What does it mean to have a healthy nonprofit sector? The authors explore the idea of including social capital, both cognitive and structural, in measuring the performance of nonprofit organizations, philanthropic investment and the overall health of the sector.
Description: What new knowledge has been generated through the academic study of nonprofit organizations? This study examines how research in the field of nonprofit studies has developed and what ideas have had significant resonance and cohesion, in particular, ideas related to theories of volunteering, as well as social capital and civic engagement.
Data from the RGK Center’s Austin Area Sustainability Indicators research is used to develop a civic health index for Greater Austin. Explore the findings and trends in political participation, social connectedness, volunteer involvement, and philanthropic giving. This report was developed in collaboration with the Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Life, the National Conference on Citizenship, Austin Community Foundation, KUT, KLRU and Leadership Austin.
What is the perspective of philanthropic foundations on using data to effectively measure social impact? This article explores the data ecosystem of Central Texas and offers ways to think about how data and information influences grantmaking.
Are foundations with set periods for spending down their assets more effective as grantmakers than their peers who are established to exist in perpetuity? This is a longstanding discussion among philanthropists, with an article on the topic by Ray Madoff and Rob Reich published just yesterday in the Chronicle of Philanthropy. But Dr. Francie Ostrower, who has done extensive and in-depth research into this aspect of foundations, has some answers that may surprise readers.
“[F]or many developing countries, the Paris agreement is better than no deal and an important step in the right direction.”
Discover how graph visualizations of the Global Impact Investing Network could lead to better investment recommendations and entrepreneurial opportunities.
Francie Ostrower, RGK Center Professor of Public Affairs and Fine Arts, submitted a response to Paul Brest's essay entitled, "Strategic Philanthropy and Its Discontents". Brest's essay and associated responses were based on a discussion that took place at a symposium sponsored by Stanford University's Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society and the
In this article, RGK Center Associate Professor Joshua Busby and co-author Bethany Albertson draw attention to the appeals that best persuade the U.S. public on climate change. Using an experimental design, Drs. Busby and Albertson assessed a diverse sample of 330 participants on their responses to four different appeals. The experiment yielded some surprising results particularly with regard to the impact that varying degrees of climate change knowledge had on participant response to the persuasive messaging.
This paper describes a teaching project that involved graduate students in nonprofit studies at the LBJ School of Public Affairs in a community engagement “crowdsourcing” effort focused on the topic of short-term volunteering. Students were responsible for organizing a one-day online brainstorming session, called a “jam,” in which geographically dispersed participants contributed to a 12-hour online discussion related to the topic with input from experts in the field.