What Do We Know About Nonprofit Entrepreneurs?: Results from a Large-Scale Survey

Nonprofit Entrepreneurship: Gender Differences in Strategy and Practice

“…A common theme of the entrepreneurship literature is the relationship between traits or behaviors of founders and start-up outcomes (Carman & Nesbit, 2013; Lecy et al, 2016). Differences in entrepreneurial approaches shape organizational structure, market strategies, firm survival, and resource allocation (Carman & Nesbit, 2013).…”

“…Given its size and importance, there is a growing interest in factors driving the creation of new nonprofits. The literature includes both conceptual and empirical studies ranging from a focus on the nascent stages of nonprofit entrepreneurship (Andersson, 2018; Carman & Nesbit, 2013) and the demographics and professional background of nonprofit entrepreneurs (Lecy et al, 2016). This research investigates the gendered aspects of founding nonprofit organizations.…”

“…Driven by individual views or shared cultural beliefs that link entrepreneurship to masculine traits, women in typical for-profit sectors are less likely than men to believe they have the skills and abilities to start a business (Thébaud, 2015). While almost two thirds of traditional entrepreneurs are men, more than half of new nonprofits are started by women (Lecy et al, 2016; Teasdale et al, 2011), suggesting that nonprofits attract more female entrepreneurs or fail to deter women from being entrepreneurial. In leveling some of the environmental factors that can generate bias against female entrepreneurs, the nonprofit sector provides a more favorable milieu for studying the behavior of female founders.…”

A Desire for Growth? An Exploratory Study of Growth Aspirations Among Nascent Nonprofit Entrepreneurs

“…Also, the notion that growth can significantly alter, and challenge, current practices in nonprofits has also been demonstrated (Reid & Turbide, 2012). Still, this author knows of only one empirical study (Lecy et al, 2016) explicitly asking nonprofit entrepreneurs about their growth aspirations. The study, which is based on survey answers from over 800 nonprofit entrepreneurs, finds nearly six in 10 nonprofit entrepreneurs wanting to “grow steadily,” one in 10 wants to “grow aggressively,” and three in 10 indicating not wanting to grow at all.…”

“…Although many researchers and external stakeholders consider growth a cardinal goal there are surprisingly few studies investigating the growth aspirations, and beliefs regarding growth, among nonprofit entrepreneurs (Lecy et al, 2016). Yet, examining growth from the perspective of the nonprofit entrepreneur is important for at least two reasons.…”