Suchergebnisse

Nonprofits are under increased accountability pressures to demonstrate their effectiveness. Output measurement (how much is produced) is disregarded as simplistic. Emphasis is made instead on measuring outcomes (changes in the lives of beneficiaries) or impacts (effects developed relative to the mission of the nonprofit, or the overall public good), and a growing portion of organizations state that they measure these effects. However, we question the assumption that outputs such as the number of beneficiaries served are being adequately measured. We first review existing research gaps on results measurement practices and discuss the main types of obstacles to the quality and utility of evaluation data. In this context, we argue for the need to reground nonprofit evaluation in the profound knowledge available about beneficiary populations. We discuss the potential and limitations of reach, a basic output indicator that is defined as the number of individuals directly affected by a nonprofit, and explore the organizational drivers of reach measurement. Evidence from 2,229 nonprofits shows they still lack adequate data on the beneficiaries they serve, face relevant conceptual and practical hurdles when trying to identify them, and are significantly influenced by organizational factors in their capacity to track them. Our research not only shows that nonprofits fail to adequately measure outputs, but also that measuring the number of beneficiaries served and how they are served is not as straightforward as outcome and impact advocates suggest. Practitioners and funders are reminded of the need to place beneficiaries at the core of their evaluation efforts.

AbstractThis research explores the extent to which campaign factors may influence the success of donation-based crowdfunding (DCF) promoted online with social purposes. Factors that may explain the success of online fundraising campaigns for social causes are firstly identified from previous literature and linked to DCF campaigns through a set of hypotheses: disclosure, imagery, updating, and spreadability. Following, their explanatory capacity is measured through quantitative analysis (logistic regression) based on 360 all-or-nothing campaigns fostered by nonprofits through an online platform. Results confirm the high explanatory capacity of determinants related to the updating and spreadability of the campaign. However, factors related to the disclosure and imagery do not influence their success. This research suggests that the success of online campaigns is closely related to share and update transparent information of those details that contributors deem relevant. Implications are drawn for the effective technical design and management of DCF campaigns channeled through digital media, and specifically for the engagement with potential online communities of funders in digital platforms.