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Nonprofit Research+context
The term Nonprofits Research is used to describe the academic enterprise devoted to teaching and research on nonprofit organizations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), voluntary associations, voluntarism and voluntary action, philanthropy, civil society, and related activities. It is a loosely-bounded, multidisciplinary, practice-oriented community.
+resources and best practices
Nonprofit Research+background
The field has its origins in the 1940s, when F. Emerson Andrews, a staffer at the Russell Sage Foundation, initiated a series of studies of foundations and philanthropy. Institutionally, Sage had a long-term interest in philanthropy as part of the larger problem of social welfare policy. In the 1940s and 1950s, Andrews and his associates produced a series of pioneering volumes on philanthropic giving (1950), corporation giving (1952), attitudes towards giving (1953), philanthropic foundations (1956), and government policies towards philanthropy (1968). Andrews also edited the first Foundation Directory (1967), founding editor of Foundation News, and was the first director of the Foundation Library Center.
Nonprofit Research+definitions
A nonprofit organization (abbreviated "NPO", or "non-profit" or "not-for-profit") is an organization whose primary objective is to support an issue or matter of private interest or public concern for non-commercial purposes. Nonprofits may be involved in an innumerable range of areas relating to the arts, charities, education, politics, religion, research, sports or some other endeavor. - Wikipedia at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nonprofit_Organization
501(c) is a provision of the United States Internal Revenue Code (26 U.S.C. § 501(c)), listing twenty-eight types of non-profit organizations exempt from some Federal income taxes. Sections 503 through 505 list the requirements for attaining such exemptions. Many states reference Section 501(c) for definitions of organizations exempt from state taxation as well. - Wikipedia at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/501%28c%29
public charity: The federal tax code divides charities into two basic types: public charities and private foundations. Public charities include churches, educational institutions and hospitals, as well as publicly supported organizations such as museums and community foundations. - GOSW and Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers
Nonprofit Research+where to start
Nonprofit Research+best practices
Alltop's Fudraising Page
a real-time round up of fundraising resources and articles on the web
http://fundraising.alltop.com/
The Urban Institute's Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy
conducts and disseminates research on the role and impact of nonprofit organizations and philanthropy. The Center's Mission is to promote understanding of civil society and improve nonprofit sector performance through rigorous research, clear analysis and informed policy.
http://www.urban.org/center/cnp/index.cfm
The National Center for Charitable Statistics
creates and maintains a comprehensive national nonprofit data system on tax-exempt organizations -- thier finances, employment, governance, capacity, outcomes and impacts. http://nccs.urban.org/
the Nonprofit Blog Carnival
a monthly collection of best advice for nonprofit organizations from leading consultants, support organizations and nonprofits themselves. Formerly known as the Carnival of Nonprofit Consultants. http://blogcarnival.com/bc/cprof_318.html
IdeaEncore
IdeaEncore provides nonprofit organizations, foundations and quality content owners with an online marketplace for sharing ready-to-use tools / templates / training content / policies / program materials.
Other resources:
Nonprofit Research+lessons learned
Giving Institute's Resource Library
A new resource for the development professional has been put together by Giving Institute: Leading Consultants to Non-Profits – a resource library that you are free to draw from for your use.
http://www.givinginstitute.org/resourcelibrary/
Nonprofit Research+standards in field
Logic Models for Nonprofits
(Logic models as they apply to exploring the efficacy of an organization and/or it's programs.)
"Increasingly, organizations across public, private and voluntary sectors are being challenged to demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of their programs, and to be accountable to managers, funding agencies and taxpayers. One tool that can help organizations achieve these tasks is the program logic model, a diagram that provides a road map for a given program, showing what it is supposed to do, with whom, and why. The program logic model can help organizations to take their program evaluations a step further by involving stakeholders in considering not only whether objectives are achieved, but also whether programs address problems that are appropriate for the particular program and organization."
http://www.charityvillage.com/cv/research/rstrat3.html
The Program Logic Model: what, why and how?
Charity Village
Sharon Kirkpatrick
December 31, 2001
This article mentions the what, why and how, as well as steps in developing a model and how it is applied.
http://www.charityvillage.com/cv/research/rstrat3.html
Everything You Wanted to Know About Logic Models But Were Afraid to Ask
InSites
Connie C. Shmitz, Beverly A. Parsons
Answers to basic questions about logic models.
http://insites.org/documents/logmod.htm
University of Wisconsin-Extension
The website of the UWEX offers a number of resources about logic models.
http://www.uwex.edu/ces/pdande/evaluation/evallogicmodel.html
Nonprofit Research+Attached Documents
- Joseph and Matthew Payton Philanthropic Studies Library
- Philanthropy archival collections at IUPUI University Library
- Philanthropy Resources Online (PRO)
- arnova.org Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action
- russellsage.org Russell Sage Foundation
Holding the Fort: Nonprofit Employment During a Decade of Turmoil (pdf)
presents "previously unavailable data on year-to-year changes in employment in private, nonprofit establishments in the United States from January 2000 through June 2010, with a special focus on how nonprofit employment fared during the 2007-2009 recession." Among other things, it reveals that nonprofit organizations added jobs faster than businesses in the last decade and that nonprofits employ the third largest workforce among U.S. industries, behind retail and manufacturing sectors.
http://ccss.jhu.edu/wp-content/plugins/download-monitor/download.php?id=369
