Open AccessBuild It and They Will Come! Or, Built to Last? Key Challenges and Insights into the Sustainability of Nonprofit and Philanthropy Programs and Centers
Author(s) -
Patrick Rooney,
Dwight F. Burlingame
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of nonprofit education and leadership
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2374-7838
pISSN - 2157-0604
DOI - 10.18666/jnel-2020-10821
Subject(s) - succession planning , revenue , key (lock) , sustainability , diversity (politics) , public relations , work (physics) , business , fund raising , political science , higher education , finance , engineering , computer science , law , mechanical engineering , ecology , computer security , biology
Using results from 22 key informant interviews from 15 different universities, we analyze why various centers/programs on philanthropic and nonprofit studies started, their key revenue sources, the diversity of funding sources, the role of leadership, succession planning, and what they might have done differently to make things better. These case studies provide insights as to why some centers/programs fail, others barely survive, yet some thrive. While the old saying, “It’s better to be lucky than good” remains true. We found that many of the things we teach in our academic programs work well when leading academic centers: diversify income streams, do not become too reliant on one donor, provide for leadership transitions and succession plans, raise money for endowments, and build advisory boards.