The research notes are published quarterly. Previous editions can be found at the Member Portal.

 

Issue X: March 2025

 

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.

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The Antecedents of Charity Trust and its Influence on Supportive Behavior

Author(s): Walter Wymer – University of Lethbridge | Annika Becker – Universität Hamburg | Silke Boenigk – Universität Hamburg

Provided by: Jemma Chambers from Habitat for Humanity Great Britain

The article identifies the individual and organisational factors which influence donor trust in charities, such as branding and celebrity endorsement, offering practitioners an analysis of the impact on donor behaviours which could be used to strengthen supporter relationship strategies. The research explores the antecedents of trust and asks: to what extent do these positively influence donor behaviour; and is gender a moderating factor in this relationship?

 

Microfoundations of Institutional Change in the Community Foundation Field

Author(s): Megan LePere-Schloop – The Ohio State University, Columbus | Marlene Walk – Albert-Ludwigs- Universität, Freiburg | Laurie E. Paarlberg – Indiana University, Indianapolis

Provided by: James Magowan from the European Community Foundation Initiative (ECFI)

Community leadership has been supported by philanthropy thought leaders as “a new way forward” for community foundations. This study (of U.S. community foundations) uses a simultaneous qualitative mixed methods design to describe micro-processes and organizational paths to community leadership while considering field-level aspiration toward such change.

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Comparing Charity Law Reviews: Successes and Challenges

Author(s): Oonagh B. Breen – Sutherland School of Law, University College Dublin

Provided by: Ana Carolina Barros Pinheiro Carrenho from Lisbon University

The article investigates a decade of charity law reviews processes across six common law jurisdictions – Australia, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales and Ireland. By analyzing the lifecycle of a regulatory review, it provides valuable insights into its strengths and weaknesses, offering guidance for designing future review models and research approaches.

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Diasporic Philanthropy: Exploring Belonging, Identity, and Social Change

Author(s): Malika Ouacha – Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University | Lucas Meijs – Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University | Kees Biekart – International Institute of Social Studies, Erasmus University

Provided by: Daria Rybalchenko from National Network of Local Philanthropy Development

The study examines how diasporic philanthropy among Moroccan diaspora in the Netherlands influences their sense of belonging and cultural identity, providing valuable insights for philanthropy in cross-border and migration contexts. How does the experience of the country of residence by diasporic philanthropists influence their sense of belonging and practice of philanthropy?

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What Keeps Corporate Volunteers Engaged?

Author(s): Susan van Schie-ESSEC Business School | Arthur Gautier -ESSEC Business School | Anne-Claire Pache -ESSEC Business School | Stefan T. Güntert-ETH Zürich

Provided by: Ashifa Agede from Centre for Health Systems Support & Initiatives for Development

The article explores the factors that drive employees to internalize a volunteer identity in a corporate context. This study is relevant for practitioners because the insights can lead to more effective, engaging, and sustainable volunteer programs that benefit both volunteers and the communities they serve. What factors explain why employees internalize a volunteer identity in a corporate context and? how do these factors influence sustained participation in corporate volunteering activities and by extension, the desired outcomes?

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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.XXX

 

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?

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Evolution of Leadership Roles at Family Foundations: Insights from the UK

Author(s): Michele Fugiel Gartner, Tobias Jung, Alina M. Baluch; Centre for the Study of Philanthropy & Public Good, University of St Andrews Business School

Provided by: Maliha Hasan, Director Foundation Relations at University of Toronto

This study explores the changing nature of the structures, processes, and norms of employment at philanthropic foundations. The categorization, examination and evolution of these internal dynamics is often overlooked in the field of foundation research. This gap contributes to the mystery surrounding foundations- their talent sourcing, culture, operations and ultimately how they give. Understanding the historical context behind these changes and their present-day manifestation can help shape more effective, equitable, and transparent field-level initiatives for philanthropic professionals.

 

Enterprise Foundations as Drivers of Sustainability in Philanthropy

Author(s): Mark Ørberg, Department of Business Humanities and Law, Copenhagen Business School, Copenhagen, Denmark

Provided by: Hanna Surmatz, Head of Policy at Philea

The article stimulates the discussion around Enterprise Foundations, focusing on organisations that are majority shareholders that combine long-term ownership of business companies with philanthropy and social responsibility. It offers detailed insights and analysis into the functioning and governance of Danish enterprise foundations with a view to inspire conversations and approaches in other jurisdictions including the US. What principles govern civil law enterprise foundations, particularly the Danish model? Should other countries adopt this model, which combines company ownership with a non-profit purpose? Could such a foundation fit within the US legal framework?

 

About the ERNOP Research Notes Most academic research on philanthropy is underutilised, while on the other hand, there is a need for practitioners to learn from academics. Given limited resources within the academic and philanthropy community, academic insights should be used as much as possible. However, practitioners rarely have time and access to the work published in academic journals. Besides, not all content of academic papers is relevant for practitioners. At the same time, academics often do not have time and/or skills to make their work accessible for practitioners and, what’s more, they get little rewards for doing so as the number of individual publications is often too limited to build a constituency. Therefore the European Research Network On Philanthropy (ERNOP) –  the academic network of philanthropy researchers in Europe – develops the ERNOP Research Notes. The Research Notes are an initiative by ERNOP and endorsed by the European Fundraising Association (EFA), Philanthropy Europe Association (Philea), the Centre for European Volunteering (CEV) and the European Venture Philanthropy Association  (EVPA).

 

More information about the Research Notes can be found here.