Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, Ahead of Print. There is a double standard in public responses to scandals: Nonprofits are penalized more harshly than commercial organizations for the same transgression (the “moral disillusionment effect”). However, previous research—focused on commercial organizations—has sometimes shown that a positive reputation can insure organizations against the negative effects of scandals.…

Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, Ahead of Print. Membership in voluntary associations is of core importance to civil society. In this study, I build on the large literature that focuses on how community racial/ethnic diversity affects individuals’ joining of—and participation within—voluntary associations. The central focus is on White ethnicity or European ancestry, which I analyze…

Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, Ahead of Print. Research on China’s volunteerism highlights the state as a major force in mobilizing volunteer participation. Nevertheless, limited quantitative research exists documenting the extent to which Chinese volunteers are connected to the state system. Using a nationally representative dataset, the 2012 Chinese General Social Survey, this study examines…

Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, Ahead of Print. In online peer-to-peer fundraising, individual fundraisers, acting on behalf of nonprofit organizations, mobilize their social networks using social media to request donations. Whereas existing studies focus on networks of donors to explain success, we examine the role of the networks of fundraisers and their effect on fundraising…

Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, Ahead of Print. Previous research lags behind in illuminating theoretical mechanisms that shape governance decision-making on board practices. Using an integrated theoretical approach, I examine how board interlock network and institutional factors are associated with board governance policy adoption in nonprofit organizations. A linear regression model is employed to investigate…

Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, Ahead of Print. Nurturing relationships with major donors is a priority for nonprofits, and “relationship fundraising” is the dominant paradigm. This grounded theory study addressed practical needs and a dearth of research by analyzing how fundraisers develop relationships. In a first-of-its-kind study, we interviewed 20 pairs of higher education fundraisers…

Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, Ahead of Print. Representative bureaucracy theory posits that the passive representation of women in leadership positions will lead to active representation of the concerns of women in general. This article attempts to identify whether this theory plays out on boards of nonprofit funding organizations, specifically United Ways across the United…