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Experiencing Nonprofits in Vietnam: What Matters Most to the People Nonprofits Aim to Serve

Year: 2025
Type: dissertation
Abstract: To better understand nonprofit performance and impact, this study set out to identify the salient viewpoints of the individuals and communities a nonprofit human service provider sets out to serve, i.e., the nonprofit’s constituents. Focusing on the first encounter with a nonprofit, which the service management, public encounters, and help-seeking literatures all identify as important to understanding experiences of and engagement with service organizations, I ask: How does a constituent’s first encounter with a nonprofit influence their experience and decision to engage with the organization? To address this question, I implemented a community-engaged, multi-phased, Q methodology study with 56 women in Vietnam. I utilized a focus group discussion, in-depth interviews, participant reflections on a first visit to a nonprofit, a Q sort, and debrief interviews. My research revealed three viewpoints and four dimensions of effectiveness. The three viewpoints include: Mutuality - I am looking for signs we can work together as equal partners to address my problem; Caring - I am looking for signs you are personally motivated towards helping me; and Efficiency - I am looking for signs I can get what I need in a timely manner. The four dimensions of effectiveness include: relational, technical, accessibility, and other dimensions of effectiveness. Regardless of the viewpoint, the relational dimension of an encounter is central to constituent decisions to engage with a nonprofit, a dimension that is undertheorized in social impact measurement. That said, all three viewpoints bring the four dimensions of effectiveness together in distinct ways. In this way, a Q study reminds us that constituents are not all the same and exposes some of the differences. These findings offer implications for research and practice on nonprofit management and measurement.
DOI: 10.7912/2f5x-6462
Language: English
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7078756169
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