Current Research

Nonprofit Georgia

This project, lead by Shena Ashley and Janet Johnson, was begun in 2007 out of the discussions of a Philanthropy Study Group on research needs of the nonprofit sector in Georgia. It is being funded by the Glenn Family Foundation. The study will examine patterns and trends in Georgia’s nonprofit landscape since 2000, and provide a benchmark for tracking future trends. It will focus on the operations of public charities, particularly on how they are financed and different measures of their financial health. It will also consider private foundation giving, and how this giving affects the flow of resources in the economy. In the course of investigating these issues, distinctions across different geographic divisions in Georgia (across counties, and also across urban/suburban/rural boundaries) will be analyzed. Finally, data on nonprofit operations by county will be merged with Census and other data on population, income, poverty and other socio-economic indices to compare the capacity of the sector against social needs, and to develop strategies for philanthropic investment to increase nonprofit effectiveness in local economies. The first output from the study was a pamphlet published in November 2007 titled “Nonprofit Georgia at a Glance,” which summarized basic statistics regarding the size, scope and geographic distribution of Georgia foundations and public charities.

Nonprofit Economics Book

Dennis Young and Bruce Seaman are under contract with Edward Elgar Publishers to edit a book, Nonprofit Economics and Management: The State of Research. The book addresses a variety of economic issues that affect the practice of managing nonprofit organizations, including pricing, outsourcing, labor compensation and use of volunteers, financing, resource development, risk management, tax issues, and organizational structure and governance. The intent is to advance knowledge about the economics of nonprofit organizations and to assist practicing managers to understand the economic challenges they face. The book will contain 24 chapters written by nationally and internationally renowned nonprofit economists and management specialists. A conference of authors was held in Atlanta in January 2008, and the book is expected to be published early in 2009.

Index of Global Philanthropy

Under contract with the Urban Institute in Washington, D.C., Janelle Kerlin is assembling new data sets on the finances of U.S.-based international nongovernmental organizations (INGOs). The project will provide an estimate of the total amount of private contributions INGOs received in 2005 that went towards international development. The total figure will be broken out by category of INGO, INGO world region focus, and other categories. The data will ultimately be included in the annual Index of Global Philanthropy published by the Hudson Institute, the project funder.

Social Enterprise: A Global Comparison

Janelle Kerlin is editing a book tentatively titled, Social Enterprise: A Global Comparison. The book examines a recent global trend towards social enterprise that is transforming the way numerous civil society and other organizations support and achieve social missions. Social enterprise, broadly defined, is the use of non-governmental, market-based approaches to address social issues. The book compares the conceptualization, history, legal frameworks, supporting institutions, and latest developments and challenges for social enterprise in six regions and countries of the world: Western Europe, Central Europe, Southern Africa, Japan, Argentina, and the United States.

Regional Council of Churches of Atlanta Benchmarking Project
(June-August 2006)

Harvey K. Newman, a core faculty member in the Nonprofit Studies Program, received a research grant from the Regional Council of Churches of Atlanta. The project will benefit the Regional Council of Churches of Atlanta (RCCA) by developing performance measures for programs undertaken by the Council. These performance measures will serve as the foundation for the benchmarking of program activities so that these may be assessed over time. The process will also involve the development of a proposed inventory system to gather data on congregations and faith-based nonprofit organizations in the Atlanta metropolitan area.

Research assistance on the project was provided by Lewis Faulk, a graduate student in the Master of Science in Urban Policy Studies degree program who is specializing in Nonprofit and Civic Leadership. The research project involving the Regional Council of Churches of Atlanta is part of a larger study of faith-based nonprofit organizations being conducted by Professor Newman.

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