Michael O'Neill

Public Confidence in Charitable Nonprofits

There has been much talk in recent years of a “crisis of confidence in charities” in the United States. This article presents a conceptual framework for analyzing the issue and reviews attitudinal and behavioral data relevant to public confidence in the nonprofit sector generally and major nonprofit subsectors. The article concludes that the “crisis of confidence” hypothesis is not supported by the evidence.

The Future of Nonprofit Management Education

Nonprofit management education has grown rapidly in the United States during the past two decades. The author makes six predictions about the future: (a) The field will remain; it is here to stay. (b) There will not be masters of business administration—like standardization of degrees; masters of public administration—based degrees will remain the most popular option, but several other models will continue. (c) There will be increasing attention to the undergraduate and doctoral levels. (d) Major foundation funding will be replaced by other external funding and tuition. (e) Nonprofit sector growth in recent decades will provide an adequate basis for the continued growth of nonprofit management education, although at a lower rate. (f) The main challenge will be the “danger of success,” the tendency of institutionalized professional education programs to become unresponsive to changes in the professions.

Book Review: Nonprofit Organizations: Theory, Management, Policy

the field generally center on strengthening the capacity of the IRS. This book has value as a collection of the writings of a major figure in the philanthropic world. Still because these are short, often topical pieces, the book is likely to be most useful for those who already know Eisenberg’s work and the contextual background of events. Eisenberg states in his Preface that most of the issues he discussed during the past three decades remain “constant,” that is, unresolved; still, particular circumstances do matter. The book’s topical organization is meant to help connect ideas; however, it also weakens the vital historical context for some issues. Supporting endnotes or in-between pieces might also have helped to ground the writings. Finally, the editor (p. xiii) suggests that Eisenberg’s brief tributes to some former philanthropic leaders are highlights of the book; I suggest that the whole book is a tribute to the life and work of Pablo Eisenberg.