Place, Time, and Philanthropy: Exploring Geographic Mobility and Philanthropic Engagement

Abstract

America is a nation of movers, and this has implications for public and nonprofit managers who rely on donations and volunteers to increase the capacity of nonprofits and to strengthen local communities. This article explores the impact of time and place on philanthropic engagement, focusing on how three aspects of community—sense of belonging, social connections, and regional culture—are related to volunteering and giving to local organizations. The authors find that geographic mobility affects philanthropic engagement. Drawing on a survey of active older Americans, the authors find that three community factors —sense of community, social networks, and regional cultures— are related to one or both types of philanthropic behavior. The authors conclude by offering thoughts for future research and practice.

Understanding Structuring and Variation in a Nonprofit Subfield: Examining Institutional and Regional Pressures in U.S. Historic Preservation Nonprofits

“…Findings from this study add to the work by other scholars supporting regional differences in nonprofit organizations and philanthropy (Schneider, 1996;Clerkin, et al, 2013) and in historic preservation (Carlson, 1980). It also supports studies that have found differences in behaviors in nonprofit organizations related to decision-making rationale (Bromley, Hwang, & Powell, 2012).…”

“…In the United States, regional designations are employed to better understand differences in policies and actions of government and nonprofit organizations (Schneider, 1996;Clerkin, Paarlberg, Christensen, Nesbit, & Tschirhart, 2013). Carlson (1980) analyzes historic preservation by region using National Register data coded into 10 different building types and finds that eastern states have a higher concentration of sites on the register than Western states.…”

Factors Influencing U.S. Charitable Giving during the Great Recession: Implications for Nonprofit Administration

“…Using data from a survey of residents in southeastern North Carolina, Clerkin, Paarlberg, Christensen, Nesbit, and Tschirhart published a study in 2013 examining the impact of participants' -sense of community,‖ social ties, and their regional culture on their charitable giving [18]. Regarding culture, regional cultural perspectives tend to vary regarding the role of government verses nonprofit civic organizations in meeting community needs.…”

Commuting, Communication, and Community Engagement From a Communication Infrastructure Theory Perspective

“…For example, Putnam reported that every 10 minutes of commuting resulted in a 10% reduction in social connectedness in local communities (Putnam, 2000, p. 204). Similarly, other studies have suggested that long commuting hours lower the sense of community (Clerkin et al, 2013), discourage social trust at the local level (Williamson, 2002), and decrease local participation in sharing, donating, or volunteering (Corporation for National and Community Service & National Conference on Citizenship, 2010).…”

“…One of the natural outcomes of the detachment between place of residence and place of work is an increasing number of people who have to commute. Many previous studies have claimed that commuting has detrimental effects on community engagement or community-level social capital (Clerkin, Paarlberg, Christensen, Nesbit, & Tschirhart, 2013; Kang & Kwak, 2003; Shah, McLeod, & Yoon, 2001). Since the late 19th century, urban commuters have been described as having decreasing commitment to their neighborhoods (Balderstone, 2014, p. 142).…”