Date of Conferral

2017

Degree

Doctor of Business Administration (D.B.A.)

School

Business Administration

Advisor

Dr. Carol_Anne Faint

Abstract

Few U.S. nonprofit organizations meet annual operational costs. Facing government funding cuts, U.S. nonprofit leaders have had to seek other revenue streams to remain operable and ensure that the clients they serve continue to receive support. Leaders often seek out large donors but lack strategies for successfully doing so. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the strategies successful nonprofit leaders have used to capture the attention of committed, large donors in Southern California. Government failure theory and independence theory constituted the conceptual framework. The purposeful sampling method consisted of 3 nonprofit agency managers who had operated a nonprofit for at least 5 years, while securing a longstanding partnership of large, committed donors. These managers substantiated having met the criteria in having successfully gained committed large donor(s), and operating in a geographic setting with no less than 50,000 residents. Data included participant interviews and company websites. Transcribed data were analyzed by comparing meanings that formulated clusters into themes, and then triangulated across sources to bolster the trustworthiness of interpretations. From these clusters, 5 distinctive themes were identified: cultivating donors, building personal relationships with donors, promoting the mission, understanding relationship contribution, and detailing directly what the donation will accomplish. Findings impact social change by fortifying nonprofits with committed large donors, to reduce need in society, and create greater financial independence within communities.

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