Cash management is a process for controlling the flow of money into and out of an organization for the purpose of optimizing its financial position. The benefits of cash management - a more complete understanding of financial standing, a stronger financial position, and an improved ability to plan and fund activities and expenditures - are just as relevant to the non-profit organization as to its government or business counterpart. This study explores the extent to which this argument is valid within a sample of religiously affiliated non-profit organizations by identifying and evaluating the patterns of cash management techniques they use. This research demonstrates that part of the religious non-profit subsector employs a variety of cash management techniques ranging from simply depositing incoming money daily to preparing cash budgets and investing surplus funds. On the whole, however, this use is not very sophisticated. Nevertheless, significant sophistication differences between denominations indicate that while there are no inherent subsector structural barriers to cash management implementation, implementation is related to other factors including the type of accounting system used and the size of the organization’s budget. This thesis also develops an index that reflects the relative sophistication of cash management implementation in the organizations studied. The index reflects categories of cash management techniques culled from the literature while for the first time weighting those tools based on their relative level of implementation difficulty and sophistication. This index allows comparisons between organizations within and between sectors. / Master of Urban Affairs

This dissertation examines three relationships between nature centers and their local communities. First, what are the values provided by local centers as perceived by community members? Second, what factors lead community members to support local centers? And third, what are the constraints to visiting local centers as perceived by community members? We surveyed random samples of community members living around 16 diverse nature centers across the United States and conducted quantitative and qualitative analyses to address these questions. Chapter one introduces the study and provides a literature review of theories and empirical research related to the research questions. Chapter two reports the results of an exploratory factor analysis on the level of importance communities assign to fourteen nature center services. The factor analysis revealed four underlying values: environmental connection, leisure provision, civic engagement, and community resilience. Chapter three tests sixteen hypothesized predictors of community support for nature centers. All these variables were significant, suggesting people volunteer at, donate to, or respond to threats at nature centers for a range of reasons. These include those related to supporting nature center missions (e.g. environmental connection significance and commitment to nature) but also other reasons such as friends' and family's perceptions of nature centers and assessments of the center staff members. Chapter four explores constraints that emerge during different stages of the decision-making process people go through when considering whether or not to visit a local nature center. The greatest constraints emerge in early stages (e.g. center awareness) and late stages (e.g. limited finances, transportation, and time) of decision-making. Chapter five discusses the study's implications to theory, including ecosystem service and educational leisure setting valuation, environmentally significant and charitable support behavior, and leisure constraints, as well as nature center practice. Centers that consider these implications might better serve their local communities and achieve their missions. / Ph. D.

This study is based on the multiple-frame leadership orientation theory developed by Bolman and Deal. In August 1999, the Leadership Orientations (Self) (1990b) survey instrument, designed by Bolman and Deal to enable leaders to rate themselves on their use of four organizational frames, was mailed to 538 chief executives of nonprofit organizations in central Florida. The useable return rate for this study was 44.1 % (N=202) useable surveys. This study sought to identify the chief executives' use of the structural, human resource, political, and symbolic frames and to examine the relationship between frame usage and age, gender, highest degree major, years in current position, years of experience as a chief executive of any nonprofit organization, size of the organization, and types of post-degree management training. The chief executives' self-ratings of leadership effectiveness and their self-ratings of managerial effectiveness were also examined. Major findings of this study included: (1) the human resource frame was the primary frame used by the chief executives; (2) the symbolic frame was the second most frequently used frame; (3) the political frame was the least used frame; (4) less than half (41.3%) of the chief executives used multiple frames, i.e., three or four frames; (5) female chief executives were more likely to use the symbolic frame than were male chief executives; ( 6) frame use for the chief executives did not differ based on age, highest degree major, years in current position, years of experience as a chief executive of any nonprofit organization, size of the organization, or types of post-degree management training; and, (7) the chief executives rated themselves as slightly more effective leaders than managers.

This dissertation investigates factors that facilitate effective collaboration of networks functioning within the context of a federal homeless policy—the HEARTH Act of 2009. While the federal legislation encourages networked collaboration to address the incidence of homelessness, not all networks are effective in achieving their intended purpose. Using a nationwide sample of homeless networks, this research explores the role that nonprofit organizations play in the collaborative process and models the effect of individual leadership, nonprofit-led network, and community nonprofit capacity on two levels of network effectiveness—network and community—using multivariate regression modeling. Results indicate that nonprofits play a significant role as participants of the collaboration process and as leading agents of homeless networks. In addition, the variation in network effectiveness is explained by multidimensional factors.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Grounded in leadership, cultural, communication, and gender studies, this dissertation investigates the challenges African-American women executives in the philanthropic foundation sector faced as they strive to have their culture legitimated within the culture of the workplace. Through the use of case study methodology, I examined the experiences of participants by conducting oral history interviews that traced their critical path to leadership. I also incorporated my own experiences in the field to further explore the connections between race, gender, and leadership styles in philanthropic organizations. The interviews and my own auto-ethnographic research explored the possible consequences of black executive women in the foundation world not being able to share aspects of their cultural lives in workplace networks and the impact of the critical exclusion of who they really are as whole human beings on the quality of their careers. An analysis of data collected from the interviews revealed key factors critical to the success of study participants. First was the presence of familial or close adults actively engaged in philanthropic activity during the participants’ formative years. Second was a strong influence of a faith tradition. Additionally, the date revealed that participants’ involvement in outside leadership roles, often tied to their racial and gender identities, were not capitalized on by employers. This study achieved several key outcomes. First, it afforded participants an opportunity to develop the personal satisfaction of expanding the body of knowledge related to leadership development within the philanthropic foundation sector. Additionally, by sharing their stories, these individuals were able to develop or strengthen mentorship relationships. Lastly, this study has the potential of being of significant benefit to the greater philanthropic foundation sector, since it worked towards the expansion of the body of knowledge specific to the issues of gender and cultural differences within the foundation sector.

published_or_final_version / Public Administration / Master / Master of Public Administration

The purpose of this study was to adapt a strategic management model for use in not-for-profit organisations in Namibia. Such organisations are facing increasingly turbulent environments and strategic management has been useful for allowing them to adapt better and to remain sustainable. Not-for-profit organisations, also known as the third sector, make a significant economic contribution; a contribution which, in Namibia, amounted to 2.1% of GDP in 2015/16. However, not-for-profit organisations are largely reliant on donor funding. In Namibia, such funding has declined by 33% since 2010, accounting for just 6% of total health expenditure in 2014/15. A triangular approach to strategic management, with a strategic focus on financial sustainability, programme sustainability and people sustainability, is deemed to be the most effective way to address sustainability in not-for-profit organisations. Accordingly, a qualitative study was undertaken to investigate the way in which not-for-profit organisations that receive PEPFAR funding and operate in the field of HIV/AIDS in Namibia conduct their strategic management. A pragmatic research philosophy was followed with an abductive approach to theory development. The research strategy comprised a case study conducted within a cross-sectional time frame. Purposive sampling was used to identify the 12 research participants, with whom semi-structured interviews were conducted. Data were subsequently analysed using content and thematic analysis. The study concluded that not-for-profit organisations in Namibia carry out limited strategic management. The thematic analysis, however, showed relationships between strategic management and sustainability, strategic management and financial sustainability, strategic management and programme sustainability, and strategic management and people sustainability. A strategic management model was subsequently adapted for use in not-for-profit organisations in Namibia. This model covers the stages of strategic management, namely, the business mission, external and internal analyses, strategy formulation, programme formulation, implementation, as well as feedback and control. Additionally, the model addresses strategic management and the triangular sustainability of organisations in terms of financial, programme and people aspects, and presents the tools necessary for both external and internal analysis during strategy making. This study concludes that the use of this adapted model for strategic management will contribute to the sustainability of not-for-profit organisations in Namibia. / Business Management / D. Phil. (Management Sciences)

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / This dissertation consists of two essays on nonprofit finance. Nonprofit finance concerns obtaining and managing financial resources to support the social purposes of nonprofit organizations. A unique feature of nonprofit finance is that nonprofits derive revenue from a variety of sources. Nonprofit finance thus involves answering two fundamental questions: What is the optimal combination of revenue sources that supports a nonprofit to achieve its mission? Where and how to obtain the revenue sources? The two dissertation essays address these two questions respectively. The first essay, titled “Modern Portfolio Theory and the Optimization of Nonprofit Revenue Mix,” is among the first to properly apply modern portfolio theory (MPT) from corporate finance to nonprofit finance. By analyzing nonprofit tax return data, I estimate the expected return and risk characteristics for five nonprofit revenue sources as well as the correlations among these returns. I use the estimates to identify the efficient frontiers for nonprofits in different industries, based on which nonprofit managers can select an optimal portfolio that can minimize the risk given a preferred level of service provision or maximize the return given a level of risk. The findings also pose a challenge to the predominant approach used in previous nonprofit finance studies (Herfindahl-Hirschman Index) and suggest that MPT is theoretically and practically more helpful in guiding nonprofit revenue management. The second essay, titled “Charitable Giving in Nonprofit Service Associations: Identities, Incentives, and Gender Differences,” concerns nonprofit resource attainment, specifically, how do decisionmaking contexts and framing affect donations. Membership in a service club is characterized by two essential elements: members’ shared interest in the club’s charitable mission; and private benefits that often come as a result of social interactions with other members, such as networking, fellowship, and fun. A laboratory experiment was designed to examine 1) whether membership in a service club makes a person more generous and 2) the effect of service club membership—stressing either the service or socializing aspects—on individual support for collective goods. The study finds that female individuals are the least generous when they are reminded of the socializing aspect of service-club membership.

Nonprofit organizations (NPOs) in the welfare field play a significant role in the national economy. They provide not only care, but also employment to a large component of the population. Therefore, their existence and well-being serve a social as well as an economic purpose. Various changes globally as well as in South Africa, affect the world in which NPOs function. They have to assess the impact of these changes on their operations and implement new strategies to survive and flourish. One of the challenges faced by NPOs is how to differentiate and promote themselves in such a way that it allows them to compete effectively for scarce resources but at the same time remain true to their core mission and values. The concept of branding, to create a lasting and positive impression in the consumer's mind, is one strategy NPOs can pursue to create distinction and competitive advantage. This study was undertaken to determine whether a specific re-branding exercise undertaken by Rand Aid Association during 2005/2006 has had a positive effect on its services and the financial viability of the organization. The results show that the. re-branding exercise has had a significant positive impact on the way the organization implemented and achieved a critical strategic objective, namely the development and sale of a new retirement village. It also made staff more aware of the brand and assisted the organization in obtaining greater clarity on the different businesses it pursues. However, the study also shows that the implementation of a brand orientation holds particular challenges. Many of the challenges are tied to the particular nature of the organization, such as a lack of human and financial resources and the difficulty in justifying expenditure on marketing above allocating these resources to meeting customer needs. Time, knowledge and money constraints also impacted on the process that was followed and on involving staff at all levels. In addition, the diversity of the services and target groups in the organization's portfolio made it very difficult to reach agreement on the true values and essence of the organization. This affected a clear and common understanding of the identity and meaning of the RAA brand. It is recommended that NPOs begin the brand orientation process by developing a clear focus on what the organization stands for and what it aims to deliver. An in-depth examination of the vision, purpose, values and underlying philosophies of the organization is essential. These must be clearly identified and internalized by all staff in order to develop a shared understanding of the brand and work towards consistency in delivering the brand promise. NPOs should realize that staff is one of the most important audiences for branding efforts as they determine the image and ultimately the reputation and continued existence of the organization. Internalization starts with recruiting employees whose values will support the brand, training them to understand and deliver the brand promise and fostering a culture that reinforces positive brand behaviour. NPOs can enhance their brands by utilizing their unique opportunities to develop close and warm relationships with consumers. One of the best ways to differentiate their services is through the relationships they offer and through their responsiveness to changing needs. Many NPOs also depend on word-of-mouth communication to promote their services and build their reputation, therefore conscious and concerted efforts to enhance relationships with existing customers should receive a high priority. Finally, it was evident that NPOs should be aware of and plan for the time, money and effort it will take to develop a brand orientation. Branding cannot be practiced as a once-off event nor do shortcuts pay in the long term. In particular, NPOs should remember that the development of a logo, corporate colours and brochures are the output of the process and not the starting point. The ultimate aim should be to achieve consistency across all points of contact with customers and to ensure that these are in line with the brand promise. / Graduate School of Business Leadership / M.B.L.

Den här uppsatsen undersökte hur medielogiken uttrycks i Rädda Barnens och Sverige för UNHCR:s videomaterial under flyktingkrisen september 2015. Då majoriteten av den medialiseringsrelaterade forskningen i Sverige har intresserat sig för partiledardebatter och politisk kommunikation finns det en kunskapslucka kring hur medielogiken formar andra sfärer i samhället. Denna studie avsåg att genom semiotisk analys och mulitmodal analys undersöka videomaterial i dessa två ideella organisationer, för att identifiera mediernas berättartekniker i dem. Sammanlagt analyserades fyra videoklipp i två ideella organisationers Facebook-sidor under september 2015 utifrån teorin om semiotik och medielogik. Två tydliga teman i videoklippen framträdde ur resultatet. Dessa benämnde vi som Flyktingkrisen som empati och Flyktingkrisen som verklighet. Ur dessa framkom fyra underteman. Dessa benämnde vi som dramatisering, dokumentering, reklamformat och nyhetsformat. Studiens resultat visade även att medielogiken personifiering förekommer starkt i samtliga av våra studieobjekt. Utifrån detta resultat kunde vi dra slutsatser kring genom vilka stereotyper personifieringen framkom i.   Vår studie bidrar därmed till forskningsfältet med kunskap om stereotyper av flyktingar. I tidigare forskning av Ylva Brune (1998) urskiljs två sorters stereotyper av flyktingar: offer eller hot. Vidare menar Urban Ericsson (2001) att stereotypen den duktige flyktingen tenderar att förekomma i media endast på individnivå. I vårt material fann vi att en flykting gestaltades annorlunda än de stereotyper vi fann i vår tidigare forskning. Vi valde att kalla den här kategorin flyktingen som målmedveten då denne är fast besluten att ta sig fram trots omständigheterna. Vi fann även en icke tidigare dokumenterad framställning av flyktingar som likartad publiken när det gäller välfärdsbakgrund. / The aim of this paper was to examine how media logic’s are expressed in Save the children’s and Sweden for UNHCR’s video material during the migrant crisis. Since the majority of the mediatization research in the Swedish context has focused on the party leaders and political communication, there is a lack of awareness regarding how media logic shapes other spheres in the community. This study’s objective was to examine video material through semiotic and multimodal analysis, to identify media logics. In total four videos from two nonprofit organizations, that were published in September 2015, were analyzed based on the understanding of media logics.  Two distinctive themes appeared in the results. These were titled migrant crisis as empathy and migrant crisis as reality.  From these, four subthemes appeared. These were titled dramatization, documentation, advertising formats and news format. The result shows that personalization occurs strongly in all of our study.  Our study contributes to the research field with knowledge about stereotypes of refugees. We found a new kind of stereotype that we have chosen to call the determined refugee. The choice of name for this category is based on our interpretation of a refugee as determined to survive. In addition to the study’s contribution of how the representation of refugees among nonprofit organizations now take a new form, we also found a not previously documented representation of refugees like the crowd when it comes to the welfare background.  Our study contributes to knowledge about how mediatization is expressed in strategic communication.