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?

Reframing nonprofit’s societal roles to better reflect complexities of modern societies
Author(s): Florentine Maier – WU Vienna University of Economics and Business | Michael Meyer – WU Vienna University of Economics and Business | Christine Burkart – FH Joanneum, Kapfenberg | Berta Terzieva – WU Vienna University of Economics and Business
Provided by: Katy Adams from the University of Heidelberg

The role that NPOs should play in society is a widely debated topic in both research and practice. However, a literature review shows that previous research has inadvertently been following an overly simplistic, outdated notion of societal roles of nonprofit organizations. The article addresses this research gap by examining how the literature previously understood nonprofits’ societal roles and suggests how this understanding can be better aligned with contemporary social theory and reality through an updated concept of the societal roles of NPOs using Luhmann’s social systems theory.

Framing Social Media Messaging: The Nonprofit Perspective in Competitive Fundraising
Author(s): Jamie Levine Daniel – New York University, USA | Cali Curley – University of Miami, USA | Marlene Walk – Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Germany
Provided by: Konstantina Koutsoupia

In their article “Message (in)congruence: Tweeting while competing for donations”, the authors explore how nonprofit organisations can apply social media messaging frames to increase donation numbers during competitive campaigns. The key question of their analysis revolves around how different types of these strategies influence the fundraising aspect of competing nonprofits.

How public trust and healthcare quality realte to blood donations
Author(s): Caroline Graf –Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam | Bianca Suanet –Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam | Pamala Wiepking –Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam | Eva-Maria Merz –Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Provided by: Lucy Pfliger from France générosités

Is public trust in the healthcare system and healthcare quality related to blood donation behaviour? In this paper, the authors explore the extent of this relation across 28 European countries using survey data. Results show that while public trust in the healthcare system predicts individual propensity to donate blood, the performance of the system does not.

Environmental Event Volunteers: Changing third-party Motivations, and Management
Author(s):Anna Llumà Trujillo –Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University | Lucas C. P. M. Meijs–Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University | Guido Berens –Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University

Provided by: Connor Audsley from the Centre for European Volunteering

This study analyses environmental event volunteering, considering changes in the event episodic volunteering landscape, including demographics, which necessitate a change in how organisations recruit and engage volunteers, and how this may differ in Non-Western countries. How do modern, global volunteers engage with environmental episodic event volunteering, and why?

Informal Volunteers in Pandemics: Perception of Risk and Effectiveness of Digital Matching Platforms 
Author(s):Dominik Stefan Meier – University of Basel | Amadeus Petrig – Genossenschaft Migros Aare, Bern | Georg von Schnurbein – University of Basel
Provided by: Ksenija Fonovic from Charles University and CSV Lazio.

A pandemic represents a peculiar extraordinary condition. Nevertheless, issues around gauging the willingness of citizens to help in face of an emergency are quite similar to other crisis situations, such as natural disasters or man-provoked catastrophes. How to coordinate spontaneous helping, harmonize the readiness with the actual needs, ensure the safety of all parties involved, avoid further damage?

Why do people volunteer for refugees? Exploring Volunteer Motivations
Author(s):Maikel Meijeren – Radboud University |Marcel Lubbers – Utrecht University | Peer Scheepers – Radboud University
Provided by: Aleksandra Belina from Good Network Foundation & University of Warsaw

This article addresses the motivations of volunteers to volunteer for refugees. This study is relevant for practitioners because it sheds light on popular and unpopular motivations for volunteering for refugees. It helps better understand and mobilize volunteers by designing more targeted policies to recruit and retain volunteers. What are the key motivations driving individuals to volunteer for refugees? Do these motivations differ from or complement motivations to volunteer in general? And how can these insights enhance volunteer management?

Social Innovation in Non-Profit Organizations (NPOs): A Measurement Scale
Author(s): María José Sanzo-Pérez – University of Oviedo | Luis Ignacio Álvarez-González – University of Oviedo | Nuria García-Rodríguez – University of Oviedo | Marta Rey-García – Universidade da Coruña
Provided by: Nataliia Freik

The world today needs social innovations (SI) more than ever. And NPOs stand out as particularly vivid examples of socially innovative organizations. The main goal of the article is to propose a reliable and user-friendly tool for assessing how much an NPO’s initiative (whether a program, project, product, service, or organizational process) qualifies as a SI. This scale also can be employed by practitioners and policymakers to support the development of SI, in particular to identify gaps that need addressing to improve SI and make it more scalable.

From Mission to Market: Assessing Sector Overlap Between Nonprofits and For-Profits
Author(s): Dominik S. Meier – Center for Philanthropy Studies, University of Basel, Switzerland; The Gradel Institute of Charity, New College, University of Oxford, UK | Georg von Schnurbein – Center for Philanthropy Studies, University of Basel, Switzerland
Provided by: Jonathan Gunson

There is an ongoing debate as to whether and to what extent the third sector differs from the for-profit sector. There may be an eroding and blurring of sector boundaries as organizations from one sector adopt the practices typically associated with another sector. This debate around blurring may in part relate to evidence of marketization in the third sector. In the third sector, this is driven in part by the rhetoric, organization, and goals of nonprofit organizations (NPOs) becoming business-like, whilst in the for-profit sector it is driven by companies increasingly caring about their societal impact such as the triple bottom line or corporate social responsibility. This study contributes to the literature by being the first to use mission statements from both the nonprofit organizations (NPOs) and for-profit organizations (FPOs) to quantify how distinct the two sectors are.

Exploring how Institutional Factors and Contexts Determine Cooperation between Volunteer Organisations and Municipalities in Norway
Author(s): Håkon Solbu Trætteberg – Institute for Social Research, Oslo | Bernard Enjolras – Institute for Social Research, Oslo
Provided by: Connor Audsley from the Centre for European Volunteering

This paper is relevant to the voluntary sector as it discusses the factors impacting co-production between volunteer organisations and municipalities and explores which policy areas are more appropriate for co-production. What factors impact the usage and success of co-production with volunteer organisations, in different policy areas at the municipal level?

Creating and Evaluating a New Framework for Understanding Changes in Volunteer Administrative and Management Practices
Author(s): Jeffrey Brudney – University of North Carolina | Lucas Meijs – Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University | Philine van  Overbeeke – Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University; The Gradel Institute of Charity, New College, University of Oxford
Provided by: Katy Adams from Heidelberg University

There is a lack of certainty around the necessary tasks of volunteer management. Investigating a new framework reveals the particular impact of third-party involvement and the need for further research. Can differences in how volunteer practitioners vary in their approaches to management be adequately represented within a simple framework?

Making the Tea or Making it to the Top? How Gender Stereotypes Impact Women Fundraisers’ Careers
Author(s): Beth Breeze – University of Kent | Elizabeth J. Dale – Grand Valley State University
Provided by: Anh P. Nguyen from Happier Me

In a female-dominated profession, women fundraisers still face gender stereotypes, discrimination, and harassment, affecting their hiring, promotions, and credibility. This research explores structural barriers, gendered expectations, and their impact on career progression and leadership in philanthropy. Which forms of gender-based stereotyping and harassment do women fundraisers experience? How do gendered expectations shape leadership opportunities and professional credibility in philanthropy? What actions can be taken to dismantle barriers for women fundraisers?

Exploring Gender Difference in Charitable Giving: The Dutch Case
Author(s): Arjen de Wit – Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam | René Bekkers – Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Provided by: Fiona Watson

This study explores gender differences in giving behaviour in the Netherlands and how values, finances, solicitation and social pressure impact giving behaviour. The study helps practitioners to understand the factors influencing women’s giving. Does gender impact giving behaviour in the Netherlands and do values, finances, solicitation and social pressure exert an influence?

How the ‘NGO Halo’ Increases Risk of Unethical Practices
Author(s): Isabel De Bruin Cardoso – Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University | Marco Meyer – University of Hamburg | Muel Kaptein – Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University
Provided by: Konstantina Koutsoupia

This research outlines how idealising various aspects of NGOs, from overarching mission and moral code down to its very people – a phenomenon defined as the ‘NGO halo’ – contributes to justified unethical behaviour. Through its data and ensuing results, the research challenges the prevailing assumption that NGOs are intrinsically moral and addresses their ethical management practices.

Designing Better Volunteering Appeals: What Works and for Whom
Author(s): Eva Maria Jedicke – University of Freiburg | Stephan Olk – Horn & Company, Düsseldorf | Adnan Zogaj – University of Freiburg | Dieter K. Tscheulin – University of Freiburg | Jörg Lindenmeier – University of Freiburg
Provided by: Ashifa Agede from Centre for Health Systems Support & Initiatives for Development

With the increasing competition for people’s time and attention, nonprofits need evidence-based strategies to design effective volunteering appeals. This study offers a model for optimizing volunteer recruitment messaging by testing which combinations of images, slogans, organizational credibility signals, and required time commitments motivate people to sign up. The research provides practitioners with practical insights to build tailored, targeted recruitment campaigns that maximize engagement by identifying what matters most to different groups of potential volunteers. Which design attributes in volunteering appeals are most effective for attracting and motivating potential volunteers, and how do preferences differ across volunteer segments?

When People Start Volunteering for Humanitarian Organizations?
Author(s): Maikel Meijeren – Radboud University | René Bekkers – Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam | Peer Scheepers – Radboud University
Provided by: Ksenija Fonovic from Charles University

Recruiting and retaining volunteers is a major challenge for third sector operations. Advice on how to become better in this, usually centres on the demand side: how organizations can communicate, train, award, organize. For the supply side, research has demonstrated that people who are educated, religious and economically well-off, are more likely to volunteer. Yet only some of these make this choice. And out of these, only very few for humanitarian causes. Under what circumstances, persons decide to start volunteering for humanitarian organizations? Which life course changes act as triggers?

Mission Over Money: Can Peer Pressure Help INGOs Stay Mission Focused?
Author(s): Alice Hengevoss and Georg von Schnurbein – Center for Philanthropy Studies, University of Basel
Provided by: Kate Sullivan from Fondazione Generali – The Human Safety Net

The complex operating environment of international non-governmental organisations (INGOs) is observed to have two types of adverse pressures that influence leaders’ decision-making: high competition in the funding landscape (economic constraints) and adversarial relationships with public institutions, risking restrictive policies (political opportunity constraints). The authors aim to understand if these constraints bring friendly competition for INGOs to do their best work or if it leads to a “resource-security-orientation strategy” by re-allocating staff capacity and funds away from their mission towards activities aimed at improving their relationship with key stakeholders in order to alleviate these constraints.

Why and How to Demonstrate Data and Methods Transparency in Nonprofit Research
Author(s): René Bekkers – Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam | Cassandra Chapman – The University of Queensland, Brisbane | Annayah Prosser – University of Bath | Pamala Wiepking – Indiana University, Indianapolis/Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam | Michael Meyer – WU Vienna University of Economics and Business
Provided by: Fiona Watson

This paper sets out the context, risks, and benefits of increased transparency in non-profit research and offers practical suggestions to researchers and practitioners to support more openness. Transparency benefits the non-profit sector and should be the gold standard of non-profit research whilst respecting different research traditions.

Social Origin Can Explain Differences Among Non-profit Quality Labels
Author(s): Oto Potluka – University of Basel | Aleksandra Belina – University of Warsaw | Martin Viktora – Prague University of Economics and Business
Provided by: Gerjob Lootens from CBF, Toezicht op goeddoen (Dutch Regulator on charities)

Self-regulation systems should lead to the professionalization of non-profit organizations. This study compares quality labels and accreditation systems in various countries. Not all social contexts are the same. The “social origins theory” describes social contexts in different types. The authors research whether (not to what extent) this theory can explain differences in the way accreditation systems differ from one country to another. 

Volunteer Retention – Influencing Factors in Refugee Aid Volunteering
Author(s): Maikel Meijeren – Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University | Naomi Ellemers – Utrecht University | Marcel Lubbers – Utrecht University
Provided by: Connor Audsley from the Centre for European Volunteering (CEV)

Refugee aid organisations are heavily reliant on volunteers, and a critical question for these organisations is how they can better retain these volunteers. The article analyses this question through looking at both the organisational and motivational factors influencing a volunteer’s satisfaction and decision to continue volunteering, highlighting practical lessons for volunteer retention. How do organisational and personal factors, influence a volunteer’s satisfaction with an organisation, and motivation to continue volunteering?

Organizational Change in Nonprofit Organizations: A Decade in Review (2014-2024)
Author(s): Hana Fehrenbach – University of Freiburg, Germany | Marlene Walk – University of Freiburg, Germany | Itay Greenspan – Hebrew University, Israel
Provided by: Silvia Fierascu from the Department of Communication Sciences, West University of Timisoara

Over the past decade, Voluntas has published a growing – though still developing – body of work on how nonprofit organizations adapt, transform, and respond to change. In this virtual issue, Fehrenbach, Walk, and Greenspan take stock of what organizational change research within the journal has looked like over the past ten years (2014–2024). Their review identifies a set of articles explicitly focused on change and highlights two dominant perspectives in the literature: (1) nonprofits reacting to external pressures from their institutional environments, and (2) internal transformation processes shaped by evolving structures, strategies, and practices.

Volunteer Responses to Scandals in Nonprofit Organizations
Author(s): Eva Maria Jedicke – University of Freiburg, Germany | Isabella M. Nolte – Harz University of Applied Sciences, Germany | Jörg Lindenmeier – University of Freiburg, Germany
Provided by: Brad Mazon from Sahiyo

This article addresses ethical dilemmas faced by nonprofit volunteers in the face of a nonprofit scandal. It provides a sort of “ethical roadmap” for NPOs to better respond to volunteers’ needs during a scandal, while at the same time, offering insights as to how to re-build trust and public legitimacy to enable NPOs to fundraise and grow. The authors investigate how volunteers respond to scandals in nonprofit organizations, and the role of moral reasoning strategies as drivers of volunteer behavior.

Democracy and Management: Organizational Practices and Nonprofits’ Contributions to Society
Author(s): Berta Terzieva – WU Vienna University of Economics and Business | Christian Burkart – FH JOANNEUM | Florentine Maier – WU Vienna University of Economics and Business | Michael Meyer – WU Vienna University of Economics and Business
Provided by: Jonathan Gunson

This study sheds light on the complex interplay between sets of organizational practices and the societal roles that nonprofits prioritize. As nonprofits navigate the challenge of pursuing a social missions while operating in a market economy, many adopt managerial practices in response. This tendency of nonprofits becoming businesslike is a contested scholarly topic, with limited empirical support. Using survey data from nearly 600 nonprofits in the Vienna metropolitan region, the study examines the dynamics between organizational practices—specifically, business-like practices versus democratic ones, which may serve as a counterbalance to the potential pitfalls of managerialism—and nonprofits’ emphasis on different societal roles: service provision, advocacy, and community building.

Match Charity Messages to Donor Mindsets: Abstract versus Concrete Appeals
Author(s): Gijs van Houwelingen – Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO), The Hague | Marius van Dijke – Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University Rotterdam
Provided by: Gerald Czech from WU Vienna and the Austrian Red Cross

Fundraisers often default to concrete, identifiable impact stories. However, theory suggests that abstraction can broaden moral concern. Drawing on insights from moral psychology and construal-level theory, this article demonstrates that the most effective approach depends on the moral values of the donor. In which situations does abstract framing increase giving, and how are these situations moderated by loyalty values? 

Do Formal and Informal Volunteering Compete or Complement? Insights for Civil Society Support
Author(s): Oto Potluka – Center for Philanthropy Studies, University of Basel | Lenka Švecová – University of Chemistry and Technology Prague | Eva Blahová – Prague University of Economics and Business | Natasa Diatkova – University of West Bohemia, Pilsen
Provided by: Ashifa Agede from Centre for Health Systems Support & Initiatives for Development

This article explores how formal and informal volunteering relate in Central Europe, offering insights relevant for policies aimed at strengthening volunteer engagement and civil society, especially in contexts with lower institutional trust and developing NGO sectors. The study asks: Do formal and informal volunteering compete for volunteers, or do they support each other, and how do social and human capital, income, and time influence this?

What Keeps Development Partnerships Unequal — Resources or Racialised Power?
Author(s): Sara Kinsbergen – Radboud University | Frédérique Been – University of Ottawa | Junru Bian – University of Ottawa | Mieke Molthof – Radboud University | Clémence Honings – Radboud University | Dirk-Jan Koch – Radboud University
Provided by: Sarah Greenfield Clark from The Movements Trust

This article examines inequality in North–South development partnerships and is relevant for philanthropy because it shows how everyday funding practices and unspoken perceptions quietly block genuine power-shifting.
How do mutual perceptions, including racial ones, play a role in hindering and fostering more equitable partnerships between Northern and Southern NGOs?