Lindsey M. McDougle

The Accuracy of the Core Files for Studying Nonprofit Location How Many Nonprofits Are There

Studies show that the distribution of nonprofits varies considerably across communities. Affluent communities tend to have ample nonprofit resources and highly diverse nonprofit landscapes, whereas low-income communities often lack the variety of nonprofits found within wealthier areas. As a result of these differences, scholars have suggested that geographic unevenness in the presence of nonprofits may lead to extreme inequities and inefficiencies in how nonprofit services are accessed and administered. Although these concerns certainly warrant serious attention, several limitations have been acknowledged with the National Center for Charitable Statistic’s (NCCS) Core Financial Files—which have been the primary data source used to generate findings on geographic dimensions of the nonprofit sector in the United States. This research note examines the accuracy of the information in the Core Files after adjustments for each of these limitations.

Individual- and Community- Level Determinants of Public Attitudes Toward Nonprofit Organizations

It is often suggested that nonprofit organizations positively impact our local communities. Studies, however, have consistently shown that the distribution of these organizations varies considerably from one community to the next. These differences have led some scholars to begin raising serious concern about the degree of “charitable equity” across communities. Thus, the purpose of this study was to explore how the makeup of a community’s nonprofit sector affects the views of those who potentially depend on nonprofit services. Specifically, using data from a countywide survey of public attitudes toward nonprofits in southern California (N = 1,002), we examined whether differences in the distribution of nonprofits affected individuals’ confidence in nonprofit performance as well as their awareness of what nonprofit organizations even are. Findings indicated that nonprofit density was strongly related to awareness of the sector, while awareness was, in turn, strongly related to confidence in nonprofit performance.

Community Variation in the Financial Health of Nonprofit Human Service Organizations An Examination of Organizational and Contextual Effects

Nonprofit human services organizations (HSOs) provide vital services to communities. Yet studies show that the density of these nonprofits varies from one community to the next, often with fewer quantities located in vulnerable communities. These findings have led to concerns regarding the ability of the human services subsector to meet community needs. In this article, however, we make the argument that organizational density is a limited indicator of a sector’s ability to provide services, and suggest that financial health is a more robust indicator. We model six measures of financial health as conceptualized by Bowman and examine relationships between these measures and indicators of community vulnerability. Our results indicate that variation exists in four of our six outcome measures (equity ratio, months of spending, mark up, and months of liquidity), and that contextual effects (e.g., being located in a minority or low-mobility community) partially explain these variances.

Factors predicting proclivity and intensity to volunteer for the environment in the US and South Korea

This research compares environmental volunteering among students in South Korea and the US (n = 3612). Given differing environmental histories of these countries, we explore whether and to what extent volunteer proclivity and intensity varies, and potential factors that explain existing variation. Findings suggest that American students are more likely to volunteer for, and devote time to, environmental causes, while South Korean students differ on socio-economic correlates of such behaviour. In a global society, understanding determinants of environmental volunteer participation is critical to the management of environmental NGOs that are involved in broad-based and participatory planning, educating stakeholders and legitimising environmental advocacy.

Can Philanthropy Be Taught

In recent years, colleges and universities have begun investing significant resources into an innovative pedagogy known as experiential philanthropy. The pedagogy is considered to be a form of service-learning. It is defined as a learning approach that provides students with opportunities to study social problems and nonprofit organizations and then make decisions about investing funds in them. Experiential philanthropy is intended to integrate academic learning with community engagement by teaching students not only about the practice of philanthropy but also how to evaluate philanthropic responses to social issues. Despite this intent, there has been scant evidence demonstrating that this type of pedagogic instruction has quantifiable impacts on students’ learning or their personal development. Therefore, this study explores learning and development outcomes associated with experiential philanthropy and examines the efficacy of experiential philanthropy as a pedagogic strategy within higher education. Essentially, we seek to answer the question, Can philanthropy be taught?

Revenue Structure and Spending Behavior in Nonprofit Organizations

Nonprofit organizations (NPOs) rely on multiple funding sources to meet organizational needs; and, heavy reliance on any one revenue source can limit an NPO’s ability to allocate funding. As such, in this study, we examine the association between funding source and spending behavior in a national sample of NPOs from 2008 to 2012. Our sample consists of 51,812 observations from 16,035 unique NPOs. Using Tobit maximum likelihood estimation, we find that NPOs that rely on, both, restricted and nonrestricted revenue sources are more limited in their ability to spend on administrative needs, whereas donation income restricts personnel spending of compensation. Revenue diversification, though, can help NPOs overcome this limitation and can provide NPOs with greater spending flexibility. Our findings also show, however, that these results differ for NPO hospitals and universities.

Individual- and Contextual-Level Factors Affecting the Use of Social Support Services among Older Adults

ABSTRACT By 2060, the number of Americans aged 65 and older is expected to more than double, while the number of Americans aged 85 and older is expected to nearly triple. As the nations aging population grows, older adults will need to rely on social support services, such as transportation and housing services, in order to remain active and lead independent lives. In this study we use data collected from the elderly supplement of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Household Health Survey (SPHHS) (n = 3,042) to explore the relationship between the availability of elderly specific social service providers and utilization of social support services among older adults. We find that while the number of elderly specific social service providers can increase use of social support services among older adults, its impact is relatively minimal. We find that individual factors, instead, are stronger predictors of service use. This is a finding that should be particularly encouraging for elder care providers who may not have the resources needed to undertake large structural changes (like building new facilities). Still, future research should explore how the availability of a broader range of elderly specific social services (than explored in this study) impacts use.

Connecting Through Giving: Understanding the Effect of the Mayerson Student Philanthropy Project

Although student philanthropy is a fast-growing pedagogical approach to service learning, research is limited on the effectiveness of student philanthropy as a teaching tool. This article introduces the concept of student philanthropy and provides an analysis of eight semesters of pre- and postcourse student surveys from Northern Kentucky University’s Mayerson Student Philanthropy Project (n = 864). The analysis focuses on the efficacy of student philanthropy in terms of student community engagement. The findings indicate that students who participate in student philanthropy are significantly more likely to be aware of social problems and nonprofit organizations in their community. Subscribe to JNEL