“Voluntary Sector-Rich” and “Voluntary Sector-Poor”: What Difference Does the Distinction Really Make?

Nonprofit organizations serve a distinctive role within American society. Collectively, nonprofits are viewed as major sources of social capital, contributors to the public good, and the value guardians within communities. Nonprofits also have a sizeable (and quite positive) impact on the nation\u27s economy. Despite the social and economic significance of nonprofits, though, research has shown that nonprofit organizations and resources are not always distributed evenly across communities. Indeed, Wolch (1990) has observed that some communities are voluntary sector-rich, while others are voluntary sector-poor. Therefore, many of the benefits often associated with the presence of nonprofits may not be actualized, or even attainable, in all areas. The purpose of this study was three-fold. First, this study was intended to examine how size and scope dimensions of the nonprofit sector differed across communities within a particular region. Second, this study was intended to test, at a local level, the relevance of existing theories and concepts that explain variation in the distribution of nonprofit activity. Third, this study was intended to explore whether, and to what extent, differences in the voluntary landscape of communities were related to differences in public attitudes toward nonprofit organizations. Findings from this study indicated that nonprofit activity varied considerably. Through the use of a series of Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression models, several theoretically-derived community predictors were found to significantly influence the distribution of nonprofit activity. Moreover, results of a cluster analysis procedure revealed three distinct voluntary sector community types in the study region: voluntary sector-rich, voluntary sector-mixed, and voluntary sector-poor. Significant differences were found to exist in public attitudes across community types. In particular, residents in voluntary sector-rich communities expressed the most confidence in, and demonstrated the highest awareness of, the nonprofit sector. Residents in voluntary sector-poor communities expressed the least confidence in, and demonstrated the lowest awareness of, the nonprofit sector. More residents in voluntary sector-mixed communities believed that government agencies did the best job of helping people and spending money wisely. Finally, results of several logistic and logit regression models indicated that a number of individual factors influenced public attitudes toward nonprofits in each area

Introduction to the Issue

Introduction to the Issu

Nonprofits and the Promotion of Civic Engagement: A Conceptual Framework for Understanding the “Civic Footprint” of Nonprofits within Local Communities

The literature suggests that nonprofit organizations provide civic benefits by promoting engagement within local communities. However, there exists minimal empirical evidence describing the ways in which nonprofits actually undertake this role. In order to address this omission, we conducted interviews with personnel of nonprofit organizations in one rural community in the United States. Our preliminary findings indicate that nonprofit organizations promote civic engagement through programs and activities that: 1) engage volunteers and donors; 2) bring community members together; 3) collaborate with organizations within and beyond the community; and 4) promote community education and awareness. Together, these findings help to develop a working model to understand the civic footprint of nonprofit organizations with methodological implications for future research that would seek to measure the extent to which nonprofits promote civic engagement

The Appreciated Sector: Public Confidence in San Diego County Nonprofit Organizations

From November 2007 to January 2008, a total of 1,002 adult San Diego County residents responded to a survey designed to assess their confidence in the ability of local nonprofit organizations to provide quality services on the public's behalf and to spend money wisely. At the beginning of this survey, participants were given an identification test to determine their awareness of nonprofit organizations. Additionally, respondents were asked several questions related to their confidence in San Diego County nonprofit sub-sectors (i.e., arts, human services, environment, etc.), as well as their involvement in the local nonprofit sector through giving and volunteerism.When comparing the nonprofit, for-profit, and government sectors, San Diegans had the most confidence in nonprofits to provide quality services, spend money wisely, and represent the public's interest. Other key findings in this report include the following:- Seventy-five percent of respondents expressed either a great deal or a fair amount of confidence in the ability of San Diego County nonprofits to spend money wisely- Seventy-five percent of respondents reported making a financial contribution to a nonprofit organization in 2007 Media coverage, opinions of friends and colleagues, and an organization's website were the leading sources of information consulted prior to making a financial donation- San Diegans expressed more confidence in the ability of local nonprofit organizations to spend money wisely than the American public has expressed in national surveys of public confidence- Persons demonstrating higher levels of nonprofit awareness were nearly three times as likely to express higher levels of confidence in the ability of nonprofit organizations to effectively provide quality services - Persons demonstrating higher levels of nonprofit awareness were nearly two times as likely to express higher levels of confidence in the ability of nonprofit organizations to spend money wisely- According to the survey results, more than a third of San Diegans (40 percent) indicated that they volunteered with a nonprofit organization in 2007- More than 86 percent of respondents had an overwhelmingly positive impression of the support provided by local nonprofits during the 2007 firestorm- Despite their generally positive view of the nonprofit sector, many San Diegans indicated that they were unlikely to choose a nonprofit service provider in the areas of education and healthcare.The Caster Family Center for Nonprofit Research which is housed in the Institute for Nonprofit Education and Research

The Appreciated Sector: Public Confidence in San Diego County Nonprofit Organizations

Do San Diegans have confidence in the nonprofit sector? How are you affected as a nonprofit leader? Read the results on the most comprehensive survey ever conducted on this topic!https://digital.sandiego.edu/npi-stateofnp/1010/thumbnail.jp

Physiological Correlates of Volunteering

We review research on physiological correlates of volunteering, a neglected but promising research field. Some of these correlates seem to be causal factors influencing volunteering. Volunteers tend to have better physical health, both self-reported and expert-assessed, better mental health, and perform better on cognitive tasks. Research thus far has rarely examined neurological, neurochemical, hormonal, and genetic correlates of volunteering to any significant extent, especially controlling for other factors as potential confounds. Evolutionary theory and behavioral genetic research suggest the importance of such physiological factors in humans. Basically, many aspects of social relationships and social activities have effects on health (e.g., Newman and Roberts 2013; Uchino 2004), as the widely used biopsychosocial (BPS) model suggests (Institute of Medicine 2001). Studies of formal volunteering (FV), charitable giving, and altruistic behavior suggest that physiological characteristics are related to volunteering, including specific genes (such as oxytocin receptor [OXTR] genes, Arginine vasopressin receptor [AVPR] genes, dopamine D4 receptor [DRD4] genes, and 5-HTTLPR). We recommend that future research on physiological factors be extended to non-Western populations, focusing specifically on volunteering, and differentiating between different forms and types of volunteering and civic participation

Getting to Know You: Awareness and Confidence in the Nonprofit Sector

LBJ School of Public Affair

Introduction to the Issue

Introduction to the Issu

Letter from the Editors

Letter from the Editor