In the present study, conducted in October 2023 in Poland and Italy, we examined a sample of volunteers ( N = 518) about which moral foundations are associated with trust in specific organisations that played a significant role during recent social crises in Europe: the COVID-19 pandemic and the refugee crisis. The objects of trust included: (1) government; (2) public institutions; (3) non-governmental organisations; (4) self-help groups existent before the crises; and (5) self-help groups emergent in response to the crises. Individualising moral foundations were positively related to trust in non-governmental organisations and self-help entities, whereas binding moral foundations were positively associated with trust in government, public institutions and NGOs, as well as in self-help groups. We discuss these results in light of moral foundations theory and put forward suggestions for future research on how to effectively engage audiences with individualising- or binding-oriented moral profiles during social crises.
Additionality refers to the idea that charitable contributions to publicly-funded services should enhance, not replace, state provision. While it is often assumed that donors will avoid substitution of public funding when seeking causes to support, longstanding traditions of charitable support for public services (for example schools, healthcare facilities) endure. Through four case studies of charitable activities supporting NHS hospitals in the United Kingdom, we examine the perspectives of community fundraisers and the staff who work with them. Professional fundraisers often described a tension between selling their cause while conveying its additionality. Meanwhile, many community fundraisers were initially drawn to support healthcare services to address identified shortfalls in provision. Once involved in fundraising efforts, participants often develop a deeper commitment to the social experience of taking part. This generates ongoing engagement that largely overrides additionality concerns, and that limits the potential for fundraising to be redirected to alternative causes.
Smaller voluntary sector organisations are increasingly expected to deliver community services, yet research into their distinctive vulnerabilities remains limited. Within UK sport, community asset transfer policies have shifted responsibility for managing local facilities from local government to voluntary organisations. These organisations depend heavily on small numbers of committed individuals, yet non-profit vulnerability research has focused on financial indicators, neglecting risks when survival depends on irreplaceable people. Drawing on qualitative case studies of three sport facilities in England, we examine human capital dependency in voluntary sport organisations, identifying six themes constituting the key people paradox. The paradox emerges because vision, drive and commitment, the very qualities enabling these organisations to exist, simultaneously create their primary vulnerability, and mechanisms for addressing dependency, including succession planning, knowledge distribution and workload sharing, prove structurally difficult to implement. We extend vulnerability theory and offer conclusions for funders, infrastructure bodies and organisations seeking resilience beyond key people.
This study explores how donors interpret thank-you gifts in charitable giving and how such interpretations foster psychological connections with local governments. Focusing on Japan’s hometown tax donation system, it examines how donor attitudes and behaviours evolve through the experience of consuming thank-you gifts – termed post-donation cause–brand fit. Using qualitative data from semi-structured interviews with ten donors and a grounded theory approach, a conceptual model was developed. Findings demonstrate that, while donors initially select gifts for economic utility, these items gradually acquire symbolic meaning through shared consumption and interpersonal communication, fostering emotional engagement with the municipality and leading to supportive behaviours such as repeat donations and visits. The study contributes to cause-related marketing theory by reconsidering assumptions of pre-established cognitive fit and highlighting how symbolic alignment may emerge post-donation within an institutional public-sector context. It offers insights for non-profit marketing and strategies to strengthen donor relationships in the public sector.
Non-profit organisations (NPOs) are facing a ‘perfect storm’ of challenges in 2025, including the participation, motivation and retention of volunteers. This article presents a snapshot of an ongoing research project, between January 2023 to September 2024. It explores the significance of reflective practice on volunteering in NPOs in the United Kingdom. A relational methodological approach was used to explore whether and how reflective models can support volunteers in NPOs. The findings indicate that research on the potential of reflective practice as a supportive tool for volunteers is scarce. Existing literature is frequently not relevant to NPO priorities. To support volunteering, researchers need to ensure their research is better aligned to the needs of the sector. The research finds empirical evidence of at least 21 models of reflective practice relevant to the priorities of NPOs, which offer potential to NPO leaders wanting to embed reflective practice into their work.
