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- Creators: Arizona State University
- Creators: School of Molecular Sciences
- Status: Published
Description
Cross-sector interactions are regularly seen in healthcare, education, defense, public safety, and other social service contexts where the public interest and the private individual intersect. While interest in cross-sector relationships is neither new nor novel, the organizational dynamics and contexts continue to change and challenge our understanding of what is meant by partnership, alliance, collaboration, or cooperation between independent organizations from different sectors. One type of cooperative arrangement between nonprofits and government are affiliated foundations, which are part of the landscape of emerging organizational hybrids and expanding government-nonprofit relationships. Affiliated foundations are nonprofits designed to support a specific entity by generating charitable resources. This dissertation looks at one specific context for affiliated foundation/ "parent" relationships through a multi-case study of local educations in Florida. Specifically, this research examines how local education foundations carry out a partnering relationship with the school district. Through a combination of three instrumental case studies of local education foundations, and fifteen other purposely selected foundations, this dissertation presents the results of a cross-case analysis of the partnership between local education foundations and school districts. Partnership is conceptualized across four dimensions: 1) attention, 2) successive engagement, 3) resource infusion, and 4) positional identity. This research reveals that through the four dimensions of partnership, we can account for the variation across embedded, interdependent, or independent local education foundations in relation to the school district, or their "parent" organization. As a result, local education foundations reflect different relationships with school districts, which ultimately impacts their ability to carry out their work as charitable organizations, derived from the community in which they operate, and designed to generate resources and support for public education. By looking at this specific context, we can consider the complexities of an affiliated relationship between two structurally separate but linked organizations assumed to act as partners, but working to achieve a partnership. Where cooperation, collaboration, and innovation are intended outcomes of affiliated foundation/government relationships, this research considers the role of affiliated foundations among more traditional cross-sector relationships where services and contracts tend to dominate.
ContributorsFernandez, Kandyce Michelle (Author) / Lucio, Joanna (Thesis advisor) / Hager, Mark A. (Committee member) / Maroulis, Spiro J (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2014
Description
Volunteer motivation and satisfaction were assessed at Project CURE, a nonprofit that collects, sorts, tests, and ships donated medical supplies and equipment to healthcare facilities in developing countries. This research was the result of a yearlong partnership between the Community Action Research Experiences (CARE) program and Project CURE. Volunteers at Project CURE were surveyed (N=147) after completing a volunteer session to assess their motivation for volunteering, satisfaction with their experience, and any recommendations they had for improving the volunteer program. Five categories of motivating factors were assessed and it was found that the Values and Understanding categories were the strongest motivating factors. Overall, volunteers rated their experience highly, but the results indicated a number of small changes that Project CURE could make to better meet volunteers' needs, and better communicate the impact of volunteers' work, which could pave the way to increases in the numbers of volunteer hours Project CURE receives and increased quality of volunteer work.
ContributorsStepanek, Rachel (Author) / Reesing, Amy (Thesis director) / Dumka, Larry (Committee member) / School of Molecular Sciences (Contributor) / School of Human Evolution and Social Change (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
The goal of the International Rescue Committee (IRC, created by Albert Einstein in 1933) is to serve those “whose lives and livelihoods are shattered by conflict and disaster to survive, recover, and gain control of their future,” (6), by providing victims of humanitarian crises with health care, education, and counseling. The IRC of Phoenix branch holds this same mission through the services it provides to the refugees of the Phoenix area. One important need that is not currently met by the IRC of Phoenix is the special health care needs of pregnant refugee women. The IRC of Phoenix is seeking funds to initiate a new “Prenatal Care Program” to meet the needs of the 40 or so pregnant refugees who come to our area each year.
This new program will build upon the existing programs currently provided by the IRC of Phoenix, including support in areas of resettlement, finance, community integration, and health. The objectives of this new prenatal-focused program are to serve the needs of pregnant refugee women by providing the physical and emotional support they need through partnerships with hospitals (such as Saint Joseph’s Hospital) and organizations (such as the Refugee Women’s Health Clinic of Phoenix).
The target audience includes women who seek refuge in the Phoenix area in the midst of a pregnancy, or with the intention to become pregnant and who are receiving other services from the IRC of Phoenix. This grant will fund a prenatal care caseworker position for as long as there are incoming funds and pregnant refugee women in Phoenix. The prenatal care caseworker’s duties include:
● Monitoring the overall health of pregnant refugee women assisted by the IRC of Phoenix
● Expanding access to prenatal care for pregnant refugee women
● Connecting pregnant refugee women with necessary information on healthy pregnancies and introducing them to childcare programs that the IRC of Phoenix currently provides
● Creating and maintaining strong relationships with hospitals and health care facilities
● Accompanying pregnant refugee women to medical appointments as needed
● Participating in all other duties necessary to ensure the safe pregnancy of refugee women under the care of the IRC of Phoenix
To evaluate the success of the program, the IRC of Phoenix will monitor the number of pregnant refugee women seeking help and monitor health to see how the women are being served and the number of these women who are fully served based on the above objectives. The required grant money needed each year amounts to $40,000. A multi-year commitment of at least five years is expected. This funding represents the annual salary of the newly hired caseworker, and the IRC of Phoenix will be covering administration costs, supplies, and equipment.
This new program will build upon the existing programs currently provided by the IRC of Phoenix, including support in areas of resettlement, finance, community integration, and health. The objectives of this new prenatal-focused program are to serve the needs of pregnant refugee women by providing the physical and emotional support they need through partnerships with hospitals (such as Saint Joseph’s Hospital) and organizations (such as the Refugee Women’s Health Clinic of Phoenix).
The target audience includes women who seek refuge in the Phoenix area in the midst of a pregnancy, or with the intention to become pregnant and who are receiving other services from the IRC of Phoenix. This grant will fund a prenatal care caseworker position for as long as there are incoming funds and pregnant refugee women in Phoenix. The prenatal care caseworker’s duties include:
● Monitoring the overall health of pregnant refugee women assisted by the IRC of Phoenix
● Expanding access to prenatal care for pregnant refugee women
● Connecting pregnant refugee women with necessary information on healthy pregnancies and introducing them to childcare programs that the IRC of Phoenix currently provides
● Creating and maintaining strong relationships with hospitals and health care facilities
● Accompanying pregnant refugee women to medical appointments as needed
● Participating in all other duties necessary to ensure the safe pregnancy of refugee women under the care of the IRC of Phoenix
To evaluate the success of the program, the IRC of Phoenix will monitor the number of pregnant refugee women seeking help and monitor health to see how the women are being served and the number of these women who are fully served based on the above objectives. The required grant money needed each year amounts to $40,000. A multi-year commitment of at least five years is expected. This funding represents the annual salary of the newly hired caseworker, and the IRC of Phoenix will be covering administration costs, supplies, and equipment.
ContributorsBatty, Rebecca (Co-author) / Gerais, Reem (Co-author) / Weitz, Rose (Thesis director) / Faurel, Lucile (Committee member) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / School of Accountancy (Contributor) / School of Molecular Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-12
Description
ABSTRACT
As a graduate student earning both a Master of Arts in Social Justice and Human Rights and a Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Leadership Management, I have tried to bridge the theoretical and the empirical in a meaningful way. A problematic chasm between the nonprofit professional and the client being served existed, and I wanted to research this chasm. I wanted to understand what challenges a woman of color faced if she was both a client and a nonprofit professional, possessing dual identities and engaging in a sort of welfare system border crossing. There was a gap in the academic research on women in the nonprofit sector, more specifically the charitable, human services sector, and there was little to no research on women who have been both clients and caseworkers. Therefore, I conducted a series five of in-depth, semi-structured interviews with women of color working at a local food bank. As an employee of the food bank, I recorded my own observations and field notes in order to write a feminist institutional ethnography. I employed interpretive, less conventional design methods, which were aligned with my commitment to social justice. The research highlighted many negative stories about oppression and exclusion women faced in the nonprofit sector. It also confronted the problematic stereotype welfare recipients, specifically women of color, are faced with as a result of the politics of disgust and dominant myth of the Welfare Queen. The research sought to explain how and why women of color transition in and out of the welfare state, and how they manage to work within a food bank, where they are constantly surrounded by inequalities.
As a graduate student earning both a Master of Arts in Social Justice and Human Rights and a Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Leadership Management, I have tried to bridge the theoretical and the empirical in a meaningful way. A problematic chasm between the nonprofit professional and the client being served existed, and I wanted to research this chasm. I wanted to understand what challenges a woman of color faced if she was both a client and a nonprofit professional, possessing dual identities and engaging in a sort of welfare system border crossing. There was a gap in the academic research on women in the nonprofit sector, more specifically the charitable, human services sector, and there was little to no research on women who have been both clients and caseworkers. Therefore, I conducted a series five of in-depth, semi-structured interviews with women of color working at a local food bank. As an employee of the food bank, I recorded my own observations and field notes in order to write a feminist institutional ethnography. I employed interpretive, less conventional design methods, which were aligned with my commitment to social justice. The research highlighted many negative stories about oppression and exclusion women faced in the nonprofit sector. It also confronted the problematic stereotype welfare recipients, specifically women of color, are faced with as a result of the politics of disgust and dominant myth of the Welfare Queen. The research sought to explain how and why women of color transition in and out of the welfare state, and how they manage to work within a food bank, where they are constantly surrounded by inequalities.
ContributorsRoland, Kimberly (Author) / Behl, Natasha (Thesis advisor) / Murphy Erfani, Julie (Committee member) / Elenes, C. Alejandra (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2015
Description
The Community Action Research Experiences program integrates the research and teaching mission of Arizona State University by providing services to the community by fostering professional and leadership development of students. It is hoped that the results of the collaborations with CARE will serve to further an organization's goals and effectiveness. VALLEYLIFE (VL) is a non-profit organization striving to help people with disabilities. VL develops Action Programs for each of its clients, whom they call members, to improve their independent or social skills. Examples of programs that members may work on include tasks such as computer training, visual arts, or writing. VALLEYLIFE lacked the data to evaluate if the developed and implemented Action Programs are properly carried out by the staff in ways that are beneficial to members. Given the problem, this research project sought to conduct a process evaluation of the staff regarding their implementation of the Action Programs. This involved observations of employee-member interactions in performing the Action Programs and an interview of staff measuring their preparedness and confidence in performing the program and their feelings of the programs and how things are run. This research provided the following implications to VALLEYLIFE. VL might consider performing periodic observations and reviews of the program implementation to monitor quality. VL may consider involving staff in program development and revision to create programs that better serve members. VL may consider generating ideas for how they may cooperate when a peer is struggling to keep up with events that happen through the day in the interest of better serving the members. Overall, employees are doing well as they are efficient in carrying out the written programs during program time. They are comfortable with what they are doing, use time effectively, and do their best to help the members. There is always room for improvement however and by considering some of the implications mentioned, VALLEYLIFE and their employees may be able to take action that may hold potential for further improvements in effectiveness.
ContributorsAbalos, Cherylene Sales (Author) / Bradley, Robert (Thesis director) / Dumka, Larry (Committee member) / Goldblatt, Lois (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / T. Denny Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics (Contributor)
Created2013-05
Description
Research has examined the many motivations of international volunteers (voluntourists), but there is limited research about how volunteers are reached, as well as differing perceptions between travelers who have and have not traveled before. This study examines the preferences and perspectives of college-age, western backpackers. The general terms "backpacker" and "traveler" are used throughout the paper for simplicity, but it is important to note that these backpackers are specifically from the college-age, western demographic. First, the study addresses which recruitment avenues are the most successful, as well as which avenues could be utilized to increase the number of foreign, short-term volunteers. In addition, this study examines the differences between backpacker perceptions - specifically the differences in potential volunteering motivations and concerns. Data was collected through an anonymous online survey distributed to self-identified travelers between the ages of 18 and 25 in the United States and travel destinations in Vietnam and India. According to traveler responses, personal recommendations and hotels/hostels are important resources when making travel plans. Despite the importance of both resources, personal recommendations drew more travelers to volunteer than hostels/hotels (none of the travelers surveyed learned about their last volunteer opportunity through a hostel), revealing a potential avenue of recruitment. A small number of organizations have reported successfully utilizing the hostel-partnership model, which implies that successful partnerships are possible. Further, potential motivations to volunteer were similar between those who have and those who have not volunteered, however, potential concerns between the two groups differed. Those who had volunteered before reported to be considerably more concerned about adherence to cultural norms, as well as communication barriers, while those who had not volunteered were much more concerned about safety. These findings lead to several theoretical implications for nonprofits with respect to utilizing hostels for volunteer recruitment, as well as addressing concerns of those who have volunteered before differently from those who have not.
ContributorsWorkman, Hunter (Co-author) / Pfeiffer, Nicholaus (Co-author) / Wang, Lili (Thesis director) / Salamone, Damien (Committee member) / Louis, Arulraj (Committee member) / School of Human Evolution and Social Change (Contributor) / School of Molecular Sciences (Contributor) / Department of Economics (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
Nonprofits and humanitarian organizations play a critical role in the modern world. Yet, to operate sustainably, they often encounter challenges including financial insecurity and operational obstacles. My dissertation investigates nonprofits' decisions and strategies for delivering sustainable services from the perspectives of financial security and operations in short- and long-term horizons.The first chapter is focused on the role of governance quality in nonprofits' donation income. Donors, generally, support charities that maintain higher program spending ratios (PSR). Yet, PSR does not reflect charities' actual social impact, and a focus on PSR may eventually limit their capacity in providing humanitarian aid. Since 2008, as a result of a policy change by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, nonprofits are able to better display their governance quality. My empirical investigation shows that governance quality is now an important factor in driving donations to nonprofits, although PSR still remains a key driver. Results suggest that nonprofits should consider improving their governance quality in their strategies for securing donation income, although that may lead to lower PSRs.
Pressures resulted from the focus on PSR encourage nonprofits to prioritize strategies that enable them to report higher program expenses. In the second chapter, I empirically examine one of these strategies, grant provision, that allows nonprofits to increase their reported program expenses without having to spend their funds on their own programs. I find that providing grants to other organizations enables nonprofits to earn more revenue and make a bigger social impact in the long term, but this strategy increases the administrative burden needed to make an impact.
Given the challenges in coordination and lack of effective coordinated response in humanitarian operations, in the third chapter, I develop a non-cooperative game theoretical model to analyze horizontal coordination among non-governmental organizations in disaster relief operations in centralized and decentralized models. I show that coordination does not always maximize social welfare, and time inefficiencies due to bureaucracies involved in coordination mechanisms are substantial obstacles against higher levels of coordination, especially in urgent response operations. I also show that decentralization of coordination mechanisms increases both coordination levels and social welfare.
ContributorsParsa, Iman (Author) / Efrekhar, Mahyar (Thesis advisor) / Webster, Scott (Committee member) / Corbett, Charles J. (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022