Toward a Care-Centered Approach for Nonprofit Management in a Neoliberal Era

“They really care about you, they really build relationships”: Care and justice in a community organization

“…Settings designed with inclusive intentions that encourage the involvement of a diversity of individuals and communities will likely encounter competing visions on what are perceived as supportive policies and practices (Tomlinson & Schwabenland, 2010). Such settings must also navigate challenging constraints that result from being nested within broader sociopolitical macrosystems that do not prioritize values of care and justice (Mitzen, 1998; Sandberg & Elliott, 2019; Toolis, 2017). Indeed, the notion of creating a truly liberatory space will always remain aspirational, rather than a goal that can be achieved.…”

“…One way to gain deeper understanding of, and the ability to assess, decision‐making and policies enacted in a community organization is to explore the ethical frameworks that guide these processes (Pynes, 2006; Sandberg & Elliott, 2019). The development of organizational policies and practices in settings that encourage diverse community involvement likely must contend with challenges related to whose concerns and desires take precedence at a given time.…”

Critical Applications of Heterogeneity Theories to Power in Nonprofit Human Services Organizations

“…Critical feminist theory and work that makes intersectionality central is also of great importance as women are disproportionately represented as participants in many human services organizations (Hicks, 2015), are usually assigned greater blame and responsibility than men (Hicks, 2015; Orme, 2001; Scourfield, 2010), and are subjected to regulation of child-rearing, family arrangements, household guests, and even their sex lives (Abramovitz, 1988; Gordon, 1994; Keiser & Soss, 1998; Soss, 2002). While critical race theory and feminist theory are being embraced by an increasing number of nonprofit scholars (see, for example, Feit, 2019; Greene, 2007; Heckler, 2019; Sandberg & Elliot, 2019; Willner, 2019), nonprofit human service provision sorely needs more investigation through these critical lenses, given the frequent interface between these providers, women, and communities of color. However, as we embrace these critical perspectives, scholars of nonprofit human services organizations must also reflect carefully on the critical tools hidden within existing theoretical perspectives on the sector.…”

Understanding the Spirit of the Sectors: Exploring Identity in a New Era of Organizing

“…As stated by Powell (2020), nonprofits, “result from the legal incorporation of activities that represent the varied interests and identities that members of civil society hold,” (p. 7). While some nonprofit organizations may be geared toward individualistic efforts such as coalescing power or gaining notoriety, most often their identities have been categorized either as democratic or collective in nature (Eikenberry, 2009) or care-centered and relational (Sandberg & Elliott, 2019). Relational, care-centered approaches to the nonprofit sector, view these organizations as empathic and sympathetic partners that take care of others.…”