Strategic Administration of Nonprofit Human Service Organizations

Abstract

Rapid and unprecedented changes in our modern society have created extremely turbulent environments for nonprofit human service organizations. These changes threaten to transform the very nature of our business in ways difficult to predict and prepare for. The author examines the collective views of 21 purposely sampled executive directors in the city of Baltimore, Maryland on the future of the nonprofit human services sector. In 1 hour face-to-face interviews, subjects were asked to respond to three questions. What major trends will impact the nonprofit sector in the near future? What potential impact do you see these trends having on the nonprofit sector? What strategies would you recommend that executive directors take today to ensure success of their organization in the future? Narrative responses to each question were aggregated, organized into dominant views, and summarized. Subjects identified a host of social, political, economic, and technological trends that will have major effects on the future of the nonprofit sector. Subjects recommend a variety of tactics for helping an agency respond successfully to these forces. These tactics emphasize three critical areas of strategic administration: planning, management, and leadership.

Creating positive change in community organizations: A case for rediscovering Lewin

“…Others may have immediate fiscal stability, but are at risk for financial problems in the future as client needs change, participation rates shift, and competitive approaches to services provisioning emerge (Alexander, 2003;Bishop, 2004). Research on nonprofit organizations pinpoints funding shifts, changing client needs, and competitive markets as contributing to organizational crisis (Crittenden and Crittenden, 1997;Menefee, 1997;Corbin, 1999). As nonprofits seek to survive under such constraints, they frequently engage in strategic planning to review and revamp their priorities and direction.…”

Virtual Volunteering: Online Volunteers Providing Assistance to Human Service Agencies

“…As a result of funding cuts during the 1980s, increased caseloads in social problem areas such as AIDS, drug use, teen pregnancy and medical indigence, and increasing pressure from political and corporate sectors to give community members a first-hand look at the public and nonprofit sector agencies serving them, many health and human service organizations have had to increase the number of volunteers involved in the agencies activities (Menefee, 1997;Dundjerski et al, 1997). Various national campaigns, such as America's Promise, have created an enhanced awareness of the benefits of volunteering, which in turn has lead to more people than ever before looking for community service opportunities.…”

Modelling NPO–Government Relations: Australian case studies

“…In terms of their relations with governments, the traditional preference for a NPO was to remain autonomous; however, the pressure of service delivery and funding arrangements made autonomy very difficult to achieve (Coston 1998). Research into the relationships of NPOs with government, under early service delivery contracts, found these relationships variously: to have an undercurrent of negativity (Gazley and Brudney 2007), be highly problematic (Menefee 1997;Young 2000) or be simply 'bad' (Lyons 2003), with examples of good relationships quite rare (Brown and Troutt 2004). The negative perception of competitive tendering and contracting led to calls for alternative models of relationships by academics and advocates for NPOs (Coston 1998;Van Slyke 2007;Yeatman 2001).…”