Student Loan Debt and Its Impact on the Nonprofit Sector

2011

The ability of nonprofit organizations to attract and retain the next generation of its workforce will play an integral role in the growth and vitality of the sector. Management literature provides a number of suggestions to nonprofit managers of how to enhance noncompensation related job characteristics in order to attract and retain a young workforce. Yet, this literature ignores the fact survey research indicates that Generation Y employees value compensation and non-compensation related characteristics differently than previous generations. Before management changes are proposed and implemented by nonprofit managers, we must first understand how the nonprofit sector compensates Generation Y employees. This study enhances our understanding of wage differentials by using data from the 2005 American Community Survey to examine a sample of 36,000 young, educated employees both within and across nonprofit, mixed and for profit industries. My findings indicate that the wage equity experienced by minorities and females found in previous research, is not consistent when comparing nonprofit and mixed industries. Additionally, one of the most notable findings (not discussed in previous research, but likely relevant to this sample) is the differences in earnings of employees with advanced degrees (Masters Degree and beyond). Employers in for profit industries are better compensating young employees who hold advanced degrees.

Nonprofit Management and Leadership, 1992

Results from a survey of a national sample of 1,190 working adults update findings collected in 1977 (Mirvis and Hackett, 1983) on the characteristics and attitudes of people working in nonprofits. As in the earlier survey, it shows that people employed in the private nonprofit sector gain more satisfaction from their jobs than their counterparts in business and government and have more trust in their management. still, people working in nonprofits are just as concerned that their employers will “take advantage” of them and, in contrast to the 1977 survey, are no more psychologically committed to their organizations than are people in the other sectors.

Journal of Public Affairs Education, 2019

As student demand for nonprofit management education (NME) grows, new program offerings proliferate. While longitudinal data track the development of graduate NME programs, their curricula and location, we know less about the trajectory of undergraduate programs. Preliminary research finds evidence of undergraduate programs that are more diverse and span a greater number of locations than ever before. As a compilation, these findings facilitate analysis of the institutionalization of NME by expanding the focus beyond courses to include program development (certificates, majors, and/or minors). The results enable data-driven discussions, highlighting NME distinctiveness in facilitating the development of student engagement with community.

Public Personnel Management, 2018

Pending leadership transitions in the nonprofit sector present a timely need to understand the career path to the executive position, but very few studies on nonprofit career paths have been conducted. A systematic study would help make sense of the existing leadership pipeline to the executive office and offer promising insights that contribute to theory building in the sector. This study investigates the career paths of a national random sample of nonprofit executives serving health and human service nonprofit organizations. Primary and secondary data were collected and analyzed on the experience, education, and credentials these executives hold. The analysis evaluates variations among career characteristics, as well as applies career typologies from within and beyond the nonprofit sector. Respondents also provided qualitative descriptions of their path to executive office, which are insightful about influencing factors that are beyond a resume’s depiction of credentials. The find...

Journal of Public Affairs Education, 2018

The field of nonprofit education is rapidly growing, but the nonprofit literature has a noticeable gap about the impact of nonprofit education degree programs on their graduates, the organizations that employ them, and the wider nonprofit sector. This article reports findings from a study investigating the profile and motivations of students completing these nonprofitrelated degrees. A survey was deployed to alumni from three different nonprofit graduate programs (i.e., nonprofit management and philanthropic studies), and findings indicate that students are largely similar across schools and primarily drawn to the degree for its nonprofit nature. Differences are noted about the appeal of nonprofit graduate programs between inservice and pre-service students. These findings are rich with implications for students, researchers, and most of all the administrators and faculty of these graduate programs.

The nonprofit sector has become increasingly reliant on paid professional staff and now faces competition from the private and public sectors, which often pay higher to attract and retain workers. Although Millennials are attracted to nonprofit work, there are concerns that they will not remain committed to the nonprofit workforce due to low pay. We analyzed data from the 2011 Young Nonprofit Professionals Network Survey to examine the relationship between pay, perceptions of equitable pay, and sector-switching intentions among Millennial nonprofit workers. Although two thirds of the respondents indicate sector-switching intentions, we found no evidence that Millennial nonprofit workers, who are purported to value extrinsic and materialistic rewards, expressed sector-switching intentions on account of pay. However, pay influences the sector-switching intentions of Millennial nonprofit managers and those with advanced education. Our results suggest that the nonprofit sector may be facing challenges in attracting and retaining Millennial managers because of low pay.

who assisted in arranging the original data and providing comments and suggestions on the draft. We greatly appreciate very helpful comments and suggestions from our Indiana University colleague Matt Baggetta. Finally, we thank members of the Advisory Board for the Indiana Nonprofit Sector: Scope and Community Dimensions project for helpful comments and suggestions. Copies of this report are available on the Indiana Nonprofits project web site (www.indiana.edu/~nonprof) and the Johns Hopkins Center for Civil Society Studies website (ccss.jhu.edu).

2015

Journal of Public and Nonprofit Affairs, 2021

In this new issue of Journal of Public and Nonprofit Affairs, we offer a collection of Research Articles focused on the nature and implications of nonprofit higher education programs, the communication strategies and evidence-based information used by different types of organizations in the nonprofit sector, and the volunteering behaviors of nonprofit association members. Our Social Equity Section article highlights the important issue of re-entry and reintegration programs for ex-offenders to reduce recidivism and provide greater access to opportunity. Finally, we offer two Book Reviews related to these topics of important recent work focusing on higher education programs in public administration and advancing social equity.

Nonprofit Management and Leadership, 1999

International Review of Public Administration

Competition for employee talent is important to the success of any organization, including those in the nonprofit sector. This research examines the motivational and demographic characteristics of nonprofit managers in order to gain a better understanding of these managers that may ultimately inform both practice and theory. This research examines 1) job choice motivation, 2) intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, and 3) demographic and organizational factors affecting individuals working for the nonprofit sector. Subsequently, our model proposes that job choice motivation comprises intrinsic motivation and three types of extrinsic motivation, and examines the organizational antecedents and social outcomes of motivation to work in the nonprofit sector. The findings suggest that individuals who work in the nonprofit sector are intrinsically motivated in terms of job choice. Furthermore, personal characteristics such as gender, age, ethnicity, type of job, and level of education impact b...

for their assistance in arranging the original data and providing comments and suggestions on the draft. Finally, we thank members of the Advisory Board for the Indiana Nonprofit Sector: Scope and Community Dimensions project for helpful comments and suggestions. Copies of this report are available on the Indiana Nonprofits project web site (www.indiana.edu/~nonprof) and the Johns Hopkins Center for Civil Society Studies website (ccss.jhu.edu).

2011

This research paper analyzes the impact of the recent Great Recession on nonprofit organizations. More specifically, it studies the impact of the recession on their ability to raise funds and remain financially viable. The four key research questions discussed are: What has been the overall impact of the Great Recession on nonprofit organizations?; How has the Recession impacted the fundraising capability of nonprofit organizations?; How well have different types of organizations weathered the Great Recession’s impact on their revenue sources?; and What strategies have nonprofit organizations found to be useful in surviving this severe downturn? The study uses the most recent data on nonprofit financing from 2007-2010. The results show that nonprofits as a whole have seen general declines in contributions and funding. But there are clear differences in the impact of the eleven sectors studied. Moreover, the size of the organization matters as does its main source of revenue. The pap...

Using data from the 2006 Survey of Recent College Graduates, this study examines how education–job match and salary may explain recent college graduates’ job satisfaction in the public, non-profit, and for-profit sectors. The results imply that while education–job match increases job satisfaction in all three sectors, for-profit workers may compensate the loss in job satisfaction due to poor match with increased satisfaction from higher salary. The findings suggest that, in the public and non-profit sectors, increased salary cannot make up the loss in job satisfaction from poor education–job match as much as it does in the for-profit sector.

The Journal of Human Resources, 2003

This analysis provides an in-depth investigation of the determinants of pay in the nonprofit sector. The main findings are as follows. First, holding constant individual characteristics, average weekly wages are 11 percent lower in nonprofit than for-profit jobs. However, this difference is entirely explained by the concentration of nonprofit employment in relatively low paid industries.