Perceptions of Effectiveness Regarding Nonprofit Resource Center Services

Background and Purpose: Nonprofits are under constant scrutiny for efficiency. Positive perception of nonprofits has diminished as negative media becomes more frequent. Nonprofit boards and staff have good intentions, but they may not be properly trained. One solution that addresses these challenges are nonprofit resource centers (NRCs) which seek to improve the effectiveness of nonprofits and thereby accomplish their respective missions. However, there is a lack of empirical evidence regarding the usefulness of NRCs.

A local NRC’s consulting services are studied as a first step in evaluating their impact on nonprofits served. This study sought to answer three questions: 1) To what extent are clients of the local NRC satisfied with consulting services?; 2) Do clients believe that the goals of consulting are met?; and 3) Is there a relationship between client satisfaction, expectation of successful implementation of solutions, and likelihood to recommend the NRC to others?

Methods:This study was a secondary data analysis of evaluations regarding consulting services provided by a local NRC. The study population was the nonprofits who received consulting services between February 2015 and March 2017 and completed a post-service evaluation. The evaluation addressed perceptions of effectiveness and goal attainment, potential barriers to success, and the likelihood of recommending consulting services. The critical alpha level was set at .10 to maximize statistical power as the study was exploratory, and restriction of range of scores was an issue. The classical dis-attenuation formula was applied to correlations.

Results:Consulting clients were highly satisfied with the services rendered by the NRC: 100% of clients found the consultant to be helpful or very helpful, and 95% found the NRC as a whole to be helpful or very helpful. Additionally, 95% of clients indicated that they achieved all, or most, goals.

A statistically significant correlation between client satisfaction and clients’ expectations for successful implementation of proposed solutions was found, r=.53, p < .05. The likelihood that a client would recommend the resource center was correlated with overall satisfaction, r = .43, p < 0.10, and a relationship existed between goal attainment and clients’ expectations for successful implementation of proposed solutions, r = .61, p < .01.

An ex-post facto research question was investigated: Is there a relationship between goal attainment and potential barriers to success as identified by the client? Regression analysis found three barriers to success that have statistically significant negative relationships with clients’ goal attainment scores: external factors, t = -2.36, p < .05; lack of board support, t = -1.83, p < .10; and budgeting constraints, t = -1.82, p < .10.

Conclusions and Implications: These results suggest services provided by NRCs are beneficial to nonprofits experiencing challenges. When clients are satisfied with services and goals are attained, they are more likely to successfully implement solutions. Additionally, NRCs may help nonprofits plan solutions for potential obstacles to ensure more successful outcomes. Problems found with the evaluation procedure used by this NRC suggested more comprehensive measures be designed and used.