Fall 2008 Issue of Nonprofit Management and Leadership
The Fall 2008 issue of Nonprofit Management and Leadership (Volume 19, No. 1), the quarterly journal sponsored by the Mandel Center, presents a mix of research on such wide-ranging topics as volunteerism, grantor-grantee collaboration, fraud loss, the state of nonprofit education in the United Kingdom, and succession planning.
In "Linking Collegiate Service-Learning to Future Volunteerism," Chuck Tomkovick and his co-authors look at one of the biggest challenges facing nonprofits-attracting and retaining volunteers to help deliver their programs-through the lens of servicelearning (S-L) programs. They propose three predictors of future volunteerism for alumni of a collegiate S-L experience: the amount of personal development gained during the S-L project, the perceived value of the project to the community organization, and the level of prior volunteerism. Their findings have implications for nonprofit managers of volunteer programs and for those responsible for organizing S-L programs.
However, as nonprofit managers well know, attracting volunteers is only one part of the equation; retaining those same volunteers is another. Galit Ventura Yanay and Niza Yanay offer insight into the problem of volunteer dropout in "The Decline of Motivation? From Commitment to Dropping out of Volunteering." On the basis of a longitudinal study conducted among volunteers at a center that provides assistance to victims of sexual assault and domestic violence, they argue that "dropping out is not always a product of waning motivation . . . but rather the outcome of unabridged discrepancies between 'ought' and 'actual' experiences." The articles focuses on "those aspects of tensions, paradoxes, and contradictions that disserve both the organization and the volunteers."
"I hate foundation officers-they're all jerks!" says one nonprofit executive. Thus begins Kent Fairfield and Kennard Wing's study of "Collaboration in Foundation Grantor-Grantee Relationships." The quality of such relationships, the authors note, varies widely, and it is often difficult to form collaborative ones. Their study "identifies some of the earmarks of fruitful relationships and suggests some ways to replicate those successes."
In "Determinants of Fraud Losses in Nonprofit Organizations," Kristy Holtfreter examines occupational fraud in 128 nonprofit agencies and compares her findings to a larger body of empirical research from criminology and business ethics. Among those findings: "At the individual level, it appears females are responsible for increased dollar losses; however, subsequent analyses demonstrate that organizations with a higher level of internal controls detect fraud committed by males, and it is these offenses that result in more serious losses."
Why has nonprofit management education expanded in the United States while provision of the same in the United Kingdom has stood still? That's the central question posed by Paul Palmer and Mariana Bogdanova in "The British Are Not Coming! UK Higher Education and the Nonprofit Sector." The authors argue that one of the answers to that question lies in the university as an institution, both in terms of its nature and its power structures. They trace the closing of the voluntary sector course at the London School of Economics and reflect on the future of voluntary sector management education in the UK. In a separate commentary on Palmer and Bogdanova's article, Rob Paton offers a more positive outlook.
"Succession, Strategy, Culture, and Change at Santopol Roulant" is an engaging case study of a nonprofit in Montreal that within the space of a few months lost half its board members, five senior staff members, and its dedicated and popular executive director. Authors Lukas Neville and Elspeth Murray explore issues related to succession planning, transition management, and organizational change.
Contents
Linking Collegiate Service-Learning to Future Volunteerism: Implications for Nonprofit Organizations
Chuck Tomkovick, Scott W. Lester, LaNette Flunker, and Theresa A. Wells, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
Collaboration in Foundation Grantor-Grantee Relationships
Kent D. Fairfield, Fairleigh Dickinson University
Kennard T. Wing, Consultant
Determinants of Fraud Losses in Nonprofit Organizations
Kristy Holtfreter, Arizona State University
The Decline of Motivation? From Commitment to Dropping Out of Volunteering
Galit Ventura Yanay and Niza Yanay, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
The British Are Not Coming! UK Higher Education and the Nonprofit Sector
Paul Palmer and Mariana Bogdanova, Cass Business School
Comment on "The British Are Not Coming' UK Higher Education and the Nonprofit Sector"
Rob Paton, Open University
Case Study: Succession, Strategy, Culture, and Change in Santropol Roulant
Lukas Neville and Elspeth J. Murray, Queen's School of Business
To read abstracts of these articles, or to subscribe to Nonprofit Management and Leadership, visit the Wiley InterScience website:
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/104049461/home
