Lilly Family School of Philanthropy Theses and Dissertations
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Item Experiencing Nonprofits in Vietnam: What Matters Most to the People Nonprofits Aim to Serve(2024-07) Doan, Dana R. H.; Benjamin, Lehn M.; Wiepking, Pamala; Dwyer, Patrick C.; Pasic, Dean Amir; Merritt, Cullen C.; Sidel, MarkTo better understand nonprofit performance and impact, this study set out to identify the salient viewpoints of the individuals and communities a nonprofit human service provider sets out to serve, i.e., the nonprofit’s constituents. Focusing on the first encounter with a nonprofit, which the service management, public encounters, and help-seeking literatures all identify as important to understanding experiences of and engagement with service organizations, I ask: How does a constituent’s first encounter with a nonprofit influence their experience and decision to engage with the organization? To address this question, I implemented a community-engaged, multi-phased, Q methodology study with 56 women in Vietnam. I utilized a focus group discussion, in-depth interviews, participant reflections on a first visit to a nonprofit, a Q sort, and debrief interviews. My research revealed three viewpoints and four dimensions of effectiveness. The three viewpoints include: Mutuality - I am looking for signs we can work together as equal partners to address my problem; Caring - I am looking for signs you are personally motivated towards helping me; and Efficiency - I am looking for signs I can get what I need in a timely manner. The four dimensions of effectiveness include: relational, technical, accessibility, and other dimensions of effectiveness. Regardless of the viewpoint, the relational dimension of an encounter is central to constituent decisions to engage with a nonprofit, a dimension that is undertheorized in social impact measurement. That said, all three viewpoints bring the four dimensions of effectiveness together in distinct ways. In this way, a Q study reminds us that constituents are not all the same and exposes some of the differences. These findings offer implications for research and practice on nonprofit management and measurement.Item Board and Staff Representation and Grantmaking in Community Foundations: The Effect of Racial Representation, Intersectionality, and Donor Control(2024-07) Ming, Yue; Paarlberg, Laurie E.; Badertscher, Katherine; Gazley, Beth; Rooney, PatrickAs the United States continues its significant demographic shift, concerns persist about philanthropic responsiveness to the needs of diverse communities. While foundations aim to address societal challenges, historical leadership structures can pose barriers to equitable outcomes. This raises questions about the representativeness of philanthropy to the broader public. The theory of representative bureaucracy establishes a framework for understanding the connection between representation and outcomes, positing that passive representation, which is bureaucrats share the same demographic origins as the general population, will result in active representation, which is producing policy outputs that benefit the interests of individuals who are passively represented. This study applies the theory of representative bureaucracy to nonprofits, specifically examining the case of community foundations in the United States. It investigates the influence of racial representation, the intersectionality across race and gender among representatives, and the impact of donor control on grant allocations to underserved groups. Key questions examined include: Does a positive relationship exist between racial representation in board and staff in community foundations and grant allocations to grantee organizations serving people of color? Does intersectional representation yield stronger results than solely racial representation? Does increased donor control weaken the positive relationship between board and staff members’ representation and grant allocations to grantee organizations serving people of color? This study utilizes longitudinal data spanning from 2012 to 2016, collected from a national sample of community foundations. The findings contribute both theoretically and practically to the understanding of the relationships among representation, discretion, and grant-making outcomes within the nonprofit sector.Item Intellectual Structure and Dynamics of Novelty Within Philanthropic and Nonprofit Studies: A Computational and Structural Analysis(2024-07) Ai, Jin; Badertscher, Katherine; Guo, Chao; Steinberg, Richard; Andersson, Fredrik; King, DavidThis dissertation examines scholarship within the emerging interdisciplinary field of philanthropic and nonprofit studies. The field has experienced significant shifts due to evolving societal and technological landscapes. To facilitate the effective and sustainable growth of the field, the study first seeks to provide a comprehensive understanding of its intellectual structure using computational methods. To sort out the pattern and impact of novel research, the study then introduces a new typology of research novelty. Drawing upon network analytics, and theories of scientific discovery and innovation, four types of novelty are proposed, including Pioneer Novelty (introducing a new topic to the field, and the topic thereafter becoming central to the field), Periphery Novelty (introducing a new topic to the field, but the topic remains peripheral to the field), Shortener Novelty (reducing the connection distance between two topics that are previously disconnected or indirectly connected, and subsequently reshape the direction of the field evolution), and Strengthener Novelty (reinforcing the connection between two topics that are previously weakly connected, and subsequently change the centrality of the topics). The study identifies twenty knowledge clusters by analyzing a dataset of 60,399 articles gathered from the Web of Science database using a curated keyword list. The structure and scope of the clusters suggest that the field of philanthropic studies is changing from its interdisciplinary roots in social sciences and humanities to a broader spectrum, including social sciences, life science & biomedicine, arts & humanities, technology, and physical sciences. Further, analysis of novelty uncovers complexities in the relationship between research novelty and impact. Notably, Pioneer/Periphery Novelty is positively correlated with citation impact, while Shortener Novelty is negatively related and Strengthener Novelty shows varied relationships. These findings suggest the need to reevaluate the theoretical and methodological approaches that have been engaged in investigating the field, and the need for an evaluation framework that acknowledges and rewards various novel endeavors in advancing the progress of the field. In summary, by mapping the intellectual structure and analyzing the dynamics of novelty within philanthropic studies, the study enhances a ‘sense of intellectual continuity and coherence’ within and beyond the philanthropic studies community.Item Decolonizing Benevolence: Can Faith Leaders Move the Mark Toward Equity to Create an Alternative to the White Savior Complex?(2024-05) Anglade, Anita Jean; Badertscher, Katherine; Konrath, Sara; Adamek, Margaret E.; Hayes, Cleveland; Hall, TedThis ethnographic research project identifies and explores the limiting ideology of the White Savior Complex to open pathways to develop and promote improved practices at individual, relational, and organizational levels. This qualitative research advances the narratives on how organizational leaders can identify, recognize, and dismantle systems of oppression by decolonizing benevolence assistance to individuals and communities seeking philanthropic support. Faith leaders were interviewed from two separate case study sites, both located in a midwestern city. This dissertation examines some of the language, themes, and conceptual frameworks behind how leaders can dismantle White Supremacy and hierarchical power structures in Christian benevolence assistance. By using grounded theory, this project contributes to scholarship on the development of new tools and strategies for how leaders undo racism, promote justice, and co-create equitable practices. At the individual level, findings suggest WSC is not unique to those who identify as White. Whiteness is a mindset that prescribes to toxic ideologies that reinforce power differentials. BIPOC can also find themselves maintaining hierarchical helping relationships that reinforce toxic charitable models. Racial deconstruction requires the development of new paradigms, ideas, and language. Transformative leaders must commit to the continuous development of critical consciousness by challenging dominant norms and power structures. At a relational level, findings suggest leaders are not bound to a role, therefore, transformational leaders must be willing to move outside of hierarchical structures to consciously shift and share power with others. Collaborative approaches to social service delivery, such as collaborative notetaking, can enhance ways to build trust and transparency. Effective liberatory leadership also requires an intersectional lens, which looks at people as individuals and uses person-centered language. At an organizational level, findings suggest the mission and values can compete with economic value. Organizational support networks build collective wisdom, rather than relying on one person to be a “savior.” Liberatory practices require intersectional analysis that trickles up and down power structures. The results of the study contributed to the development of a model that can be used as best practices for decolonizing work across all levels. This research adds to both theory and practice for scholars and practitioners.Item The Future of Philanthropy: Technology Integration for the Public Good(2024-03) Miyakozawa, Arisa; Herzog, Patricia Snell; Badertscher, Katherine; Onishi, TamakiThe purpose of the study is to understand the influence of technological changes on philanthropic community partners. The scholarly literature on the use of technology by philanthropic organizations is limited. The first objective is to understand the impact of technological innovation on philanthropic organizations as community partners. The second objective is to consider the future work in the philanthropic sector. To achieve these objectives, this research adopted qualitative research methods: informational interviews were conducted with representatives of philanthropic organizations that are integrating technology. Additionally, analysis incorporated organizational profiles, missions, and information about the issues these organizations seek to address. These interviews informed case studies that show five themes. The five key themes for the future of philanthropy are: the role of technology, the irreplaceable human touch, the importance of community, accessibility to data and software, and the promotion of transparency. Finally, based on these themes four recommendations are given for future workers - students and job seekers - looking for opportunities in the philanthropic sector. The contribution of this thesis is providing initial insights on the use of technology by philanthropic organizations, how they envision the future, and what the implications are for emerging philanthropy practitioners.Item Social Enterprises' Resource Acquisition: Bringing Signaling Theory into Focus(2023-09) Ji, Chen; Konrath, Sara; Andersson, Fredrik O.; Paarlberg, Laurie; Badertscher, KatherineSocial entrepreneurship has been recognized by both scholars and practitioners as a powerful mechanism to address a variety of complex social issues, such as addressing poverty, reducing unemployment, and empowering women. With the rapid rise of social enterprise in the last two decades, most social enterprises still face many challenges in operation and development due to environmental uncertainty, the liability of newness, and tradeoffs in balancing financial and social objectives. Besides, social enterprises are expected to become financially self-sustainable so as to reduce their reliance on government funding. These financial and growth expectations require social enterprises to actively seek and acquire resources, especially financial resources, through diverse channels. The dissertation uses insights from entrepreneurship studies to explore the dynamics of social enterprises’ resource acquisition by examining an overarching question: what factors are associated with early-state social enterprises’ resource acquisition? Using a social entrepreneurship dataset collecting survey data from around the world, the first essay proposes two contrasting theories and tests whether the hybrid identity (e.g. with both social and financial motives) of social enterprise boosts or inhibits resource acquisition outcomes. The second essay follows up by focusing on nonprofit start-ups’ resource acquisition, and it further examines how founders’ experience, founding teams’ characteristics, and organizations’ innovativeness are associated with their acquisition of philanthropic grants. The third essay uses signaling theory to examine how human capital and social media signal a social enterprise’s venture quality, and how they could be associated with the social enterprise’s philanthropic donation and debt funding acquisition. In sum, this dissertation brings signaling theory into focus and specifically examines what signals through what signaling channels would be associated with social enterprises’ resource acquisition. It also advances knowledge in social enterprises’ sustainable development and cross-sector collaborations as well as offers actionable suggestions for practitioners in improving the strategy in communicating with external stakeholders.Item Does Organizational Type Matter for Clients' Experiences? A Comparative Study of Nonprofit Organizations, Government Organizations, For-Profit Organizations, and Social Enterprises(2023-08) Ho, Meng-Han; Benjamin, Lehn M.; Anderson, Fredrik O.; Dwyer, Patrick C.; Hong, MichinThis dissertation research addresses the question: Does organizational type matter for the service experiences of clients? One of the central questions in nonprofit studies is whether nonprofits are distinct in significant ways from other service providers including governments, for-profits, or social enterprises. This dissertation addresses this question by focusing on two aspects of service quality hypothesized as mattering to clients’ helpseeking preferences—employee motivation and clients’ perceived control over key decisions in the service process. It specifically examines how employee motivation and clients’ perceived control affect clients’ help-seeking preferences in different organizational types. In the first essay, the study conducted an online experiment to test how organizational types (governments/nonprofits/for-profits) and clients’ perceptions of employee motivation (intrinsic/extrinsic) affect clients’ help-seeking preferences. Employee motivation has been theorized as distinct for nonprofits compared to governments and for-profits. The study found that clients’ perceptions of employee motivations are a stronger determinant of their willingness to interact with the organization and employees, compared to their perceived organizational types. When employees have intrinsic motivation, there is no effect of organizational type on clients’ service preferences. However, when employees are extrinsically motivated, clients prefer interacting with government or nonprofit organizations and employees. In the second essay, the study conducted a scoping review to examine the current literature on the experiences of clients in social enterprises and ran an online experiment to test the effects of social enterprise types (nonprofit/for-profit) and clients’ perceived control over key decisions in the service process. The study found that clients’ perceptions of social enterprise types and control over their job placement mattered for their service preferences. When the services are provided in for-profit social enterprises, clients would recommend and say positive things about the for-profit social enterprise they perceive to have more control over service selections. But there is no similar effect on nonprofit social enterprises. This dissertation contributes to understanding nonprofit distinctiveness through clients’ experiences, a perspective often ignored in nonprofit studies, and considers the implications for both nonprofit relationships to the market and the state.Item Professionalism and Its Implications in the Saudi Nonprofit Sector(2023-05) Alzahrani, Yahya Saleh A.; Badertscher, Katherine; Konrath, Sara; Andersson, Fredrik; Fukui, Sadaaki; Siddiqui, ShariqThe Saudi Arabian government launched Vision 2030 in 2016 that will have repercussions for all aspects of society. The Saudi nonprofit sector has undergone massive and unprecedented reform ever since. Professionalism is a major tool for this reform, prompting an increasing need for research on the topic of organizational professionalism. This dissertation examines how to define and measure organizational professionalism and its implications in the Saudi nonprofit sector. After introducing key concepts and historical context in Chapter 1, I include three articles that address these themes. Using grounded theory methodology, in Chapter 2, I focus on how nonprofit workers in Saudi Arabia define professionalism. In Chapter 3, I develop, test, and validate a professionalism scale from Saudi nonprofit workers’ perspective. In Chapter 4, I examine implications of professionalism on Saudi nonprofit employees’ work-related wellbeing: job satisfaction, turnover intention, and job burnout. In the Conclusion (Chapter 5), I discuss results along with potential implications for policies and practice, recommendations, limitations, and directions for future research.Item Foundation Position and Actions in the Multi-national Arena: A Case Study of Ocean Conservation in the Arctic(2023-03) Danahey Janin, Patricia Clare; Paarlberg, Laurie E.; Shaker, Genevieve G.; Badertscher, Katherine; Hellwig, TimothyThis study examines private foundation positioning and actions in respect to governance and market considerations in the multi-national arena around the issue of ocean conservation in the empirical setting of the Arctic Ocean. Existing research has focused primarily on foundations in their domestic setting or alternatively in their international engagement within a foreign country. There is evidence that foundation creation and activity addressing global issues are rising. Questions remain around the role of foundations in global governance and their relationship to the market. Using a qualitative case study methodology, this study was guided by a framework based on governance and market. The framework incorporated Young and Frumkin’s conceptualization of government-nonprofit relations enhanced by three additional United Nations ocean-related frameworks, and an orientation toward the market based on empirical studies. Five key actions carried out by foundations were also considered. The study was organized around two ocean conservation policy contexts to see similarities and differences. The research focused on a total of eleven foundation case studies, drawing on data from publicly available documents, grant databases, the observation of public events, and sixteen semi-structured on-line video interviews of experts, foundation, government, and NGO representatives. The study supports the theoretical model demonstrating that foundations generally complemented government activity underway and took adversarial stances at specific decision-making junctures. Foundations were attentive to international frameworks that intersected with their issue area and approach. The study challenges the model due to the difficulty in differentiating the supplemental and complementary positioning. Governance architecture and interlocking policy fields kept foundations from driving the agenda. Primary actions were funding and deploying a variety of non-financial assets. No high-risk funding linked to markets was detected and sustainable market solutions coupled with regulation were favored approaches. Risk mitigation was a primary concern prompting questions around foundation innovation. This research points to factors hindering foundations to take on a key role in governance and the evolving dimensions of the market prompting further research on foundation activity in the multi-national arena. It provides scholars and practitioners insights into theoretical and practical implications for foundations working in complex, politically tense contexts.Item Rites of the Soil: Exploring the Ritualized Work of a Nonprofit Community Garden(2022-12) Alexander, James Robert; Craig, David; Benjamin, Lehn; King, David; Vogt, WendyThe field of ritual studies has often been relegated to the disciplines of religious studies and anthropology, and typically understood within a religious context. However, this dissertation applies the study of ritual to a nonprofit organization as a distinct organizational culture that engages in mission driven work that, at times, can also function as a series of deeply meaningful rituals; within ritual studies, this process of practical work taking on enhanced meaning is known as ritualization. Utilizing Ronald Grimes' categories of ritual sensibilities (specifically decorum, magic, ceremony, liturgy, and celebration), this research sought to better understand how the work of The Lord's Acre, a nonprofit community garden dedicated to addressing the conditions of food insecurity, can similarly be viewed as ritualized activities. The study was conducted through the use of intensive participant observation and interviews conducted between 2018-2020 on site in Fairview, North Carolina. The research uncovered several important revelations. First, the work of the garden often hinged upon the use of ritual language, spaces, and objects, and some of the rituals defied the clear categorization under Grimes' schema. Instead, ritual attitudes toward the work under observation became blends of multiple categories, such as celebratory ceremonies, thus helping to reify Grimes' theory. Secondly, at times, the rituals undertaken at the organization resembled rites of passage popularized by Arnold van Gennep and also sustained periods of liminality, or communitas, popularized by Victor Turner, especially in the organization's attempts to build community through educating others about food insecurity. Finally, the research discovered that the practice of liturgy, conventionally thought to reside within religious nonprofit organizations, was active within the organization and thus may also be alive and well within secular nonprofit organizations.