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- Creators: School of Sustainability
- Creators: Arizona State University
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
Abstract Older adults and people with disabilities are two unique populations, though they intersect in their need for mobility options that are often not met by traditional transportation services. There is consensus that the government should provide assistance for older adults and people with disabilities to achieve and maintain independence. However, the challenge lies in addressing the many forms of mobility inequity. Population projections for the twenty-first century have sparked interest in the rights of these two populations. As the population of the United States of America ages, supporting the mobility of seniors and individuals with disabilities will become imperative to maintaining their quality of life. One existing federal grant, Section 5310: Enhanced Mobility for Seniors and Individuals with Disabilities (49 U.S.C. 5310) provides formula funding for services that provide transportation options to older adults and people with disabilities. While the 5310 program provides crucial funding to non-profits and government agencies to support mobility options for older adults and people with disabilities, it does not address the full scope of mobility issues faced by these two communities. This thesis project provides a thorough analysis of this grant from the federal legislation it is founded on, to the local administration of this grant as applied by the Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG). Finally, this thesis looks at emerging technology with the potential to revolutionize mobility, along with sobering historical context of the barriers faced older adults and people with disabilities.
ContributorsValencia, Martin J. (Author) / Kelley, Jason (Thesis director) / Voorhees, Matthew (Committee member) / School of Sustainability (Contributor) / School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
Community gardens are used worldwide to promote sustainable, urban living. They can be used to improve the physical, mental, emotional, and social health of the gardeners and volunteers who utilize their grounds. The gardens may also have a positive impact on the local environment and wider community. This study examines a community garden seeking to expand its involvement in the local neighborhood and searching for ways to include local residents in garden related activities. To this end, the garden was waiting for approval on their non-profit, 501(c)3 status, and was seeking additional data on local residents and perceptions of the garden's activities. This thesis first reviews the literature on the benefits community gardens provide for the individuals living in their communities and their impact on urban development. The thesis then turns to an analysis of one garden, Mesa Urban Garden, rooted in the Downtown District of Mesa, Arizona, and how they are impacting their neighborhood and how garden organizers can respond in new and creative ways to local residents.
ContributorsBooher, Samantha Rose (Author) / Glick, Jennifer (Thesis director) / Dumka, Larry (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Hugh Downs School of Human Communication (Contributor) / School of Sustainability (Contributor)
Created2014-05
Description
Community gardens are used worldwide to promote sustainable, urban living. They can be used to improve the physical, mental, emotional, and social health of the gardeners and volunteers who utilize their grounds. The gardens may also have a positive impact on the local environment and wider community. This study examines a community garden seeking to expand its involvement in the local neighborhood and searching for ways to include local residents in garden related activities. To this end, the garden was waiting for approval on their non-profit, 501(c)3 status, and was seeking additional data on local residents and perceptions of the garden's activities. This thesis first reviews the literature on the benefits community gardens provide for the individuals living in their communities and their impact on urban development. The thesis then turns to an analysis of one garden, Mesa Urban Garden, rooted in the Downtown District of Mesa, Arizona, and how they are impacting their neighborhood and how garden organizers can respond in new and creative ways to local residents.
ContributorsBooher, Samantha Rose (Author) / Glick, Jennifer (Thesis director) / Dumka, Larry (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Hugh Downs School of Human Communication (Contributor) / School of Sustainability (Contributor)
Created2014-05
Description
The ecological benefits provided by trees include improving air quality (Nowak, et. al., 2006), mitigating climate change by sequestering carbon (Nowak, 1993), providing animal habitats (Livingston, et. al., 2003), and reducing heat (Edmonson, 2016), among others. Trees also provide numerous social benefits, impacting urban sustainability in particular by improving human health (Salmond, 2016), aesthetically and economically improving neighborhoods (Torres, 2012), and contributing to thriving communities by creating gathering spaces and even reducing crime (Abraham, et. al., 2010). Because of the tremendous potential of trees to provide social and ecological services, particularly in urban areas, tree planting has become an important facet of many sustainability initiatives. This thesis assesses one such initiative aimed at planting trees for the diverse benefits they provide. Valley Permaculture Alliance (VPA), a nonprofit based in Phoenix, Arizona, is known for its Shade Tree Program. The author conducted an internal, quantitative assessment of the program between August and December of 2015. The assessment included evaluation of several indicators of ecological and community health related to the presence of shade trees, culminating in a report released in 2016. This paper evaluates the use of sustainability indicators in the VPA assessment as well as their value in different types of organizations. It culminates with an assessment of VPA's strengths, challenges faced by the organization, and suggestions for its future development.
ContributorsJones, Michaela Martine (Author) / Larson, Kelli (Thesis director) / Eakin, Hallie (Committee member) / School of Sustainability (Contributor) / American Indian Studies Program (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-12
Description
This creative project is a collection of profiles focused on Arizona nonprofits and refugees. The profiles share stories of refugees, volunteers, employees and others involved in the community serving refugees. Nonprofits are a vital resource for refugee resettlement. These organizations offer services to support refugees as they transition into new communities. Some services include: housing, English language learning, cultural orientation, job placement, medical treatment, education, and farming. Each of these programs support resiliency for refugees and for the communities in which they live. We Are Resilient was created first, to show the important role nonprofits have in serving refugees. Second, to connect people to a few of the stories and experiences within the Arizona refugee community. And third, to build understanding of the strength refugees bring to communities of Arizona and by extension the country. Visit weareresilientaz.com to learn more.
ContributorsGray, Elizabeth (Co-author) / Johnson, Kelcie (Co-author) / Shockley, Gordon (Thesis director) / O'Flaherty, Katherine (Committee member) / School of Community Resources and Development (Contributor) / School of Sustainability (Contributor) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-05
Description
Community Action Research Experiences (CARE) partnered with Mission of Mercy, a faith-based nonprofit organization that provides free medical care services to uninsured and underinsured individuals throughout the Phoenix valley. A needs assessment was conducted on Mission of Mercy's patient population and data collected over a two month long period, in which 91 completed surveys were collected. Participants were between the ages of 18 to over 65 and were largely Hispanic/Latino, followed by White/Anglo and Black/African American. The results indicate that there is need for increased patient education which could be satisfied by implement an incentive program. A need for a program specific to high blood pressure was also found. Participants were interested in dental services being offered, a service that is currently not offered through the Arizona chapter of Mission of Mercy. The study also showed that respondents were satisfied with the level of care received at Mission of Mercy.
ContributorsMack, Ashley Marie (Author) / Bradley, Robert (Thesis director) / Dumka, Larry (Committee member) / School of Sustainability (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / T. Denny Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics (Contributor)
Created2016-05
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
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