Nonprofit Studies Program¹
at the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies

The Nonprofit Studies Program (NSP) was organized in 2001 to foster collaborative research on the nonprofit sector within the academic community, to promote policy research that is relevant in today’s political and economic environment, and to serve as a link between scholars and nonprofit practitioners in creating and disseminating knowledge about the sector. The Program involves educational, research and service activities focused on helping nonprofit organizations address their social missions effectively through problem-solving, policy advocacy and effective deployment of their resources.

The NSP is an interdisciplinary program with over two dozen affiliated faculty. In 2005, Professor Dennis Young joined the AYSPS as the Bernard B. and Eugenia A. Ramsey Chair of Private Enterprise, as well as the Director of the Nonprofit Studies Program. Professor Eric Twombly, previously a senior research associate at the Urban Institute in Washington, D.C., also joined the AYSPS faculty and the NSP in 2005.

Research interests and expertise among the NSP faculty and associates cover a broad range of topics, including: public policy towards nonprofits, nonprofit finance, public-private partnerships, philanthropy, cultural economics, governance of nonprofit organizations, the role of faith-based organizations, and social problems. During 2005, the NSP was engaged in funded research projects, participated in national conferences and community forums, launched a brown bag luncheon seminar series, and sponsored a Homeless Symposium as well as its fifth annual Nonprofit Executive Roundtable. A working paper series was begun, with papers posted on the NSP website, and a new course on international NGOs was added to the nonprofit curriculum.

Projects

2005 Survey of Atlanta’s Homeless. Janet L. Johnson, and Shena Ashley. This project was sponsored by the Metro Atlanta Tri-Jurisdictional Collaborative on Homelessness and was coordinated by Pathways Community Network, Inc. It involved an analysis of questionnaires that were administered to a sample of 817 homeless adults in March and April of 2005 The study addressed such questions as: What are the characteristics of Atlanta’s homeless population? Who are they? What underlying circumstances affect their homeless situation? What do they perceive as their greatest problems and most pressing needs? The final report was released in November 2005.

Forthcoming book on Nonprofit Finance. Dennis R. Young is editor of the forthcoming book Financing Nonprofits: Bridging Theory and Practice, to be published by AltaMira Press in 2006. The book results from a national project on the theory and practice of nonprofit finance sponsored by the National Center on Nonprofit Enterprise. Michael Rushton, with his co-author Arthur Brooks, wrote a chapter on "Government Funding" and Dennis Young, with his co-author Estelle James, wrote a chapter on "Fees and Commercial Income."

Working Papers

Harvey K. Newman. “Cultivating Public Leadership among Theological Students: The Role of Faith and the City at Columbia Theological Seminary,” NP 05-01.

Dennis R. Young. "Mission-Market Tension in Managing Nonprofit Organizations," NP 05-02.

Bruce Seaman. "Attendance and Participation in the Performing Arts: A Review of the Empirical Literature," NP 05-03.

Michael Rushton. "Government Contracting with Faith-Based Providers: An Economic Perspective," NP 05-04.

Activities

2005 Nonprofit Executive Roundtable. The fifth annual Nonprofit Executive Roundtable was held on Thursday, April 28, 2005. Fifty-six community nonprofit leaders and scholars met over breakfast for a morning of presentations and discussion regarding effective decision making on nonprofit organization finance.

Michael Rushton of the Nonprofit Studies Program served as Master of Ceremonies for the Roundtable. Dennis Young, Professor in the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences at Case Western Reserve University, was the keynote speaker, in celebration of his appointment to the AYSPS beginning in the fall. His keynote address was titled "Forget Panaceas: Finding the Right Mix of Financing for Your Organization." A question and answer session involving the Roundtable participants followed the keynote speech.

The second half of the morning was devoted to a panel discussion. Michael Rushton opened the panel with some summary remarks on Young's presentation. Three heads of local nonprofit organizations then spoke about the pros and cons of various revenue sources from their point of view, and how they have attempted to balance these sources over time to achieve the best results for the organization. These panelists were Kim Anderson, Executive Director of AID Atlanta, Lisa Cremin, Director of the Metro Atlanta Arts Fund, and Hattie Dorsey, CEO of Atlanta Neighborhood Development Partnership. Bruce Seaman of the AYSPS summarized the panel presentations, and moderated a discussion on the topic with Roundtable participants.

Homeless Symposium. On November 2, 2005, a symposium on homelessness was held in the Speakers Auditorium at Georgia State University, sponsored by the Nonprofit Studies Program, and co-hosted by Pathways Community Network, Inc., Research Atlanta, and the Regional Leadership Forum. Some 250 policymakers, service providers and academics were in attendance.

Carl Patton, President of Georgia State University and a member of the Regional Commission on Homelessness, opened the session, followed by Dean Roy Bahl and William Matson, Executive Director of Pathways Community Network. The first half of the program was devoted to a presentation by NSP researchers Janet Johnson and Shena Ashley on their study of questionnaires administered to over 800 homeless individuals in April and May 2005. The second half of the program involved a panel discussion with four community leaders who are knowledgeable about homelessness: Bill Bolling, Executive Director of the Atlanta Community Food Bank, Craig Burnette, National Coordinator of Project CHALENG for Veterans with the Veterans Administration, Beth Vann, Executive Director of Decatur Cooperative Ministry, and Keith Wood, Director, Fulton County Community Mental Health Center at Grady Hospital.

Brown Bag Seminar Series in Nonprofit Research. This monthly luncheon seminar series, begun in the fall of 2005, provides a forum for faculty, graduate students and invited speakers to report on research in progress or new ideas for research initiatives. Seminars in 2005 included:

• Michael Rushton, Public Administration and Urban Studies, presented “Is There An Economic Rationale For The Unrelated Business Income Tax?” November 29, 2005.

• Dennis Young, Public Administration and Urban Studies, presented “Determinants Of Nonprofit Revenue Portfolios,” December 6, 2005.

1. For a complete listing of AYSPS Active Research Sponsored Grants from CY2005, see the Appendix: Report on External Funding.