The impact of a changing financial climate on a UK local charitable sector: voices from the front line

Glennon, R; Hannibal, Claire; Meehan, Joanne

doi:10.1080/09540962.2017.1282242

Cited by 12 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…As a result, charity applicants are unaware of other funding applications and the priorities and pressures in the requisite award round. Therefore, an individual charity has to 'compete' for grants (Glennon, Hannibal, & Meehan, 2017). Furthermore, the charities vying for grant awards have very low discretion in how resources are allocated (Pfeffer & Salancik, 1978, p47).…”

Section: The Grant Funding Environment: the Demand For Accounting Andmentioning

confidence: 99%

Negotiating for survival: Balancing mission and money

Henderson¹,

Lambert

2018

The British Accounting Review

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The impetus for prioritising money over mission in charities is increasingly pertinent as public sector austerity progresses in the UK. Mid size charities-who are heavily reliant on grant funding-have experienced proportionately greater challenges to austerity than larger entities. A substantial part of accountability efforts in mid size charities are directed towards funders, where funder imposed frameworks and measures may direct charity attention away from social mission towards funder needs, causing mission drift. Four charity case studies, and grant funder interviews were conducted to investigate how charities can pursue social mission in a challenging funding environment. This paper shows that charities can protect social mission despite high dependence on grant funding, but also provides evidence of susceptibility to mission drift in cases where the balance between money and mission changes. Charity accounting systems display pertinent funder influence. A resource dependence perspective is utilised to highlight the complexity in assessing dependence of charities in a challenging environment and demonstrates the extent of funder influence in accounting and performance systems in these charities. However, charities employ strategies to cope with external requirements enabling them to retain mission focus.

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Section: The Grant Funding Environment: the Demand For Accounting Andmentioning

confidence: 99%

Negotiating for survival: Balancing mission and money

Henderson¹,

Lambert

2018

The British Accounting Review

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“…Some literature recognises the importance of the sustainability of social purpose to VSOs by examining 'person-centredness', meeting social goals and satisfying the needs of 'stakeholders' (Doherty et al, 2014;Manetti and Toccafondi, 2014;Rees and Rose, 2015;Martin et al, 2016;Glennon et al, 2017). However, to date, these elements of sustainability have only been applied to food banks to a limited extent (Lambie-Mumford, 2013Iafrati, 2016), and even then, not always as part of an explicit focus on sustainability.…”

Section: Increasing Demand and Sustainabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“We’re not a bottomless pit”: food banks’ capacity to sustainably meet increasing demand

Iafrati

2018

Voluntary Sector Review

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Based on research with 21 food banks across eight local authority areas in England, this article examines the sustainability of food banks in their attempts to balance demand and supply. Against a background of multiple deprivation and welfare reforms in the UK, food banks are becoming increasingly important for growing numbers of people. However, at a time when food banks' ability to meet this increasing demand is close to capacity, this article examines how social purpose is a core element in food banks' understanding of sustainability. With food banks having little control over the level of demand, and supply being increasingly close to capacity, if demand exceeds supply, sustainability will necessitate either denying demand or expanding supply.

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“…However, charitable NPOs, in general, have become more business-like and market-facing, as a result, there has been increasing concern of mission-drift, namely a move away from its mission in pursuing financial success (Bailis et al, 2009;Glennon et al 2017;Maier et al 2016). As the chair of the Charity Commissioners stated this sector has seen "aggressive fundraising practices, exploitation of vulnerable people, and single-minded pursuit of organizational growth" (Third Sector, 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Job stress and employee outcomes: employment practices in a charity

Wen

Seifert

2021

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PurposeThe study intends to examine employee relations with a changing workforce resulting from the business-like transformation in the charity sector. The authors investigated sector-specific employment practices that can alleviate job stress (as a given and which has been made worse by the transformation). Developed from the intrinsic and extrinsic motivation framework, the findings can inform human resource management practices in its new efficiency-seeking business model.Design/methodology/approachThe authors collected both quantitative (through a staff survey and administrative records of sick leave in the previous 12 months) and qualitative data (through interviews and focus groups) from one branch of an internationally well-established and UK-based religious charity between 2017 and 2018.FindingsThe quantitative results support a strong mediating effect of job satisfaction between job stress and staff sick leave. The negative correlation shown between job stress and job satisfaction is subject to paid staff perception of meaningful work and their level of involvement in decision-making, with the latter having a stronger moderating effect. The qualitative data provides further contextualized evidence on the findings.Practical implicationsIt is important for charities to uphold and reflect their charitable mission towards beneficiaries and paid staff during the shift to an efficiency-seeking business model. Charities should involve their new professional workforce in strategic decision-making to better shape a context-based operational model.Originality/valueThe study examined employee relations in the non-profit charity sector with a changing workforce during the transition to a more business-oriented model. In particular, the authors revealed sector-specific factors that can moderate the association between job stress and absenteeism, and thereby contribute to the understanding of human resource management practices in the sector.

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The impact of a changing financial climate on a UK local charitable sector: voices from the front line

Cited by 12 publications

References 18 publications

Negotiating for survival: Balancing mission and money

Negotiating for survival: Balancing mission and money

“We’re not a bottomless pit”: food banks’ capacity to sustainably meet increasing demand

Job stress and employee outcomes: employment practices in a charity

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