Organizational Ecology, Institutionalism, and Nonprofit Advocacy Engagement

Authors

  • Jiahuan Lu Rutgers University-Newark

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18666/JNEL-2017-V7-I3-7248

Keywords:

nonprofit advocacy, organizational ecology, organizational institutionalism, human services

Abstract

Nonprofit organizations protect the civic foundation of a society by conveying social ailments and injustice to institutional elites. Based on a random sample of 129 human service nonprofits in Maryland, this study examines the organizational factors that influence advocacy participation. Viewing nonprofit advocacy as a legitimacy-building endeavor, this study derives an analytical framework from two theoretical lenses: organizational ecology and organizational institutionalism. The survey indicates that human service nonprofits engage in a variety of advocacy activities, but devote only limited resources to mobilize these efforts. Furthermore, resource competition, government funding, and constituency commitment help explain the variation of advocacy participation by human service nonprofits. The findings have implications for nonprofit education and leadership. 

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Author Biography

Jiahuan Lu, Rutgers University-Newark

Jiahuan Lu is Assistant Professor of Public Administration in the School of Public Affairs and Administration at Rutgers University-Newark.

Published

2017-07-05

Issue

Section

Articles