Papers by Robert Ashcraft
Edward Elgar Publishing eBooks, Dec 28, 2008
As defined by the editors of this book, ‘non-market entrepreneurship’ consists of all forms of en... more As defined by the editors of this book, ‘non-market entrepreneurship’ consists of all forms of entrepreneurship not being undertaken solely for purposes of profit maximization or commercialization, and encompasses entrepreneurial activities such as social enterprise and entrepreneurship, public sector entrepreneurship, policy entrepreneurship, non-profit entrepreneurship, and philanthropic enterprise, among many others. The eminent cast of contributors gives coherence to the academic and public discussions on the topic, builds a theoretical edifice within the field of entrepreneurship and helps to establish and delineate the contours of the research field of non-market entrepreneurship.
Foreword. Preface. Acknowledgments. About the Alliance for Nonprofi t Management. Chapter 1: What... more Foreword. Preface. Acknowledgments. About the Alliance for Nonprofi t Management. Chapter 1: What Nonprofi ts Need from Consultants. The Infl uence of For-Profi t Thinking in the Nonprofi t Sector. Reasons for Dominance of For-Profit Thinking. In Defense of Nonprofi t Organizational Strengths. How Nonprofits Are Different. Ten Important Distinctions Between Nonprofi ts and For-Profits. Chapter 2: The Importance of Process in Nonprofi t Consulting. The Value of Process. Using Process Consulting. The Importance of Process in Complex Organizational Change: Tales of Two Mergers. Chapter 3: The Stages of the Consulting Process. Stage One: Engagement. Stage Two: Getting Down to Business. Stage Three: Implementation. Chapter 4: Fundraising and Marketing. Fundraising. Marketing. Emerging Issues and Trends Affecting Fundraising and Marketing. Chapter 5: Governance Consulting. Models of Board Leadership. Areas Where Consultants Can Help Boards Improve Performance. Emerging Issues and Trends A...
abstract: Maricopa County has experienced remarkable population growth for decades, and will cont... more abstract: Maricopa County has experienced remarkable population growth for decades, and will continue to do so. But while expanding metro areas tend to pay close attention to physical infrastructure—diligently budgeting for roads, sewers, schools and the like—there is often a relative lack of attention to meeting the future demands for human services. Relying on the expertise from throughout the College of Public Programs, this report analyzes 12 critically important topics, including children and families, poverty, substance abuse, and Latinos.A project of the ASU College of Public ProgramsCopyright by the Arizona Board of Regents for and on behalf of Arizona State University and its Morrison Institute for Public Policy
Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 2013
Charitable gifts provide vital support for the operation of many associations. Using data collect... more Charitable gifts provide vital support for the operation of many associations. Using data collected from members of six professional associations, this study examines the factors that influence charitable donations to this particular type of organization. The results of logistic regression models suggest that the decision to give to associations is not driven by the inducement of tax deduction but by members’ commitment to associations, their level of engagement in these organizations, and whether they were solicited for a charitable gift. In addition, retired non-U.S. members who have supported other community organizations are more likely to donate to associations as are members working for government and those holding higher job positions. The results suggest that soliciting donations significantly increases the propensity to give, particularly among members with low educational attainment. Practical implications of the empirical findings are discussed.
Non-market Entrepreneurship
As defined by the editors of this book, ‘non-market entrepreneurship’ consists of all forms of en... more As defined by the editors of this book, ‘non-market entrepreneurship’ consists of all forms of entrepreneurship not being undertaken solely for purposes of profit maximization or commercialization, and encompasses entrepreneurial activities such as social enterprise and entrepreneurship, public sector entrepreneurship, policy entrepreneurship, non-profit entrepreneurship, and philanthropic enterprise, among many others. The eminent cast of contributors gives coherence to the academic and public discussions on the topic, builds a theoretical edifice within the field of entrepreneurship and helps to establish and delineate the contours of the research field of non-market entrepreneurship.
How do academic programs evolve? This overarching question has several subcomponents such as the ... more How do academic programs evolve? This overarching question has several subcomponents such as the following: 1. What gives impetus to new programs on a campus? 2. Do new programs begin as undergraduate majors and degrees that eventually progress to the graduate level? 3. Are there critical faculty masses that are necessary for the evolution of programs? These and similar questions are addressed in this analysis of four case studies examined over a 20 plus year period. Guiding this inquiry is the literature on organizational development as well as academic program development and sustainability. Among the findings are these: 1. External and internal factors of a campus including beliefs or ideologies influence the development of new programs. 2. While one might think that undergraduate level programs precede graduate programs on a campus, programs do not necessarily develop in this manner. 3. Critical faculty levels may be more myth than reality. These conclusions and others from this...
The Palgrave Handbook of Volunteering, Civic Participation, and Nonprofit Associations, 2016
Resources for a nonprofit are understood to mean money, people, plant, technology, and brand/repu... more Resources for a nonprofit are understood to mean money, people, plant, technology, and brand/reputation. Unless otherwise stated, nonprofits are here taken to include the full range from volunteer-run/volunteer-led, small grassroots associations through to very large, paid-staff–dominated nonprofit agencies (cf. Smith 2015a, 2015b). Handbook Chapters 38, 40–44, and 46–50 consider major input and process issues of membership associations operating in the nonprofit sector, with some attention also to volunteer service programs as departments of larger, parent organizations (cf. Handbook Chapters 15 and 16). All are challenging, but resource attraction and maintenance are particularly crucial issues, given the intense competition for resources among associations, as for all nonprofits. This chapter looks at resource attraction through a marketing theory lens. The resources of nonprofits are finance, people (paid, partially paid, and voluntary/unpaid), physicals (buildings, plant, etc.), and reputation/brand. For most nonprofits, the first three resources are in short supply, and the last one is ambiguous in its meaning to different stakeholders and is costly and time consuming to manage.
International Journal of Organization Theory & Behavior, 1998
Nonprofits often have a top-down, control oriented leadership focus, neglecting the potential of ... more Nonprofits often have a top-down, control oriented leadership focus, neglecting the potential of developing leadership capabilities at all levels of the organization. We expand on current nonprofit management literature by positing a comple-mentary leadership approach that focuses on employee self-leadership at all levels of the establishment, thereby enhancing personal and organizational effectiveness.
Journal of Nonprofit Education and Leadership, 2017
Stand-alone nonprofit education programs are a relatively small yet growing and increasingly infl... more Stand-alone nonprofit education programs are a relatively small yet growing and increasingly influential part of the higher education landscape. By their nature, they almost always represent a nonprofit and philanthropy–first orientation, attracting students who seek full degrees within their chosen field rather than within other disciplines. In this essay, I argue for an accreditation framework advanced by the Nonprofit Academic Centers Council (NACC), that is informed by the 2016 NACC Accreditation Summit and by a story of winemaking that has remarkable similarities to NACC’s foray into accreditation, each with a goal of acknowledging quality and legitimacy without regard for academic or geographic location, thus respecting insights from those who lead stand-alone programs.
Nonprofit management education has grown rapidly in the United States during the past two decades... more Nonprofit management education has grown rapidly in the United States during the past two decades. The author makes six predictions about the future: (a) The field will remain; it is here to stay. (b) There will not be master’s of business administration–like standardization of degrees; master’s of public administration–based degrees will remain the most popular option, but several other models will continue. (c) There will be increasing attention to the undergraduate and doctoral levels. (d) Major foundation funding will be replaced by other external funding and tuition. (e) Nonprofit sector growth in recent decades will provide an adequate basis for the continued growth of nonprofit management education, although at a lower rate. (f) The main challenge will be the “danger of success, ” the tendency of institutionalized professional education programs to become unresponsive to changes in the professions.
Handbook of Applied Developmental Science: Promoting Positive Child, Adolescent, and Family Development Through Research, Policies, and Programs
The Nonprofit Academic Centers Council (NACC) owes its history to informal conversations beginnin... more The Nonprofit Academic Centers Council (NACC) owes its history to informal conversations beginning over 30 years ago among a small group of individuals who were involved in the emerging field of nonprofit management education. With few formal nonprofit academic centers in existence in the late 1970s and early 1980s, the directors of such enterprises met occasionally to advance the emerging field of scholarship. They found value in collaborating through peer information exchanges to discuss the evolving field of nonprofit education and the attendant issues and opportunities for research, curriculum development, and community engagement.
Journal of Nonprofit Education and Leadership, 2020
Given the growth of nonprofit management education (NME), there is a need to assess the fulfillme... more Given the growth of nonprofit management education (NME), there is a need to assess the fulfillment of undergraduate NME programs in comparison to NACC Curricular Guidelines and, further, to compare curriculum to views of former graduates and current nonprofit leaders. This study meets that objective through a multimethod case study of the undergraduate NME program at Arizona State University. Results indicate that former students highly valued leadership skills including ethics and values; leadership and management; finance and fundraising; managing staff and volunteers; and assessment, evaluation, and decision making. Similarly, nonprofit managers reported that areas specific to their roles in management were most important, including human resources management, financial management, assessment and evaluation for decision making, and management theory. A comparison to course syllabi reveals potential gaps in curriculum. Results also lead to practical recommendations including expansion of NACC Undergraduate Curricular Guidelines, increased use of case studies, and integrated curriculum. Subscribe to JNEL
New Directions for Philanthropic Fundraising, 2002
VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations, 2012
This study examines Hispanic formal volunteering and the cultural, social, and community context ... more This study examines Hispanic formal volunteering and the cultural, social, and community context factors that affect their decision to volunteer. Using data from three surveys in the United States, the study finds that religious attendance, cultural background, and education are the most consistent and significant predictors of Hispanic formal volunteering. Religious attendance has a stronger positive impact on Hispanic volunteering than on non-Hispanics. The impacts of income, social resources, and community characteristics on Hispanics’ volunteering vary by surveys. Secular organizations serving children and youth and religious organizations are the favorite organizations for Hispanic volunteers.RésuméCette étude examine le bénévolat hispanique et les facteurs culturels, sociaux, et communautaires qui influencent le choix du bénévolat au sein de ce groupe. Sur la base de trois enquêtes conduites aux Etats-Unis, cette étude démontre que la pratique religieuse, l’origine culturelle et l’éducation sont les facteurs essentiels qui incitent le plus communément les hispaniques au bénévolat. La pratique religieuse a un impact positif plus fort sur le bénévolat des hispaniques que sur celui des non-hispaniques. L’impact des revenus, du capital social, et des spécificités communautaires sur le bénévolat hispanique varie selon les études. Les bénévoles hispaniques s’engagent de préférence dans les organisations non-religieuses au service des enfants et de la jeunesse et dans les organisations religieuses.ZusammenfassungDie vorliegende Studie untersucht die formale ehrenamtliche Arbeit lateinamerikanischer Bürger sowie die kulturellen, gesellschaftlichen und gemeinschaftlichen Kontextfaktoren, die sich auf ihre Entscheidung zur Aufnahme einer ehrenamtlichen Tätigkeit auswirken. Unter Hinzuziehung von Daten aus drei in den USA durchgeführten Befragungen kommt die Studie zu dem Ergebnis, dass unter lateinamerikanischen Bürgern Religiösität, kultureller Hintergrund und Bildung die beständigsten und bedeutendsten Einflusswerte für eine formale ehrenamtliche Arbeit darstellen. Die Religiösität hat einen größeren positiven Einfluss auf ihre ehrenamtliche Arbeit als dies bei nicht-lateinamerikanischen Bürgern der Fall ist. Der Einfluss, den Einkommen, soziale Ressourcen und gemeinschaftliche Merkmale auf die ehrenamtliche Arbeit lateinamerikanischer Bürger haben, variiert in den Befragungen. Sie bevorzugen ehrenamtliche Tätigkeiten in säkularen Organisationen für Kinder und Jugendliche sowie in religiösen Organisationen.ResumenEl presente estudio examina el voluntariado formal hispánico y los factores culturales, sociales y de contexto de la comunidad que afectan a la decisión de ser voluntarios. Utilizando datos de tres encuestas en los Estados Unidos, el estudio encuentra que la asistencia religiosa, el bagaje cultural y la educación son los predictores más coherentes y significativos del voluntariado formal hispánico. La asistencia religiosa tiene un impacto positivo más fuerte en el voluntariado hispánico que en el no hispánico. Los impactos de ingresos, recursos sociales y características de la comunidad sobre el voluntariado hispánico varían según las encuestas. Las organizaciones seculares que atienden a niños y a jóvenes y las organizaciones religiosas son las organizaciones favoritas para los voluntarios hispánicos.摘要本研究调查了拉美裔人正式的志愿活动和影响其对志愿者决策的文化、社会和社区环境因素。 根据对美国这三个调查的数据分析,本研究发现参加宗教活动、文化背景和教育往往明显预测着拉美裔的正式志愿活动。参加宗教活动对拉美裔志愿活动产生的积极作用强于对非拉美裔志愿活动的作用。在这三个调查中,收入、社会资源和社区特征对拉美裔志愿活动产生的影响也不同。为儿童和青年人服务的民间组织与宗教组织是最受拉美裔志愿者欢迎的组织。要約本研究は、ヒスパニックの公式のボランティアの決定に影響を与えている、文化的、社会的、共同体の関係における要素について調査する。本研究では、アメリカでの3つの調査データを用いて、宗教的な参加、文化的な背景、教育が、正式なヒスパニックのボランティアに一貫して重要な予測となることを明らかにする。 宗教的な参加は、非ヒスパニックのボランティアよりもヒスパニックのボランティアの方が強い影響力を与えることがわかった。ヒスパニックのボランティアの収入面の影響、社会的資金、共同体の特性は調査によって異なる。子ども、若者、および宗教団体に尽くしている世俗的な組織は、ヒスパニックのボランティアが好む組織だといえる。ملخصتبحث هذه الدراسة تطوع رسمي أسباني وعوامل السياق الثقافي والإجتماعي، والمجتمعي التي تؤثر على قرارهم في التطوع. بإستخدام بيانات من ثلاث دراسات لإستطلاع الرأي في الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية، وجدت الدراسة أن الحضور الديني والخلفية الثقافية، والتعليم هي المسببات الأكثر ثباتا˝وهامة للتنبؤ بالعمل التطوعي الرسمي الأسباني. الحضور الديني لديه قوة تأثير إيجابية على العمل التطوعي الأسباني أكثر من الذي من أصل غير لاتيني. الآثار المترتبة على خصائص الدخل، والموارد الاجتماعية، والمجتمع في العمل التطوعي من أصل أسباني تختلف حسب إستطلاعات الرأي. المنظمات العلمانية التي تخدم الأطفال والشباب والمنظمات الدينية هي من المنظمات المفضلة للمتطوعين من أصل اسباني.
Review of Public Personnel Administration, 2011
This study explores the prevalence of strategic human resources management (HRM) practices in non... more This study explores the prevalence of strategic human resources management (HRM) practices in nonprofit organizations as well as the organizational and contextual determinants. Based on survey data collected from 229 charitable nonprofit organizations, we find that organizations that are larger in size, technologically savvy, and dependent on the work of independent contractors all appear to be more likely to implement strategic HRM practices. Local affiliates of national organizations are more likely to implement strategic HRM practices. In addition, younger organizations, educational organizations, and organizations that do not have dedicated HR staff are also more likely to implement strategic HRM practices. Although dependence on volunteer labor has no significant effect on the outcome, further analysis indicates that volunteer-dependent organizations differ from others in several aspects of strategic HRM.
Corporate employee volunteer programs are administered to achieve many objectives, such as improv... more Corporate employee volunteer programs are administered to achieve many objectives, such as improved organizational reputation, employee training, and the serving of community needs. This paper presents research into the practices of corporate volunteer programs in Phoenix, Arizona, and considers how different stakeholder groups influence program activities. Results indicate that program administrators assume primary responsibility for running the programs fairly independent of employees or community members. They desire improved public recognition for their programs, but lack consistent practices to encourage promotion. Primarily the programs are operated to encourage employee participation, and the number of hours donated is the most consistent indicator of success. Implications provide guidance for how nonprofit volunteer coordinators can work with employee volunteer programs.
Public Performance & Management Review, 2001
... CA) California State University (Northridge, CA) California State University (Sacramento, CA)... more ... CA) California State University (Northridge, CA) California State University (Sacramento, CA)California State University (San Bernardino ... State College (Westfield, MA) William Jewell College (Liberty, MO) Wright State University (Dayton, OH) Xavier University of Louisiana ...
Uploads
Papers by Robert Ashcraft