Date of Conferral

2020

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Public Policy and Administration

Advisor

Gregory Campbell

Abstract

Nonprofits in the United States have been struggling to maintain financial sustainability and create new pathways to accomplish its mission. The research problem was that there was limited research on leadership strategies for nonprofits to facilitate the balance of achieving the organizational mission and financial sustainability. The purpose of this study was to increase the understanding of how current leaders of niche-based nonprofit organizations use strategies to impact financial sustainability and maintain the mission of the nonprofit organization. Building on this understanding can help address this issue. Theoretical frameworks such as Resource Dependence Theory and General Systems Theory help develop lenses for looking deeper into this phenomenon. Together these theories helped develop the main research question of how, if at all, does a decrease in government funding impacted nonprofit organizations and what leadership strategies, if any, have been employed to increase financial sustainability while maintaining organizational mission. This study used a qualitative case study design with semistructured interviews with 4 participants, which were recorded and transcribed for data analysis. The results showed that innovation/ filling in the gap was the most reported theme to address the research question. This finding reinforced that nonprofits need to adapt to the ever-changing economic environment to maintain sustainability. The conclusion of the study established that organizations do not prefer mission drift to obtain financial sustainability. Building off the results of this study can guide nonprofit governance and how future policy is written concerning how nonprofits should seek financial sustainability and serve their communities resulting in positive social change.

Download

Share

 
COinS