Search Results (4)

A functional positive relationship between the executive director (ED) and the board of directors (BOD) is crucial to nonprofits meeting their missions. The present qualitative study sought to identify factors—including traits, behaviors, processes, and experiences—associated with positive relationships between BODs and EDs in youth-serving nonprofits in Utah. Surveys were utilized to identify pairs (N = 6) of board chairs and EDs who had high relationship satisfaction. Individual semi-structured interviews were employed with each participant. Transcripts were analyzed using two-cycle coding, descriptive and pattern coding in which three themes emerged: (1) Background; (2) Roles; and (3) Leadership. The findings illustrated effectively harness individuals’ professional experiences and skills and can provide essential support and mentoring to the ED. Furthermore, interviews with ED–Board Chair (BC) pairs revealed that holding similar values and motivations for serving and leading in the organization fed into harmonious partnership models and a supportive collaborative environment. A shared leadership approach, guided by set roles and responsibilities and solidified with trust and open communication, resulted in EDs and BCs being satisfied with their counterparts and how their organizations were operating. Findings can guide nonprofits in developing, maintaining, and evaluating relationships and processes related to leadership in nonprofits. Full article

Organizational capacity is necessary for nonprofits to meet their missions and contribute to society. Less is known about rural nonprofits’ organizational capacity and characteristics, as most research focuses on urban nonprofits. The present study first considers the utility of an organizational capacity assessment and identifies pertinent areas of organizational capacity in rural nonprofits. The second objective of the study is to examine relationships between areas of organizational capacity and organizational-level characteristics. In May 2019, nonprofits (n = 290) from persistently poor, rural counties in 14 southern states participated in a survey providing organizational characteristics and assessing organizational capacity. An exploratory factor analysis on the organizational capacity assessment revealed four organizational capacity areas: Organizational Identity, Fund Development, Volunteers, and Organizational Procedures. Then, descriptive, bivariate, and multivariate analyses were conducted to understand the relationships between the organizational capacity areas and organization characteristics, including organizational age, expenses, life stage, NTEE classification, and executive director tenure. Findings indicate significant relationships exist between organizational capacity and characteristics, consistent with previous studies. Older, mature, and/or larger rural nonprofits have increased capacity in several areas. Thus, targeting younger and smaller rural organizations for capacity-building efforts may be impactful. Full article

Youth participatory action research (YPAR) is a critical approach that engages youth as collaborative partners in research. It acknowledges the unique expertise that youth have on the adversities and assets that are present in their familiar systems, such as schools and the community. These projects are often designed to identify and address community problems; however, our projects with local youth aimed to shed light on a pre-existing community asset, Salud y Cariño, an after-school community organization, and a particular moment in time, namely the pandemic shelter-in-place. The mission and epistemologies of the organization set forth by the co-founder and Executive Director informed our partnership and guided our approach to this work. Utilizing qualitative methodologies, the authors (a faculty member, two graduate students, co-founder and director of a local non-profit, and a high school senior) collaboratively designed and implemented an interview-style documentary and photovoice projects, which garnered testimonies on participants’ experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic regarding school and the community organization. By centering the perspectives of participating Latinx girls and non-binary youth, we demonstrate the effects of this local community organization on its participants during and after the COVID lockdown, and what it means to the youth they serve. The identified themes associated with program participation during this time include the following: (1) building community and a family, (2) creating a welcoming safe space, and (3) infusing love and happiness into everyday activities. We conclude by reflecting on the process of building these collaborative projects and their implementation. Our reflections and findings contribute new insights into utilizing YPAR approaches to research and showcase leading community assets and actors. Full article

This article summarizes the proceedings of the four-session meeting (webinar) conducted by the Alliance of International Science Organizations on Disaster Risk Reduction (ANSO-DRR) on 18 May 2020. ANSO-DRR is an international, nonprofit and nongovernmental scientific alliance bringing together academies of science, research organizations and universities which share a strong interest in disaster risk reduction in the regions along the land-based and maritime routes of the Belt and Road Initiative. ANSO-DRR convenes an annual meeting to review its work progress and discuss its scientific programs. The first session was the opening statements and was followed by the introduction and updates on ANSO-DRR in the second session. The third session was the depiction of the big picture of ANSO, the umbrella organization of ANSO-DRR, led by the Assistant Executive Director of ANSO, while the fourth session was a presentation of perspectives on the strategic development of ANSO-DRR. One of ANSO-DRR’s key strategies is to enhance disaster mitigation and response through multidisciplinary cooperation among disaster and healthcare sciences (i.e., health emergency and disaster risk management (Health-EDRM)). It aims to enhance DRR efforts by performing as an instrument in connecting people along the Belt and Road regions, focusing on DRR resource and database development, involving higher education institutions in DRR efforts and increasing disaster resilience in built infrastructures. Full article