Leadership in faith‐based nonprofits

This case study illustrates the unique challenges of leading a faith‐based nonprofit organization within a multifaith constituency in Asia. The core themes of the case are based on research conducted with the staff, executive team, and board members of an international faith‐based nonprofit organization in Asia. Specifically, the case focuses on three identity‐based leadership dilemmas in relation to (1) creating a shared sense of organizational identity, (2) talent management, and (3) board governance. By describing the challenges faced by the CEO, the case shows how a strong faith‐based identification can positively bind an organization together, but also result in organizational blind spots with unintended consequences.     

The Use of E‐mail in the Therapy Process

The therapeutic letter has a long history, with roots in psychoanalytic work and continuing application in family therapy. The advent of e‐mail has allowed another form for therapeutic written communication which, while incorporating the benefits of therapeutic letters, adds to these. It has also opened up some potential risks. This article incorporates a brief review of the literature covering therapeutic written communication and offers a case example where e‐mail was used as an adjunct in face‐to‐face therapy with a client who experienced attachment difficulties. This therapy was informed by systemic and psychoanalytic traditions. The authors explore a variety of technical matters including the timing and crafting of e‐mail responses, the integration of written communication with face‐to‐face therapy, impact on the therapeutic relationship and management of crisis. Ethical issues such as confidentiality and duty of care are also considered.     

Small,minority‐based nonprofits in the information age

Pundits of information technology stress that the Internet opens new arenas for nonprofits through the ability to share information both locally and globally. New technology also changes funders' and other evaluators' expectations regarding proposals. Although new technology makes life easier for organizations with budgets, time, and familiarity with technology to buy and use these new tools, nonprofits that lack these resources fall even further behind in their quest to support and improve their programs. Based on ethnographic research in Kenosha, Wisconsin, this article explores the role of changing technology in the ability of small nonprofits to succeed in implementing their organizational mission. Using case studies, this article compares the experience of nonprofits and church mission projects based in the African American and Latino communities in this small city to that of two mainstream organizations in gaining funding and the general perception of those agencies in the local community. The article argues that expectations about the use of technology increase the gaps between a community's haves and have‐nots. Kenosha organizations based in communities of color are particularly at risk due to already low funding and lack of staff familiar with new technologies. The article demonstrates that the key is often not access to technology or technical assistance but the time to make the best use of available technology.     

The role of county‐based funders in sustaining nonprofits within rural and urbanized counties

Social service nonprofit organizations in the United States originally relied on private donations and charitable events to sustain their operations. Using case studies, this article examines the role played by local officials in the thirty‐year survival of certain Indiana Youth Services Bureaus (YSBs) and highlights the salient factors that influenced the viability of some nonprofit organizations over the others.     

Human capital inflow in nonprofits: Entry‐level employees’ sector shift

Although recruitment and retention of qualified employees are some of the biggest challenges in the nonprofit sector, nonprofit organizations must maintain human capital inflow due to its significant impacts on organizational success. Through person‐organization value fit, this paper explores the factors that influence labor shifts from the public or for‐profit sector into the nonprofit sector in the South Korean context. Specifically, the effects on the likelihood of employees switching to the nonprofit sector from the perspective of eight job satisfaction measures and three education–job match measures are investigated. Two groups of employees (those whose career started in the for‐profit sector and those starting in the public sector) are compared. Results indicate that there is substantial variation between the two groups. In particular, intrinsic job satisfaction has completely different effects on those working in the for‐profit sector than on those working in the public sector regarding their likelihood of having experienced an intersectoral shift into nonprofits. The more public employees are satisfied with intrinsic job rewards, especially job reputation, the more likely they are to move to nonprofits. These results suggest that when employees in the public sector are satisfied with intrinsic rewards they tend to pursue greater intrinsic satisfaction in the nonprofit sector. This paper also reports that education–job match is only significant for those whose first job was in the for‐profit sector.     

The four functions of nonprofits

On Being Nonprofit: A Conceptual and Policy Primer, by Peter Frumkin. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 2005. 232 pp., $19.95 paper.     

The liability of nonprofits to donors

The success of the third sector depends on public confidence, and that confidence rests, in part, on holding managers, directors, and officers of nonprofits responsible for their conduct. This accountability can be accomplished by clearly defining the roles of these individuals and the stands that they are to uphold, and by providing channels for all interested to challenge uncontrolled activities. Though interest in this goal is unanimous, a debate exists over how to ensure oversight and accountability.     

“The advancing of management”: Cross‐sector agents and rationalization of nonprofits in Eastern China

This study examines and extends former theoretical argument of nonprofit rationalization in the Chinese context. Based on a survey study of 179 nonprofit organizations across Zhejiang province of Eastern China, we find that nonprofits led by individuals with prior business experience and with more extensive business networking are more likely to adopt rationalized rules and practices. Moreover, the results indicate support for the mediation effect of business networking on the relationship between prior experience and rationalization. We also find the moderation effects of management training on the direct effect of prior business experience and on business networking, as well as the indirect effect of prior business experience on rationalization via business networking. Our findings contribute to explaining the formation of rationalization in the Chinese nonprofit sector and provide implications for future research, practice, and policy.     

Between moderation and radicalization: transnational interactions of Jamaat‐e‐Islami of India

Abstract Religious movements have often been studied in the context of nationstates. With scholarly attention now shifting to globalization and other world system processes, there is a growing move to go beyond the particularity of nation‐states and study the general transnational dimensions of religious movements. In this article I describe the processes through which Jamaat‐e‐Islami Hind (JIH), a contemporary Islamist movement in India, developed links with ideologically similar movements, institutions and networks in the Gulf countries, Iran and the West. Taking JIH as a social movement, I argue for a more nuanced conceptualization of transnational social movements, because existing theories are based on the experiences of Western democracies and, as such, are insensitive to collective actions in undemocratic polities such as the Gulf states. While making a case for taking into account the transnational dimensions of understanding JIH, I call into question the alarmist thesis that emphasizes the homogenous radicalization of the entire movement as an inevitable consequence of the transnational connections an Islamic movement develops. On the contrary, I contend that they also lead to conflict within the movement and its moderation.     

The use of performance measurement in South Carolina nonprofits

Performance measurement is touted by nonprofits as the newest method of ensuring accountability. Knowing the value of the process while having an appreciation for the downside with regard to volume of work can help organizations make more educated decisions about how deeply they want to get involved with performance or outcome measurement. This article provides background information on performance measurement and examples of how it is being used in nonprofit organizations. Next, it presents methods of an exploratory study conducted in South Carolina. Finally, a discussion of results focuses on the effect of outcome measurement on management and funding as well as the need for more in‐depth research.     

The democratic deficit of transnational environmental activism: a case study of e‐waste governance in India

The literature on transnational activism often associates environmental NGOs with democratic legitimacy, grassroots representation and environmental justice. Authors employ case studies to demonstrate how engaging in transnational networks increases the political agency of environmental NGOs. Yet, there is a tendency mostly to select successful cases. In this article, I investigate the political activities of the environmental NGO, Toxics Link, surrounding the recycling of electronic waste in India. Based on qualitative research, this study shows how the political incorporation of Toxics Link in transnational advocacy networks and domestic governance networks constrains their political agency. The structural exclusion of e‐waste labourers from Indian policy negotiations negates the discursive claims of legitimacy, representation and justice. These incorporation processes create a democratic deficit. I use the insights gained from this case study to provide a critical assessment of theories of transnational environmental activism.