Nonprofit Organizations - Publications - Faculty & Research

August 1998 (Revised March 2002)
Background Note

Overview of the Nonprofit Sector

By: James E. Austin and Elaine V. Backman

Provides brief background information to aid in understanding the U.S. and international nonprofit sectors. View Details

Keywords: Nonprofit Organizations

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2014
Article

The Governance of Social Enterprises: Mission Drift and Accountability Challenges in Hybrid Organizations

By: Alnoor Ebrahim, Julie Battilana and Johanna Mair

We examine the challenges of governance facing organizations that pursue a social mission through the use of market mechanisms. These hybrid organizations, often referred to as social enterprises, combine aspects of both charity and business at their core. In this... View Details

Keywords: Governance; Hybrid Organizations; Nonprofit; Performance Measurement; Legal Form; Agency Theory; Stakeholder Management; Mission and Purpose; Social Enterprise; Corporate Accountability

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October 2010
Article

The Emerging Capital Market for Nonprofits

By: Robert S. Kaplan and Allen S. Grossman

Many of our largest and most successful companies today did not exist 50 years ago. During this same time interval, companies that ranked among top in the 1960s have disappeared, been merged out of existence, or become much smaller presences in the U.S. industrial... View Details

Keywords: Capital Markets; Investment Funds; Philanthropy and Charitable Giving; Corporate Accountability; Management Practices and Processes; Infrastructure; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Performance Effectiveness; Nonprofit Organizations

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18 Sep 2000
Research & Ideas

Getting It Done: Improving Nonprofit Performance

For many years, Americans have shown their generosity to myriad nonprofit organizations. And 1999 was no exception, as charitable giving in this country reached a record high of just over $190 billion. At the same time, however, there is... View Details

Keywords: by James E. Aisner

2010
Chapter

The Many Faces of Nonprofit Accountability

By: Alnoor Ebrahim

Calls for greater accountability are not new. Leaders of organizations, be they nonprofit, business, or government, face a constant stream of demands from various constituents demanding accountable behavior. But what does it mean to be accountable? By and large,... View Details

Keywords: Crime and Corruption; Corporate Accountability; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Taxation; Leadership; Management; Nonprofit Organizations; Behavior; Trust

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Article

Managing Multi-Site Nonprofits

By: Allen Grossman and V. Kasturi Rangan

Keywords: Nonprofit Organizations; Management

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02 Feb 2021
Working Paper Summaries

Nonprofits in Good Times and Bad Times

Keywords: by Christine L. Exley, Nils H. Lehr, and Stephen J. Terry

23 Feb 2004
Research & Ideas

It’s Back to Business-Basics for Nonprofits

nonprofits to focus on their organizations and strategies, not just the social value their organization creates. Even more importantly, View Details

Keywords: by Manda Salls

03 Feb 2015
Working Paper Summaries

Regulator Leniency and Mispricing in Beneficent Nonprofits

Keywords: by Jonas Heese, Ranjani Krishnan & Frank Moers

April 2009 (Revised April 2009)
Background Note

Note on the Nonprofit Sector

By: Allen S. Grossman and Naomi Greckol-Herlich

This note introduces students to the current state of the nonprofit sector around the world. It also provides insight into the sector's origin and purpose as well as the identifying important current trends. The note draws on numerous sources to provide a single... View Details

Keywords: Trends; Globalization; Business History; Nonprofit Organizations

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14 Dec 2011
Research & Ideas

The New Measures for Improving Nonprofit Performance

For-profit businesses have a common goal: create value for owners or shareholders by creating value for customers. It's a focus that must seem enviably straightforward from the perspective of nonprofit View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna

16 May 2005
Research & Ideas

Nonprofit Networking: The New Way to Grow

Whether their mission is to protect wildlife, help disabled people, or offer financial services in developing countries, nonprofit organizations often believe they need to grow big before they can achieve... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

September 2016 (Revised October 2017)
Case

KaBOOM!: Play at Scale (Abridged)

By: V. Kasturi Rangan and Sarah Appleby

A case on scaling social impact for nonprofits. Founded in 1995, KaBOOM! quickly became a nationally recognized nonprofit in building playgrounds with strong corporate partnerships and volunteer-organizing capabilities. Over the years, KaBOOM! developed new programs,... View Details

Keywords: Scaling Social Enterprise; Scaling Social Impact; Nonprofit Scaling; Nonprofit; Nonprofit Organizations; Social Enterprise; Social Entrepreneurship; Growth and Development Strategy; United States

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13 Mar 2005
Research & Ideas

The Tricky Business of Nonprofit Brands

face is that they must appeal to a broader array of stakeholders. Nonprofit brands have a dual objective: to enhance fundraising and to ensure the implementation of the organization's mission. In addition, View Details

Keywords: by Manda Salls

17 Oct 2011
Research & Ideas

How ‘Hybrid’ Nonprofits Can Stay on Mission

charitable donations like a typical nonprofit would. Commercial microfinance organizations often adopt a hybrid model, for example: they provide business loans to poor people who wouldn't traditionally... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

February 2023
Article

Nonprofits in Good Times and Bad Times

By: Christine L. Exley, Nils H. Lehr and Stephen J. Terry

Need fluctuates over the business cycle. We conduct a survey revealing a desire for nonprofit activities to countercyclically expand during downturns. We then demonstrate, using comprehensive U.S. nonprofit data drawn from millions of tax returns, that the public's... View Details

Keywords: Nonprofit Organizations; Business Cycles; Philanthropy and Charitable Giving

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2015
Article

Regulator Leniency and Mispricing in Beneficent Nonprofits

By: Jonas Heese, Ranjani Krishnan and Frank Moers

We posit that nonprofits that provide a greater supply of unprofitable services (beneficent nonprofits) face lenient regulatory enforcement for mispricing in price-regulated markets. Consequently, beneficent nonprofits exploit such regulatory leniency and exhibit... View Details

Keywords: Nonprofit Organizations; Business Earnings; Fairness; Governance Compliance

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22 Feb 2000
Research & Ideas

Social Capital Markets: Creating Value in the Nonprofit World

measuring investmentperformance, and maintaining a long-term relationship — that would benefitboth foundations and nonprofits. The article helped catalyze the thinking of many in the nonprofit field and illuminated and encouraged an... View Details

Keywords: by Anne Kavanagh

12 May 2011
Research & Ideas

The Difficult Transition from For-Profit to Nonprofit Boards

Editor's note: For those of who have attended meetings of both nonprofit and for-profit boards, the differences between the two organizations couldn't be clearer. Nonprofit... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne