Greetings from the Executive Director: May 2024

Nicole Collier, NACC Executive Director

Nicole Collier, MPSA
Executive Director, NACC
Center for Nonprofits and Philanthropy
Bush School of Government and Public Service
Texas A&M University

Hello, everyone!

I know there are several updates, new honor society members to welcome, and more to share, but I wanted to reminisce about my time at NACC.

This month marks five years since I stepped into the role of interim executive director for NACC on May 1st, 2019. That version of me, let’s call her “Past Nicole”, was a duck desperately treading water and trying to look calm on the surface. I was attempting to learn the ropes of NACC, trying to measure up to the example and expertise that Erin Vokes demonstrated (hi, Erin!), and wrapping up the planning and logistics for NACC’s 2019 conference in London, England!

Past Nicole made a lot of mistakes. The first was when Dr. Will Brown came into my office in November of 2018 and asked if I knew about NACC. In my mind, I thought they were asking about my hometown, Nacogdoches, commonly referred to as “Nac.” So, I very confidently answered, “I know everything about Nac!” Turns out I lied.

I quickly learned about this amazing group of people when I acted as a stand-in note-taker during the 2018 member meeting in Austin, Texas. I learned even more and haven’t stopped learning since. I became interim executive director in 2019, and the official executive director the next year. I continue to make mistakes, hopefully not as many as Past Nicole; and I continue to be amazed at the work our members undertake, the dedication of the students that join our honor society, and the passion we all share for nonprofit education.

By the time this newsletter comes out, I will also have celebrated a birthday where my age will end in “0” (I’ll let y’all guess which decade beyond that). It’s a natural point to reflect on how far I’ve come, what I want to improve on, and what I hope for the future. So it’s natural that I combine both of these milestones to think about how lucky I am.

So. I hope Future Nicole keeps making mistakes, but more importantly, that she learns from those inevitable mistakes and keeps working to improve. I hope she keeps learning from the amazing people around her. Finally, I hope she takes time to enjoy the things in her life and take care of herself.

Thank you all for being part of this journey me, whether you are reading this for the first time and have no clue who I am, or have been part of NACC since the beginning. I am thankful for all of you.

All the best,
Nicole

By |2024-05-22T15:37:31-04:00May 22nd, 2024|Executive Director's Report|

Individual and Interlinked SDGs: Higher Education Institutions and Metro Area Sustainability Performance

Ha B. Vien and Christopher S. Galik
Ha B. Vien

Ha B. Vien, MPA
Instructor of Record
Research Fellow @ Earth System Governance
PhD Student in Public Administration (2022-2026)
School of Public and International Affairs
North Carolina State University

Christopher S. Galik, PhD

Christopher S. Galik, PhD
Professor and Director
Sustainable Futures Initiative
Department of Public Administration
School of Public and International Affairs
North Carolina State University

Individual and Interlinked SDGs: Higher Education Institutions and Metro Area Sustainability Performance

International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 2024

Recent scholarship has explored the role of higher education institutions (HEIs) in transitioning to a sustainable society, yet empirical questions remain regarding their impact on the sustainability of surrounding areas. This study aims to examine the correlation between HEIs’ sustainability actions and local sustainability performance. Using a linear regression model and principal component analysis, this research investigates the sustainability performance of 105 US metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) utilizing the US cities sustainable development goal (SDG) index, which includes 427 HEIs known for their sustainability efforts. The HEI sustainability performance score is calculated based on the QS sustainability universities ranking.

The findings reveal a mix of positive and negative associations between MSA and HEI sustainability performance, with individual and interlinked SDGs serving as proxies. These correlations encompass a wide range of goals, from economic aspects of SDGs 1 (No poverty), 2 (Zero hunger), 3 (Good health and well-being), 7 (Affordable and clean energy), and 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure) to social aspects of SDGs 10 (Reduced inequalities) and 16 (Peace, justice and strong institutions), and socio-environmental aspects of SDG 12 (Responsible consumption and production). The results suggest that while HEIs are associated with some aspects of community sustainability, there is potential for greater contributions across a broader array of sustainability measures.

The study highlights the need for further exploration to identify the causal mechanisms behind the associations between SDG measures and HEI sustainability performance, whether influenced by the institution, the individual, or both. Practically, this research indicates that HEIs could enhance their impact on community sustainability by expanding their contributions to a wider range of sustainability goals. Socially, the study underscores the connection between HEI sustainability actions and the attainment of societal goals, particularly in relation to SDGs 10 (Reduced inequalities), 12 (Responsible consumption and production), and 16 (Peace, justice, and strong institutions).

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to examine the correlation between HEI and MSA sustainability performance in the US through individual and interlinked SDG proxies. It provides novel empirical evidence demonstrating an association between HEIs and various aspects of community sustainability performance, contributing valuable insights to the ongoing discourse on sustainability in higher education and urban development.

Ha Vien is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Public Administration at North Carolina State University, US. She is currently a research fellow at Earth System Governance project. She holds an MPA from the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University Bloomington, US. Her research interests include public administration and public policy, sustainability, SDGs, environmental/ energy policy, and environmental justice. More information can be found on her website at https://sites.google.com/view/havien or email at bvien@ncsu.edu.

Christopher Galik is a professor in the Department of Public Administration at North Carolina State University and Director of the University-wide Sustainable Futures Initiative. Galik joined NC State in August 2016 as a Chancellor’s Faculty Excellence Program cluster hire in Sustainable Energy Systems and Policy (SESP), and works to better understand the formal and informal institutions governing complex and emerging energy and environmental problems. He brings an interdisciplinary perspective to his work, leveraging expertise in institutional theory, economics, and the natural sciences to address energy and environmental management and policy challenges. Recent research includes an evaluation of institutional stability in environmental governance, the influence of historical transitions on the adoption of sustainable practices at the local level, and the contribution of voluntary actions to climate change mitigation objectives.

By |2024-05-21T10:26:09-04:00May 20th, 2024|NACC Member Research|

Sector Theorists Should Consider How Social Values Determine Unmet Needs

Ruth K. Hansen and Gregory R. Witkowski
Dr. Ruth K. Hansen

Dr. Ruth K. Hansen
Assistant Professor, Nonprofit Management
Director, Institute for Nonprofit Management Studies
College of Business and Economics
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater

Gregory. R. Witkowski

Dr. Gregory. R. Witkowski
Senior Lecturer on Nonprofit Management, Columbia University
Affiliate Faculty, National Center for Disaster Preparedness
Book Series Editor of Georgetown University Press “Philanthropy, Nonprofits, and Nongovernmental Organizations” Series

Sector Theorists Should Consider How Social Values Determine Unmet Needs

Reimagining Nonprofits: Sector Theory in the Twenty-First Century
Cambridge University Press, 2024

“Sector Theorists Should Consider How Social Values Determine Unmet Needs” is a book chapter in the volume, Reimagining Nonprofits: Sector Theory in the Twenty-First Century, published by Cambridge University Press in 2024. In this chapter, the authors explore how sociopolitical power manifests itself through for-profit, nonprofit, and public sector practices and policies. They write:

While there are differences between the sectors, socially constructed preferences and sociopolitical power supersede these differences, foregrounding the needs of people with economic, political, and social power and repeatedly leaving others’ needs unmet. Drawing on postcolonial theory, we argue that the dominant explanatory framework for the interaction of the market, government, and nonprofit sectors—Three Failures Theory—works best for those needs that society recognizes as important. The theory is often understood as explaining the provision of goods across society, but only illustrates how certain needs are met. On its own, it unconsciously reflects and reinforces the social constructions that deem the demands of some people as important and of others as irrelevant (e.g., Schneider & Ingram, 1990, 1993).

We take issue with the notion of “needs” that are taken for granted in Three Failures Theory. All needs are not the same, and some needs are recognized while others remain hidden. Gaps in provision are neither evenly spread nor random but correlate with societal values. In essence, groups who are “on the margins” of society are often ignored or exploited because of culturally ascribed characteristics. For the nonprofit sector, these groups represent a challenge and opportunity to show societal leadership and to engage with these needs.

In this chapter, we draw on both critical theory and social science to develop the Cross-Sectoral Bias Theory to understand which needs are likely to be met and which are likely to be excluded. We see Cross-Sectoral Bias Theory as an important supplement to the Three Failures Theory by explaining why some societal needs remain unmet. Social systems and perceptions, defined by those with power, affect the behavior of decision makers in all sectors, resulting in differing access to goods and services. By bringing critical theory into dialogue with the BIAS framework and Three Failures Theory, our interdisciplinary Cross-Sectorial Bias Theory offers a refined lens for understanding of how the three sectors define whose needs are met, and how.

Ruth K. Hansen, PhD, is an assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater’s College of Business and Economics, and director of the Institute for Nonprofit Management Studies. She teaches classes in nonprofit organizations, fundraising, organizational behavior, and research methods. Her research focuses on the theory and practice of fundraising, and equity and inclusion in resource mobilization. Dr. Hansen has more than 20 years’ professional experience as a fundraiser, and is a former board member of AFP-Chicago. Recent publications include “Applying a stakeholder management approach to ethics in charitable fundraising,” published in the Journal of Philanthropy and Marketing and “Gary Neighborhood House: Managing mission and uncertainty in the Civil Rights era,” in the edited volume Hoosier Philanthropy. She contributed the chapter “Theory in Fundraising,” to the new edition of Achieving Excellence in Fundraising, which was featured on Bill Stanczykiewicz’s First Day Podcast from The Fundraising School. Her research with Dr. Lauren Dula on fundraising appeal letters, supported by the AFP Foundation, is the subject of a recent article in Advancing Philanthropy.

Gregory R. Witkowski is a senior lecturer of nonprofit management and affiliate faculty at the National Center for Disaster Preparedness. He is the series editor of the Georgetown University Press Series “Philanthropy, Nonprofit and Nongovernmental Organizations,” which publishes books for scholars and practitioners. Witkowski has authored or edited three books: The Campaign State, German Philanthropy in Transatlantic Perspective, and Hoosier Philanthropy. He has also contributed additional chapters to prominent edited volumes and articles published in scholarly journals. His research focuses on both local interactions where the majority of philanthropic gifts go and on transnational giving, which add the complication of cross-cultural exchange. The Social Science Research Council, American Historical Association, German Academic Exchange, Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, the New York Public Library, Rockefeller Archive Center, and Columbia University have all supported Witkowski through grants.

By |2024-05-21T17:39:24-04:00May 20th, 2024|NACC Member Research|

How to Activate Nonprofit Beneficiaries for Community Resilience?

Dr. William A. Brown, The Bush School, Texas A&M University
Dr. William Brown

Dr. William A. Brown
Professor and Director
Center for Nonprofits and Philanthropy
Holder of the Mary Julia & George Jordan Professorship
The Bush School of Government & Public Service
Texas A&M University

How to Activate Nonprofit Beneficiaries for Community Resilience? Examining the Role of Risk Perception and Evaluation of Nonprofit Services on Prosocial Behavior in the Context of Natural Hazards

Hyunseok Hwang, R. Patrick Bixler, William A. Brown, and Arnold Vedlitz
Sociological Spectrum
, Volume 44, 2024 – Issue 1

Nonprofit organizations serve an essential role in response to natural hazards by delivering services to affected communities and those in need. However, little is known about the drivers of nonprofit-resident engagement during and aftermath of emergencies. Utilizing survey data collected in Austin, Texas, the authors address this gap by analyzing how beneficiaries of nonprofit services become donors and/or volunteers. Specifically, this study empirically analyzes how risk awareness and perceived nonprofit responsiveness and satisfaction (i.e., evaluation of services) influence beneficiaries’ donation and volunteering during and after natural hazards. This relationship between risk awareness, evaluation of nonprofit services, and prosocial behaviors is understudied but extremely salient in the context of the expanding role of nonprofits on the frontlines of increasing frequency and duration of extreme weather events. The results indicate that the mediating role of citizens’ evaluation of nonprofit services in the relationship between risk awareness and prosocial behavior is evident, despite the lack of significant direct effects of risk awareness on prosocial behavior.

This study offers new perspectives to understanding the co-production of nonprofit services and mobilizing community resources to prepare, respond, and recover from climate impacts and informs ongoing conversations in urban sociology and the sociology of disaster.

William A. Brown is a professor at the Bush School of Government & Public Service at Texas A&M University and holds the Mary Julia and George Jordan Professorship. He serves as the Director of the Center for Nonprofits and Philanthropy. He teaches Nonprofit Management, Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Human Resource Management, and Capstone courses. He received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Education from Northeastern University with a concentration in Human Services. He earned his Master’s and Doctorate in Organizational Psychology from Claremont Graduate University. He has worked with numerous organizations in the direct provision of services, consulting, and board governance. He served on the board of the Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action (ARNOVA) from 2007-2012 and chaired the Education Committee from 2009-2011. His research focuses on nonprofit governance, strategy, and organizational effectiveness. He has authored numerous research articles, technical reports, and several practice-oriented publications. Examples of his work include exploring the association between board and organizational performance and developing the concept of mission attachment. Publication outlets include Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, Nonprofit Management & Leadership, International Journal of Volunteer Administration, and Public Performance and Management Review. He has completed an edited volume entitled Nonprofit Governance: Innovative Perspectives and Approaches (Routledge, July 2013) with Chris Cornforth. A textbook entitled Strategic Management in Nonprofit Organizations was published in March 2014 (Jones & Bartlett).

By |2024-05-21T10:23:34-04:00May 20th, 2024|NACC Member Research|
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