Why engage? Understanding the incentive to build nonprofit capacity
JL Millesen, JG Carman, AL Bies - Nonprofit Management and …, 2010 - Wiley Online Library
JL Millesen, JG Carman, AL Bies
Nonprofit Management and Leadership, 2010•Wiley Online LibraryFoundations, consultants, and nonprofit managers have become interested in learning more
about how to create effective strategies and interventions to strengthen nonprofit
management and organizational capacity. In this article, we examine the extent to which
organizational theory can explain the motivation to engage in different types of capacity‐
building efforts. Using data gathered from focus groups and interviews with nonprofit
executives, foundation executives, and capacity‐building professionals, we illustrate that …
about how to create effective strategies and interventions to strengthen nonprofit
management and organizational capacity. In this article, we examine the extent to which
organizational theory can explain the motivation to engage in different types of capacity‐
building efforts. Using data gathered from focus groups and interviews with nonprofit
executives, foundation executives, and capacity‐building professionals, we illustrate that …
Abstract
Foundations, consultants, and nonprofit managers have become interested in learning more about how to create effective strategies and interventions to strengthen nonprofit management and organizational capacity. In this article, we examine the extent to which organizational theory can explain the motivation to engage in different types of capacity‐building efforts. Using data gathered from focus groups and interviews with nonprofit executives, foundation executives, and capacity‐building professionals, we illustrate that while different organizational theories can explain the incentive to engage in capacity building, no single theory can truly capture the complexity of the decision‐making process. We show how a multitheoretical approach not only allows us to explain the evolution of capacity‐building efforts over time, but also helps us to identify and explain the problems that can be created by misinterpreting the incentive to engage in building individual and institutional capacity.
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