Stereotypes of volunteers and nonprofit organizations' professionalization: A two‐study article

Abstract

Competence and warmth are two fundamental stereotypical dimensions that frame people's social judgments. Since we currently lack evidence about how the volunteering workforce is socially perceived, this study aims to (a) understand which stereotypes are associated with volunteers, and (b) determine whether these perceptions vary as a result of contextual changes (i.e., professionalization) that have recently characterized nonprofit organizations (NPOs). Two empirical surveybased studies were conducted in Belgium, one comprising data collected from a general population sample (N = 233), and the other from volunteers (N = 128). Study 1 displayed volunteers being perceived by the general population as warmer rather than competent. Study 2 found that ingroup warmth perceptions in a volunteers' sample decreased as NPOs became progressively more businesslike. Overall, these two studies illustrate that warmth is at the heart of the volunteers' role and show that the increasing professionalization of NPOs affects this perception.

The equivocal image of young social enterprises—How self‐ versus other‐oriented values influence external perceptions

“…Social enterprises elude easy categorization into either a non‐profit or for‐profit organization, in turn, posing a challenge for external individuals to fully grasp the concept of social enterprise and to fully evaluate those enterprises compared to commercial (or non‐profit) organizations (Austin et al, 2006; Bacq & Alt, 2018; Barraket et al, 2016; Peiffer et al, 2020). This study extends our understanding of individual‐level factors that explain external stakeholders' evaluation of social enterprise image compared to their perceptions of commercial enterprises operating in the same industry.…”

Not-for-Profit Organizations: A Multi-Disciplinary Review and Assessment From a Strategic Management Perspective

“…On one hand, professionalization can make NFPs more effective, accountable, and financially responsible (Kaplan, 2001;King, 2017), and many NFPs are taking advantage of technologies of performance (optimization in funding, evaluation, and monitoring) and technologies of agency (improving participation and socialization; Dean, 1999;King, 2017) in their professionalization processes. On the other hand, scholars have identified the detrimental effects of professionalism (e.g., Hwang & Powell, 2009;Kelley, Lune, & Murphy, 2005;Peiffer et al, 2020). For example, Kelley et al (2005) suggested that professionalism may cause a decline in volunteer commitment.…”

“…Hwang and Powell (2009) revealed that business-like practices decrease volunteer motivation. Peiffer et al (2020) found that volunteers perceive their working environment to be less cordial as NFPs become more professionalized.…”

“…Before we conclude, it is important to note that leaders of NFPs are facing increasing pressure to adopt professionalized management practices (Dart, 2004;Maier et al, 2016). Such pressure is rising as more and more NFPs compete for limited government financial support, which calls for higher performance standards (Dobrai & Farkas, 2008;Peiffer, Villotti, Vantilborgh, & Desmette, 2020). As a double-edged sword, professionalization may bring both benefits and risks to NFPs.…”

Social perception of brands: Warmth and competence define images of both brands and social groups

“…Part of this model has empirical support (Prokopowicz & Zmuda, 2015). A survey of the general population showed that volunteers working for nonprofits are perceived as warmer rather than competent (Peiffer et al, 2020). In a second study sampling a population of volunteers, the volunteers' perception match those of the general population but that this ingroup's perception of warmth decreases when nonprofits adopt more business‐like practices (i.e., rationalization, professionalism, managerialism, and a commercial focus).…”