Job satisfaction is a key element of human resource management, yet the association between organizational performance and employee job satisfaction remains theoretically underdeveloped, particularly regarding the direction of influence and how institutional context shapes this relationship. Drawing on organizational climate theory and social identity theory, this study examines how organizational performance is associated with job satisfaction and whether sectoral identity moderates this relationship. Using a panel of New York City school-level data linking independently measured student test scores to teacher survey responses, the findings show that performance is positively associated with job satisfaction across multiple model specifications, including school fixed effects. Results also reveal that public-sector employees report higher satisfaction than their nonprofit counterparts. However, no significant moderating effect of sector is found, suggesting the performance–satisfaction link operates similarly across institutional contexts. Implications for managing satisfaction in nonprofit educational organizations are discussed.
Several scholars have argued that informal institutions can play a supportive and mediating role in strategic planning at the local level, particularly by shaping interactions, communication practices, and decision-making routines rather than directly enhancing the planning process itself (e.g., Rodríguez-Pose & Storper, 2006; Sotarauta & Suvinen, 2018). This study draws on qualitative methods, combining a Delphi panel with semi-structured interviews with municipal officials and experts to explore these dynamics. This article examines how planning artefacts can be strategically employed to mitigate deficiencies in the implementation and evaluation phases of municipal strategic planning in Czechia. At the same time, the study reveals several deficiencies in the current use of these artefacts themselves – particularly issues related to human agency (e.g. enthusiasm, motivation) and methodological shortcomings in strategic work (such as excessive analytism or the absence of a genuinely strategic approach). Clarifying both dimensions allows us to assess not only the potential of planning artefacts but also the conditions under which they can function effectively. Based on the expert assessments, a coincidence matrix is proposed to visualise the relationships between specific deficiencies and planning artefacts, offering a practice-oriented framework for improving local strategic planning.
This study examines the factors influencing voter turnout in the 556 Croatian local governments over 2014-2021. The previous electoral turnout has a negative influence on the following elections turnout, which is consistent with the declining trend in participation at local governments’ polls. In addition, municipal management issues affecting voters’ pockets (welfare benefits) affect electoral turnout. Moreover, traditional parties are failing to mobilize their voters, while corruption does not influence electoral turnout, perhaps because of Croatians’ lack of confidence in politicians and their efforts to curb corruption. Reelection of the party in office and big electoral win margin discourage citizens from voting, as they feel that there is no room for influencing the final electoral outcome. This feature confirms the basic rational choice model of voting (turnout is higher in more competitive political systems). Finally, our findings do not indicate a significant impact of budget transparency on voter turnout.
This study examines how participative decision making (PDM) affects turnover intentions among women in non-supervisory positions within US federal agencies, with a focus on the mediating role of affective organizational commitment. Turnover intentions, defined as employees’ conscious and deliberate willingness to leave their organization, pose a persistent challenge for the federal workforce, particularly for women in non-supervisory roles who often lack upward mobility and voice in decision-making processes. Drawing on the Social Exchange Theory, this study posits that when these employees perceive greater opportunities for participation in decision-making, they develop stronger affective commitment, which in turn reduces their intention to leave. Affective commitment refers to employees’ emotional attachment to and identification with their organization and has been shown to play a critical role in shaping retention outcomes. Using data from the 2023 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS), the study employs structural equation modeling to test these relationships. Results reveal that PDM has a negative direct effect on turnover intentions and a positive effect on affective commitment, which partially mediates the relationship. These findings highlight the importance of fostering inclusive decision-making practices and enhancing affective commitment to reduce turnover among female employees occupying non-supervisory level positions in federal agencies.
Social enterprises (SEs) engage in business activities to address social issues and fulfill social missions. Existing literature has mainly focused on a resource-oriented perspective, assuming that SEs either have or do not have resources. Therefore, we know very little about SEs in non-munificent institutional environments. Drawing on resource dependence theory and the bricolage framework, this study analyzes how SEs in China strategically select organizational structures to navigate legitimacy and resource challenges. Findings reveal that nonprofit SEs often employ social bricolage to enhance community engagement and visibility, while certified SEs leverage diverse partnerships for resource acquisition. In contrast, for-profit SEs face unique challenges in building organizational legitimacy but can access private sector resources through their business-oriented status. This research underscores the importance of tailoring strategies to maximize legitimacy and resource mobilization in the pursuit of social impact.
Government-nonprofit funding agreements are often laden with numerous funder-driven imperatives that dictate how financial resources are to be used within human service organizations. The following study adopts resource dependency theory and organizational legitimacy as a framework to better understand how nonprofits experience the acquisition and use of monies captured through government grants. Thirty-two leaders from Canadian nonprofit human service organizations were interviewed, and data from qualitative thematic analysis identified resource dependencies within funding eligibility criteria, funding distribution, and funding reporting mechanisms. Tenets of resource dependency theory and organizational legitimacy are then used to further enhance understanding of government-nonprofit funding agreements, including a discussion on the role of resource typologies, value diffusion, and interstructuring.
In this paper, we describe a study designed to contribute to the stream of research on nonprofit brand-related topics. Specifically, we develop and test a conceptual model to add to our knowledge of the influences of brand familiarity, brand remarkability, and brand attitudes on audience support intentions (donation intentions, word-of-mouth intentions, and social network sharing intentions). We also examined the moderation influences of perceived donor risk, value congruence, and evoked sympathy. A sample of 266 individuals completed an online questionnaire. Data were analyzed using PLS-SEM. We found that brand familiarity’s influence on audience support intentions was fully mediated by brand attitudes and moderated by brand remarkability. We also found that brand attitudes’ influence on social network sharing intentions was moderated by perceived donor risk. Additional findings are presented. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.
This study explores how long-term volunteering can develop into a meaningful and sustained career path. Using narrative inquiry with 15 volunteers in Indonesia, we examine how individuals are motivated to begin volunteering, how they structure their ongoing involvement, and how they expand their roles across multiple nonprofit organizations. Our findings identify three flexible phases in the volunteering career: motivational foundations, focused involvement in one organization, and societal leadership across several organizations. We also identify four factors-environmental, spiritual, personal, and ambassadorial-that influence sustained engagement. While volunteers experience personal fulfillment and a strong sense of purpose, they also face challenges in balancing their commitments with family and work life. This study contributes to understanding volunteering as a form of long-term career development, shaped by both individual motivations and social contexts.
This paper develops a novel framework for nonprofit pricing by conceptualizing nonprofits as multi-sided platforms (MSPs) that mediate exchanges between clients and donors. It introduces the Nonprofit Platform Lerner Index (NPLI), a tool that helps nonprofit managers optimize pricing by accounting for both client-price elasticity and donor-side cross-platform effects. The framework demonstrates how nonprofits can strategically leverage donor market power to subsidize client prices, including scenarios where prices fall below marginal cost or become negative. The study reconceptualizes donor engagement activities as core production inputs rather than overhead costs, aligning them with mission-critical objectives. It also explores policy implications, offering insights into antitrust considerations in donor markets. The NPLI provides regulators and managers with a quantitative tool to measure market power across donor and client markets. Future research avenues include empirical validation and applications to nonprofit governance and stakeholder management.
Despite national efforts to address poverty, it remains a significant challenge in the United States. This study focuses on leadership strategies employed by civic organizations in Virginia to address poverty. Using a qualitative approach, the research explores how leadership influences poverty reduction. It studies the existing systemic barriers, organizational dynamics, and leadership approaches that can be most effective in addressing poverty in the communities. Interviews with 14 representatives from various civic organizations reveal three key themes: poverty as a systemic challenge, progress through participatory leadership, and humble leadership as a way forward. Findings suggest that effective poverty reduction requires collaborative efforts, active listening, selflessness, empathy, and community-driven leadership. These insights contribute to understanding how leadership can be leveraged to address complex social issues of poverty and provide a framework for applying these strategies in similar contexts.
This study examines how Ukrainian news media portray and frame nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) from 2019 to 2024 using quantitative content analysis. Despite NGOs' crucial role in Ukrainian society, they face low public trust, political instability, and a lack of research on their media representations. Findings from 306 news articles reveal that NGOs received positive coverage, focusing on their activities and role as information sources. However, episodic framing and portrayal as story attributes rather than primary subjects dominated, potentially limiting public understanding of their broader impact. The study suggests that NGOs should engage proactively with media to promote thematic framing and showcase their work, while journalists should consider the implications of their framing choices. This research contributes insights for stakeholders working to strengthen civil society in Ukraine and highlights the importance of strategic communication for NGOs in challenging environments.
The protection of government assets is often a public policy feature that can easily be overlooked. Proper bonding of public officials with asset responsibilities provides an assurance of resource protection and public trust. This study examines the level of impact that internal and external county characteristics have on the incremental bonding practices of appointed and elected government officials in North Carolina. Preliminary findings indicate more standardized bonding practices for appointed officials while bonding for elected officials is more discretionary to a point. Traditional finance office staff and audit findings influenced bond amount increases for both appointed and elected officials with specific importance placed on the accounts payable position. Implications of the study include the importance of well-trained finance personnel that can limit unnecessary risks and additional bonding increases.
This empirical study analyzes the dynamics among public sector entrepreneurship, organizational performance, and communication. This study presents a conceptual model to explain how entrepreneurial orientation in the public sector enhances public organizations’ performance through the mediating effect of communication. This study utilizes the 2022 Public Employee Perception Survey produced by the Korea Institute of Public Administration, which presents a variety of public servants’ perceptions and administrative features of public organizations in South Korea. To test the proposed hypotheses, this study employs structural equation modeling. The results show that entrepreneurial orientation has a positive effect on public organizations’ performance, and communication within the organizations mediates the relationship between these two variables. This study offers a nuanced perspective on implementing an entrepreneurial orientation in the public sector by explaining how public-sector entrepreneurship can promote organizational performance through well-structured communication. This insight is valuable for public administration scholars and practitioners.
In this article, we address the dearth of literature on non-profit careers by presenting volunteering careers as a distinct form of individual career trajectory. Utilizing narrative inquiry in Indonesia, we examine the interplay between the concept of calling and the characteristics of volunteers to illustrate how individuals navigate their careers within the non-profit sector. Drawing upon participants' narratives, we trace the evolution of volunteering trajectories throughout individuals' professional lives. We identify four contextual factors—environmental, transcendental, personal, and the responsibility as volunteer ambassador—that enable volunteers to sustain their commitment across multiple non-profit organizations. While volunteers derive satisfaction from their involvement, we also acknowledge the challenges they encounter, including the impact on their personal lives.
This study explores the capacity of Czech nonprofit social services organizations to have their services evaluated. These organizations are often required to evaluate their services by their national, regional governments, and/or the EU Social Investment Fund, however they are challenged with evaluation capacity building (ECB). This study organizes the ECB literature around six dimensions and draws on ECB studies, frameworks, and checklists. It examines the exploratory question of evaluation capacity through a national survey of, and semi-structured interviews with, directors of these organizations. Results demonstrate that the challenges for evaluation capacity are similar to previous ECB studies in other countries. However, in this study they are somewhat driven by directors’ social constructions of evaluation which are influenced by government guidelines and standards and their limited understanding of ECB and perception for their role in it. Conclusions are accompanied by recommended practice.
This exploratory case study examines nonprofit efficiency by interviewing 36 leaders from Habitat for Humanity affiliates across diverse geographic locations in the United States, focusing on understanding efficiency from a practitioner’s perspective. Habitat for Humanity, composed of numerous nonprofits dedicated to housing, provided a rich context for this investigation. The study finds that while nonprofit practitioners use a diverse array of metrics to assess efficiency, many of these metrics do not accurately measure it, indicating a need for greater education around efficiency measurement. Additionally, the metrics cover diverse organizational areas, highlighting the importance of a multidimensional approach to efficiency assessment. The study suggests that aligning scholarly methods with practitioner needs and promoting a broader understanding of efficiency across multiple organizational dimensions could improve both theoretical and practical applications in nonprofit management.
This review examines previous literature on resilience that focuses on nonprofit organizations. Growing literature examines organizational resilience in the context of nonprofits, however most scholars discuss resilience from a community perspective. This review employs Cochrane-Campbell protocols to establish a research question and keyword search protocols in advance. The main findings include themes in the literature around disturbances to the system, leadership and management trends, and financial resilience. Implications include insights for nonprofit managers when considering short- and long-term recovery plans and how to build a surplus beyond financial means. Ultimately there is a need for a holistic framework to bring together structures, people, and relationships in the discussion of fostering and being resilient. While bounce back is nearly impossible for smaller organizations, which are often in vulnerable financial situations to begin with, they still manage to evolve and survive.
In this article we argue that dominant measurement and evaluation methods reduce the transformative potential of social innovation initiatives. Taking a pragmatist perspective on transformative social innovation and drawing on a commonly used distinction between simple, complicated and complex intervention logics, we demonstrate that habitually used monitoring and evaluation methods are often supported by a simple or complicated intervention logic. These intervention logics and related understandings of social change and knowledge production are incompatible with the ambition to realise transformation. Less dominant methods, which often are supported by a complex intervention logic, seem to be more apt, especially when they do not focus on adaptation alone, for the monitoring and evaluation of transformative social innovation initiatives. On the basis of this analysis, we plead for new habits of monitoring and evaluation and formulate an agenda for further action and research.
Those in the public sector in the United States are historically known to have more work absences than those in the private sector. While long attributed to various individual-level or organizational-level characteristics, there has not been an examination of the role that physical and mental health may play in impacting that difference. Using data gathered from the National Health Interview Study, descriptive statistics found that those in the public sector tend to be in worse physical health but better mental health than those in the private sector. While Poisson models found that health did not impact the likelihood of those in the public sector having more absences than those in the private sector, a Blinder-Oaxaca decompositional analysis found that the majority of the gap in absences across sectors can be attributed to the distribution of characteristics across the private and public sectors. These findings suggest that demographic and organizational differences across the public and private sectors, not simply health, are the main determinants of the gap in work absences across sectors.
Effective leadership plays a critical role in the success of organizations, particularly in the nonprofit sector, with positive leader affect, and more recently joy, being one aspect of leadership that significantly influences followers. Whilst some studies of positive affect and joy in leadership have been undertaken in the nonprofit sector, lack of clarity and coherence, as well as theoretical divergence has impeded research integration. This article presents the first systematic literature review of positive affect, and more specifically joy and leadership in the nonprofit sector and systematically identifies the extent to which joy has been considered as a discrete emotion in the current nonprofit leadership literature. In addition, this article synthesises the existing nonprofit leadership literature to determine what employee outcomes joy has been shown to influence. Finally, the quality of current literature and any patterns considering joy and leadership in the nonprofit leadership literature is assessed. Future research opportunities are identified.
