Contracting in the nonprofit sector: facing up to difficulties

2009

Governments around the world have sought to better define and formalize their relations with the nonprofit sector. In many jurisdictions this has led to the development of written framework agreements, most commonly known as compacts. Compacts are distinguished from other government-nonprofit collaborations, partnerships or contracts by their sector-wide focus and by their coverage of a broad range of service delivery, policymaking and regulatory interactions. Since the launch of the first compact in the UK in 1998, similar agreements have been signed in a number of countries, where they have had widely differing impacts. Some are seen as successful initiatives that have considerably strengthened relationships between governments and nonprofits, while others have had little effect and have been been quickly discarded or ignored. This paper documents the development and outcomes of compacts in a number of countries and analyses the situation in the USA, where they have not yet been used. It also analyses the lessons learnt from past compact processes and speculates about their future development.

2008

Bloomington. Her research interests include voluntarism and intersectoral and interorganizational relations. She has published in the journals Nonprofi t and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, Nonprofi t Management and Leadership, and Public Administration Review. Before entering academia, she worked in public interest politics and nonprofi t management and consulting.

2015

Despite some signs of recovery, California nonprofits continue to face post–Great Recession challenges. Though decreased revenues may reflect broad trends facing the nonprofit sector, many challenges are rooted in nonprofit–government contract and grant administration processes. Drawing on a national survey of public charity nonprofits, this study finds that California nonprofits widely reported dissatisfaction with the complexity of reporting and application requirements, the limits on program and organizational overhead expenses that restrict the recovery of the full costs of services, and late reimbursements for services rendered.

Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare, 1979

Public officials in the human service delivery system must wrestle with complex decisions regarding utilization of agencies in the nonpublic sector to deliver publicly funded services. Data from a survey of 167 agencies in a major metropolitan area suggest that there are still substantial differences in priorities and service approaches of public and nonpublic agencies. These differences suggest that public officials may need to devote more resources to ascertaining whether and when public agencies should themselves deliver publicly funded services and to strengthening public monitoring of contracts in the private sector. A crucial policy choice that must be made by public agencies and officials is whether and when to provide publicly funded services themselves or to utilize nonprofit or profit-oriented organizations in the private sector. There has been a plethora of speculation regarding the relative merits of public and private organizations, speculation that has led to competing ideological camps that support one or another sector (e.g., Friedman, 1962; Kramer, 1966; Titmuss, 1971).

Public Administration and Development, 2002

This overview article for the Symposium on Government-Nonprofit Relations in Comparative Perspective summarizes our current understanding of government-nonprofit relations, addresses several themes emerging from the collective papers and Symposium discussions, and discusses new and evolving trends in government-nonprofit relations. The review of government-nonprofit relations encompasses governance models and their incorporation of nonprofits, sector failures and their contribution to government-nonprofit relationships, and cross-sectoral analytic frameworks. Themes addressed include the material and normative benefits sought through nonprofits; various features of government-nonprofit interactions, including their increasing range and multiple facets, the impact of origins, relationship dynamism, and impacts; and what is public and what is private. The article concludes with the identification of selected new and evolving trends, including the influence of information technology on organizational structures and processes, the rise of supranational spheres of government-nonprofit interaction, the continuing tension between cooperation and identity maintenance, and simultaneous global lesson sharing and an emphasis on local-level problem-solving, where nonprofits are viewed as a means to maintaining continuity and redefining community. The article situates our understanding of government-nonprofit relations in a comparative perspective that accounts for dominant global paradigms, increasing interdependence among actors and nations, and evolving models of governance at all levels.

1991

Susan Bernstein\u27s qualitative research of the New York City system of social service contracting between public and nonprofit organizations offers a unique and troubling look at the system of social service contracting

Voluntary Sector Review, 2010

Governments around the world have sought to strengthen their relations with nonprofit organisations. In many jurisdictions this has led to the development of written framework agreements between government and the nonprofit sector, most commonly known as compacts. They have had widely differing impacts-some are seen as successful initiatives that have significantly strengthened relations between government and nonprofits, while others have had little effect and have been quickly discarded or ignored. This paper documents the recent evolution of such processes in the UK, Canada, Australia, the US, France, Estonia and Spain, and explores the parallels between them. The narratives from these countries illustrate an emerging common discourse, but also that the peculiarties of each polity have led to significantly different substantive outcomes. independent, but parallel, policy development processes and policy convergence. This article also documents the situation in Australia, the US, France, Estonia and Spain. 'NPO' and 'nonprofit sector' are the primary terms used in this paper as they are universally understood (if not clearly defined) designations for the non-government, nonprofit distributing organisations that represent diverse constituences and provide a

Science For All Publications, 2023

The dynamic interplay between nonprofit organizations and the public sector constitutes a quintessential facet of contemporary social governance. Rooted in the ethos of altruism and collective welfare, this symbiotic relationship engenders an intricate tapestry of collaboration and coordination. The ensuing discourse endeavors to expound upon the nuanced nature of the alliance between nonprofit organizations and the public sector. Through an academic exploration of their respective roles, mutual benefits, and challenges, this deliberation seeks to illuminate the imperative of their harmonious coexistence in fostering societal progress and advancing the common good.

Contemporary Sociology, 1994