Mission‐first social enterprises: A case study of how three nonprofit organizations avoided mission drift when forming and operating social enterprises

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer A. Jones ◽  
Svitlana Krasynska ◽  
Robert Donmoyer
Keyword(s):  
Nonprofit Organizations ◽  
Social Enterprises ◽  
Mission Drift

scholarly journals Measuring the Social Returns of Nonprofits and Social Enterprises: The Promise and Perils of the SROI

2014 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 367-393 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kate Cooney ◽  
Kristen Lynch-Cerullo
Keyword(s):  
Nonprofit Organizations ◽  
Workforce Development ◽  
Social Enterprises ◽  
Development Programs ◽  
Performance Metric ◽  
Decision Points ◽  
The Social ◽  
Social Value Creation

AbstractSocial Return on Investment (SROI) metrics are a new tool available to nonprofit and social enterprise organizations to demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of their programs. After a short overview of three dominant methods for calculating the SROI, a case examining the implementation of an SROI study at a nationally recognized Boston-based nonprofit operating workforce development programs is presented to illuminate the methodological dilemmas across the arc of an SROI study. The case analysis centers on four key decision points in the implementation of the SROI study: identification of stakeholders, development of a method for estimating social value creation, determination of the time horizons, and selection of the discount rates. Next, to highlight the challenges in making comparisons across organizations, the second source of data is presented—a set of Yale SOM MBA student assignments conducting an SROI on a written case study found in the literature on workforce development. The student project results showcase how even when conducting SROI assessments on the same focal organization, the SROI calculation can vary widely depending on the outcome of the four decision points delineated above. The paper consequently offers two levels of analysis. First, it provides a detailed methodological overview of the reigning approaches to conducting an SROI. Second, it provides an assessment of the challenges to using SROI as a performance metric at this stage of the field’s development. Implications for use of the SROI are discussed from both the perspective of funders and the perspective of nonprofit organizations.

scholarly journals Sustainability Practice of a Multinational Oil Company in Nigeria: A Case Study

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 29
Author(s):  
Charles Afam Anosike
Keyword(s):  
Nonprofit Organizations ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Community Relations ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Oil Companies ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
High Level ◽  
Oil Company

Environmental degradation and socioeconomic dilemma continue to affect agricultural productivity in the Niger Delta of Nigeria. Several works of literature confirm the high level of pollution and contamination of land and water as a result of over 50 years of oil production in the region. The effects of environmental pollution continue to aggravate the hardship of the local people, which generates development friction, threaten oil operation, and mutually contrive relational efforts, by so invoking mistrust between oil companies and the host communities. Sustainability programs of oil companies often provide the channel to engage and promote community relations from which projects are conceived and executed. Despite sustainability efforts of oil companies, the region continues to experience oil spills and environmental degradation.Hence, the current research explores the sustainability efforts of a multinational oil company to establish whether the company’s leadership makes environmental considerations and to identify possible corrections that could be adopted to achieve sustainable value. For this purpose, the paper employed a single case study approach using open-ended interview sessions in collecting data. Research data were gathered from a sample of 20 experienced sustainability practitioners of the oil company, partnering nonprofit organizations, and community leaders through face-to-face semi-structured interviews. Data were segmented and categorized. The data analysis process revealed several themes regarding the challenges and shortfalls of sustainability programs in the region. The evidence found suggests that implementing a transparent and inclusive sustainability management system is essential to enable a systems view in contemplating sustainability programs. In so doing, oil MNCs leaders could enable effective environmental consideration in their sustainability programs to help reinvigorate productive agriculture and ensure continuing oil operation.

scholarly journals Predicting Mission Alignment and Preventing Mission Drift: Do Revenue Sources Matter?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ji Ma ◽  
Elise Jing ◽  
Jun Han
Keyword(s):  
Nonprofit Organizations ◽  
Data Science ◽  
Mission Statement ◽  
Weighted Average ◽  
Cosine Similarity ◽  
Mission Drift ◽  
Revenue Sources ◽  
Mission Alignment ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Average Cosine

Activities of nonprofit organizations do not always align with their missions, a managerial problem termed as “mission drift.” Mission drift is difficult to operationalize and quantify; thus, as a critical issue, only a few conceptual pieces or empirical case studies have explored this topic. This paper develops innovative measures to operationalize “mission alignment” using data science methodology, and examines the impact of revenue sources on mission alignment. By using the cosine similarity of text between a mission statement and program description, four measures of mission alignment are devised: the sum cosine similarity, average cosine similarity, weighted sum cosine similarity, and weighted average cosine similarity. Text analysis indicates that a majority of the programs evidence educational purposes, and for-profit business plays an important role in foundations’ projects and funding. The regression analysis shows that personal donation and service revenue can increase mission alignment,while organizational donation and membership dues decrease mission alignment.

scholarly journals Using Experiential Education to Develop Human Resources for the Nonprofit Community: A Course Study Analysis

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann C. Hodges
Keyword(s):  
Human Resources ◽  
Nonprofit Organizations ◽  
Experiential Education ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Study Analysis ◽  
Law Schools ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Increased Pressure

In this era of shrinking resources and increased pressure to produce "practice-ready" lawyers, law schools are seeking new and cost-effective ways to provide experiential education. This article reports and analyzes the results of a survey of graduates and students from a course in Nonprofit Organizations that incorporated a community-based project designed to develop skills, enhance learning and encourage post-graduation involvement with nonprofits. Although limited to one course, this course study, like a case study, offers valuable information. Consistent with other research on experiential education, the survey supports the conclusion that such projects, while less resource intensive and comprehensive than clinics, offer benefits to both the students and to the community.

scholarly journals Understanding the Impact of Organisational Culture on Managers' Internal Career Needs

2017 ◽  
pp. 265-285 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chi Maher
Keyword(s):  
Research Methodology ◽  
Third Sector ◽  
Organisational Culture ◽  
Social Enterprises ◽  
Career Management ◽  
Career Needs ◽  
The Impact

This chapter explores the influence of organisational culture on managerial internal career needs in small third sector social enterprises. Every organisation develops and maintains a unique culture, which provides guidelines and boundaries for the career management of members of the organisation. The research methodology was designed to allow the collection of data from three case study organisations and 24 operational managers working in these organisations. The qualitative findings of the study add to, and help to explain the inter-play between individual manager's internal career needs and organisational culture. Most importantly the findings suggest that when individual manager's internal career needs are closely supported by organisational culture, it increases their desire to stay with the organisation. The findings make an important contribution in the field of organisational career management.

scholarly journals Bringing the Family Logic in: From Duality to Plurality in Social Enterprises

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreana Drencheva ◽  
Wee Chan Au
Keyword(s):  
Social Entrepreneurship ◽  
Social Enterprise ◽  
Institutional Logics ◽  
Social Enterprises ◽  
Institutional Logic ◽  
The Family ◽  
Source Case ◽  
Conflicting Goals ◽  
Ethical Obligations

AbstractSocial enterprises combine activities, processes, structures, and meanings associated with multiple institutional logics that may pose conflicting goals, norms, values, and practices. This in-depth multi-source case study of an ecological social enterprise in Malaysia reveals how the enactment of the family logic interacts with the market and ecological logics not only in conflicting but also in synergetic ways. By drawing attention to the institutional logic of the family in social entrepreneurship, this study highlights the heterogeneity of social enterprises. The findings have implications for research with social enterprises and family-owned firms in relation to the ethical obligations of these organizations and the interactions of multiple logics.

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