Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Interorganisational relationships between non-profit organisations (NPOs) and funders are vital to the development sector. While trust is recognised as important, there is limited consensus on its drivers or whether organisational perspectives differ, especially in increasingly challenging environments where NPOs are often subject to changing funder expectations. Drawing on 49 semi-structured interviews with NPOs and funder participants, we identify nine drivers of non-profit trust aligned with the dimensions of ability, benevolence and integrity, grouped as Foundational and Relational drivers. Foundational drivers verify competence prior to funding, while Relational drivers reflect belief in the relationship. Although non-profits benefit from a ‘halo’ of ‘doing good’, findings suggest that NPOs adapting to shifting funder expectations can jointly create a ‘darker side’, generating an ‘organisational integrity tension’.
Source: Journal of Marketing Management
Authors: Sarah Quinn, Kevin Money, Irene Garnelo-Gomez
Institutions: University of Reading, Universitat Ramon Llull
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W7225402582