‘Help, I need somebody!’: Exploring who founds new nonprofits

Abstract

Recent research suggest that the founding of a new nonprofit is seldom an activity done in solitude, rather, new nonprofits emerge from the efforts and contributions of multiple individuals working together as a team. Yet, to date we know very little about these collective efforts to start new nonprofits, especially during the earliest, nascent, stage of the founding process. This research note draws on survey data from 69 early-stage nonprofit founders to examine how many individuals are involved during the nascent stage of founding, who these individuals are, how they are related, and to illustrate how they contribute to the founding process.