vladimír Hyánek – Masaryk University
Provided by: Daria Rybalchenko from National Network of Local Philanthropy Development

The central topic of this paper is the resilience and governance challenges faced by NGOs in the Czech Republic during the Ukrainian refugee crisis that began in February 2022. The practical relevance lies in understanding how NGOs can maintain their operations and provide essential services amidst such a large-scale humanitarian crisis. The key research question is: How do NGO leaders perceive the resilience of their organizations in responding to the Ukrainian refugee crisis, and what challenges do they face?

Improving Grantmaking Through Relational Philanthropy
Author(s): Janis Petzinger and Tobias Jung, School of Business, University of St Andrews, Scotland
Provided by: Zeryihun Kassa from Kingston University

In their article “In Reciprocity, We Trust: Improving Grant-making through Relational Philanthropy,” Janis Petzinger and Tobias Jung present a compelling argument. They propose that embracing relational philanthropy, which emphasises trust-based relationships between grantors and grantees, can pave the way for more effective and empowering grant-making practices. This approach, they suggest, represents a promising departure from the current dominant model of philanthrocapitalism, which often relies on rationalist, market-based strategies and strict oversight of grant recipients.

Civil Society Organizations: Legitimizing the Common Good
Author(s): Liv Egholm – Copenhagen Business School | Liesbet Heyse – University of Groningen | Damien Mourey – École Normale Supérieure Paris-Saclay
Provided by: Silva Lässer from the Karl Kahane Foundation

The authors explore the concepts of legitimacy and accountability in the academic literature. Specifically, they discuss how these concepts relate to Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and in what ways legitimacy is constructed, understood and represented in the Civil Society sector. The key research questions addressed are: (1) In what ways is legitimacy understood and negotiated within Civil Society Organisations? (2) Does the current research and literature from other domains translate to the Civil Society sector? (3) What are the gaps in the literature?

Driven by values or results: can nonprofits do both?
Author(s): Gerhard Speckbacher – WU Vienna University
Provided by: Kate Sullivan from The Human Safety Net

Results-based management is shown to have helped for-profit companies to overcome challenges in people management when the team members have overlapping or unclear perimeters of their roles. There are often very clear organisational goals, such as profit, which can be translated into individual or team-level goals. Instead, in the case of non-profits, organisational goals are famously complex. Rather than seeing values as a means to an end (e.g. customer orientation to boost revenue), staff in nonprofits often are highly dedicated to values such as justice, human dignity and service as an end in itself. How can nonprofits be enabled to reach their goals and live up to their values given these characteristics?