Value and risk in non-profit organizations: The prodromes of a research on the development of innovative measurement and evaluation models

Journal title WELFARE E ERGONOMIA
Author/s Paolo Ricci
Publishing Year 2023 Issue 2022/2 Suppl.
Language Italian Pages 15 P. 133-147 File size 399 KB
DOI 10.3280/WE2022-002-S1013
DOI is like a bar code for intellectual property: to have more infomation click here

Below, you can see the article first page

If you want to buy this article in PDF format, you can do it, following the instructions to buy download credits

Article preview

FrancoAngeli is member of Publishers International Linking Association, Inc (PILA), a not-for-profit association which run the CrossRef service enabling links to and from online scholarly content.

This work aims to identify the prodromes of a research work on the topic of Alternative Accounting (AA) for Non-Profit Organizations (NPO) with particular regard to the meaning that value and risk assume in such organizations. The pursuit of social objectives and the absence of profit as the main management driver makes measuring their performance difficult and often imprecise, in some cases misleading. The study of alternative models for measuring and evaluating results must be carried out considering the economic subjectivity and the power relations, both in management and in reporting: this determines the risk of having to indulge non-institutional interests, distorting the underlying purposes. The elaboration of an AA model represents an attempt to overcome both the limits of traditional measurements and those of non-financial disclosure, allowing for an understanding of the different dimensions of the value created by NPOs, improving their level of accountability towards various stakeholders and being able achieve a more effective understanding of value creation processes.

Keywords: Non-profit; Alternative accounting; Accountability; Value; Risk.

  1. Andreaus M. and Costa E. (2014). Toward an Integrated Accountability Model for Nonprofit Organizations. Accountability and Social Accounting for Social and Non-Profit Organizations (Advances in Public Interest Accounting), 17: 153-176.
  2. Anessi-Pessina E., Barbera C., Langella C., Manes-Rossi F., Sancino A., Sicilia M. and Steccolini I. (2020). Reconsidering public budgeting after the COVID-19 outbreak: key lessons and future challenges. Journal of Public Budgeting, Accounting & Financial Management, 32(5): 957-965. DOI: 10.1108/JPBAFM-07-2020-0115
  3. Anheier H.K. (2014). Nonprofit organizations: Theory, management, policy. London and New York: Routledge.
  4. Arvidson M. and Lyon F. (2013). Social Impact Measurement and Non-profit Organisations: Compliance, Resistance, and Promotion. VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations, 25(4): 869-886.
  5. Bellostas A.J., López-Arceiz F.J. and Mateos L. (2015). Social Value and Economic Value in Social Enterprises: Value Creation Model of Spanish Sheltered Workshops. VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations, 27(1): 367-391.
  6. Berger I.E. (2006). Identity, Identification, and Relationship Through Social Alliances. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 34(2): 128-137. DOI: 10.1177/0092070305284973
  7. Bertlesmann Stiftung and Social Value Italia (2016). Social Impact Navigator. -- https://www.socialvalueitalia.it/associazione/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Social-Impact-Navigator-ITA-pagine-singole-1-1.pdf [consultato il 12 dicembre 2022].
  8. Bocquet R., Cotterlaz-Rannard G. and Ferrary M. (2020). How Do NPOs Get Funding? A Business Model Perspective Based on the Conversion of Symbolic Capital. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 49(6): 1233-1258. DOI: 10.1177/0899764020925912
  9. Bourdieu P. (1986). The forms of capital. In: Richardson J., Handbook of theory and research for the sociology of education. Westport: Greenwood.
  10. Bovens M. (2010). Two Concepts of Accountability: Accountability as a Virtue and as a Mechanism. West European Politics, 33(5), 946-967. DOI: 10.1080/01402382.2010.486119
  11. Brody E. (2010). The board of nonprofit organizations: puzzling through the gaps between law and practice – a view from the United States. In: Klaus J.H and Von Hippel T., Comparative Corporate Governance of Non-Profit Organizations. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  12. Bronzetti G. (2008). Le aziende non profit. Un esame degli strumenti di controllo di gestione (Vol. 155). Milano: FrancoAngeli.
  13. Bruni L. and Zamagni S., a cura di (2009). Dizionario di economia civile. Roma: Città Nuova.
  14. Bryce H.J. (2014). Public policy rules and norms in choice of a nesting place of a social enterprise. Journal of Entrepreneurship and Public Policy, 3(2): 237-253.
  15. Bryson J., Sancino A., Benington J. and Sørensen E. (2017). Towards a multi-actor theory of public value co-creation. Public Management Review, 19(5): 640-654. DOI: 10.1080/14719037.2016.1192164
  16. Campopiano G. and Bassani G. (2020). Social innovation: Learning from social cooperatives in the Italian context. Journal of Cleaner Production, 291: 125253.
  17. Cheah J., Amran A. and Yahya S. (2019). Internal oriented resources and social enterprises’ performance: How can social enterprises help themselves before helping others?. Journal of Cleaner Production, 211: 607-619.
  18. Civitillo R. (2021). Management in the Non-profit Sector: A Necessary Balance Between Values, Responsibility and Accountability. New York: Routledge.
  19. Civitillo R. (2016). L’aziendalità nel volontariato. Il non profit nella provincia di Benevento. Milano: FrancoAngeli.
  20. Costa E., Ramus T. and Andreaus M. (2011). Accountability as a Managerial Tool in Non-Profit Organizations: Evidence from Italian CSVs. VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations, 22(3): 470-493.
  21. Dent G.W. (2013). Corporate Governance Without Shareholders: A Cautionary Lesson From Non-Profit Organizations. SSRN Electronic Journal.
  22. Dobson J. (2020). A part and yet apart: how third sector visions of carbon reduction are both welcomed and marginalised. Voluntary Sector Review, 11(2): 193-210.
  23. Drucker P.F. (1989). What business can learn from nonprofits. Harvard Business Review, 67(4): 88-93.
  24. Dumay J., Guthrie J. and Rooney J. (2020). Being critical about intellectual capital accounting in 2020: An overview. Critical Perspectives on Accounting, 70: 1-9.
  25. Edelman (2020). Edelman Trust Barometer 2020. -- https://www.edelman.it/ sites/g/files/aatuss391/files/2020-04/2020%20Edelman%20Trust%20Barometer%20master% 20website.pdf [consultato il 12 dicembre 2022].
  26. Edelman (2018). Edelman Trust Barometer. -- https://www.edelman.com/trust/2018-trust-barometer [consultato il 12 dicembre 2022].
  27. Esping-Andersen G., a cura di (2002). Why We Need a New Welfare State. Oxford. Oxford University Press. DOI: 10.1093/0199256438.001.0001
  28. Fröhlich C. and Skokova Y. (2020). Two for One: Public Welfare and Regime Legitimacy Through State Funding for CSOs in Russia. VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations, 31(4): 698-709.
  29. Grønbjerg K.A. (1998). Markets, politics, and charity: Nonprofits in the political economy. In: Powell W.W. and Clemens E.S., Private action and the public good, New Haven: Yale University Press.
  30. Hazen T.L. and Hazen L.L. (2012). Punctilios and Nonprofit Corporate Governance - A Comprehensive Look at Nonprofit Directors' Fiduciary Duties. University of Pennsylvania Journal of Business Law, 14: 347-416. DOI: 10.4159/9780674037298-006
  31. ISTAT (2022). Struttura e profili del settore non profit. Roma: ISTAT.
  32. Jørgensen T.B. and Bozeman B. (2007). Public Values: An Inventory. Administration & Society, 39(3): 354-381. DOI: 10.1177/0095399707300703
  33. Kolleck N. (2019). The power of third sector organizations in public education. Journal of Educational Administration, 57(4): 411-425.
  34. Maiocchi M., Ricci P. and Turconi G. (2019). Bilancio in valore. Come si misura un’ora di gioia?. Rimini: Maggioli Editore.
  35. Malatesta D. and Smith C.R. (2014). Lessons from Resource Dependence Theory for Contemporary Public and Nonprofit Management. Public Administration Review. 74(1): 14-25.
  36. Manetti G., Bellucci M. and Oliva S. (2021). Unpacking dialogic accounting: a systematic literature review and research agenda. Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, 34(9): 250-283. DOI: 10.1108/AAAJ-08-2020-4736
  37. Mazzotta R. (2020). Il terzo settore. In: Ricci P., Siboni B. & Nardo M. T., a cura di, Prime riflessioni sulla misurazione degli impatti nelle organizzazioni non profit: tra teorie e pratiche territoriali. Milano: FrancoAngeli.
  38. Messner M. (2009). The limits of accountability. Accounting, Organizations and Society, 34(8), 918-938.
  39. Meyer M., Buber R. and Aghamanoukjan A. (2013). In Search of Legitimacy: Managerialism and Legitimation in Civil Society Organizations. VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations, 24(1): 167-193.
  40. Minkoff D.C. and Powell W.W. (2006). Nonprofit Mission: Constancy, Responsiveness, or Deflection?. In: Powell W.W. and Steinberg R., a cura di, The Nonprofit Sector: A Research Handbook. New Haven: Yale University Press.
  41. Mook L., Chan A. and Kershaw D. (2015). Measuring Social Enterprise Value Creation. Nonprofit Management and Leadership, 26(2): 189-207.
  42. Moore M. (2000). Managing for value: Organizational strategy in for-profit, nonprofit, and governmental organizations. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 29(1): 183-204.
  43. Moore M.H. (1995). Creating public value: Strategic management in government. Cambridge and London: Harvard University Press.
  44. Moro G. (2014). Contro il non profit. Bari: Editori Laterza.
  45. Mulgan R. (2000). ‘Accountability’: An Ever-Expanding Concept?. Public Administration, 78: 555-573. DOI: 10.1111/1467-9299.00218
  46. Mussari R. and Monfardini P. (2010). Practices of social reporting in public sector and non-profit organizations: An Italian perspective. Public Management Review, 12(4), 487-492.
  47. Najam A. (1996). Understanding the third sector: Revisiting the prince, the merchant, and the citizen. Nonprofit Management and Leadership, 7: 203-219.
  48. Nardo M.T. & Siboni B. (2018). Requirements and Practices of Social Reporting in Italian Not-for-Profit Organisations. In: Tench R., Jones B. & Sun W., editors, The Critical State of Corporate Social Responsibility in Europe, pp. 299-317. Bingley, UK: Emerald Publishing Limited.
  49. Normann R. and Ramirez R. (1998). Designing Interactive Strategy: From Value Chain to Value Constellation. New York: Wiley.
  50. Porter M.E. and Kramer M.R. (1999). Philanthropy’s new agenda: Creating value. Harvard Business Review, 77: 121-131.
  51. Powell M. and Barrientos A. (2004). Welfare regimes and the welfare mix. European Journal of Political Research, 43(1): 83-105.
  52. Putnam R.D. (2001). Bowling alone: The collapse and revival of American community. New York: Simon and Schuster.
  53. Quélin B.V., Kivleniece I. and Lazzarini S. (2017). Public-Private Collaboration, Hybridity and Social Value: Towards New Theoretical Perspectives. Journal of Management Studies, 54(6): 763-792.
  54. Rehli F. and Jäger U.P. (2011). The Governance of International Nongovernmental Organizations: How Funding and Volunteer Involvement Affect Board Nomination Modes and Stakeholder Representation in International Nongovernmental Organizations. VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations, 22(4): 587-612.
  55. Reith S. (2010). Money, power, and donor–NGO partnerships. Development in Practice, 20(3): 446-455. DOI: 10.1080/09614521003709932
  56. Ricci P. (2020). L’accountability negli enti non profit. In: Ricci P., Siboni B., & Nardo M.T., a cura di, Prime riflessioni sulla misurazione degli impatti nelle organizzazioni non profit: tra teorie e pratiche territoriali. Milano: FrancoAngeli.
  57. Ricci P. (2019). L’accountability pubblica. In: Anselmi L. e Pozzoli S., a cura di, Le Aziende Pubbliche. Aspetti di governance, gestione, misurazione, valutazione e rendicontazione. Milano: FrancoAngeli.
  58. Ricci P. (2016). Accountability (voce), Global Encyclopedia of Public Administration, Public Policy and Governance, Cham, Switzerland: Springer International Publishing, 1-6. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-20928-9_2321
  59. Ricci P. (2010). Il soggetto economico nell’azienda pubblica. Chi comanda davvero nell’azienda pubblica e perché. Roma: RIREA.
  60. Ricci P., Nardo M.T. e Siboni B., a cura di (2020). Prime riflessioni sulla misurazione degli impatti nelle organizzazioni non profit: tra teorie e pratiche territoriali. Milano: FrancoAngeli.
  61. Saebi T., Foss N.J. and Linder S. (2018). Social Entrepreneurship Research: Past Achievements and Future Promises. Journal of Management, 45(1): 70-95. DOI: 10.1177/0149206318793196
  62. Schiller R.S. and Almog-Bar M. (2013). Revisiting collaborations between nonprofits and businesses: An NPO-centric view and typology. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 42(5): 942-962. DOI: 10.1177/0899764012471753
  63. Selsky J.W. and Parker B. (2005). Cross-Sector Partnerships to Address Social Issues: Challenges to Theory and Practice. Journal of Management, 31(6): 849-873. DOI: 10.1177/0149206305279601
  64. Sicilia M., Guarini E., Sancino A., Andreani M. and Ruffini R. (2016). Public services management and co-production in multi-level governance settings. International Review of Administrative Sciences, 82(1): 8-27. DOI: 10.1177/0020852314566008
  65. Smith S.R. (2008). The Challenge of Strengthening Nonprofits and Civil Society. Public Administration Review, 68: S132-S145.
  66. Speckbacher G. (2003). The Economics of Performance Management in Nonprofit Organizations. Nonprofit Management & Leadership, 13(3): 267-281.
  67. Suarez D.F. (2011). Collaboration and Professionalization: The Contours of Public Sector Funding for Nonprofit Organizations. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 21(2): 307-326.
  68. Tenbensel T., Dwyer J. and Lavoie J. (2014). How Not to Kill the Golden Goose: Reconceptualizing accountability environments of third-sector organizations. Public Management Review, 16(7): 925-944. DOI: 10.1080/14719037.2013.770054
  69. Toepler S. and Anheier H.K. (2004). Organizational theory and nonprofit management: An overview. In: Zimmer A. & Priller E., Editors, Future of Civil Society. Wiesbaden: VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften.
  70. Tracey P., Phillips N. and Haugh H. (2005). Beyond Philanthropy: Community Enterprise as a Basis for Corporate Citizenship. Journal of Business Ethics, 58: 327-344.
  71. Van Dyk L. and Fourie L. (2015). Challenges in donor-NPO relationships in the context of corporate social investment. Communicatio, 41(1): 108-130. DOI: 10.1080/02500167.2015.1022563
  72. Veltri S. and Bronzetti G. (2015). A Critical Analysis of the Intellectual Capital Measuring, Managing, and Reporting Practices in the Non-profit Sector: Lessons Learnt from a Case Study. Journal of Business Ethics, 131(2): 305-318.
  73. Wolf M. and Mair J. (2019). Purpose, Commitment and Coordination Around Small Wins: A Proactive Approach to Governance in Integrated Hybrid Organizations. VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations, 30(3): 535-548.
  74. Wondolleck J.M. and Yaffee S.L. (2000). Making collaboration work: Lessons from innovation in natural resource management. Washington: Island Press.
  75. Zamagni S. (2008). Regolamentazione del terzo settore e innovazione sociale. In: Bassi A., Venturi P., a cura di, Regolamentazione del terzo settore e innovazione sociale. Forlì: Aiccon.

Paolo Ricci, Valore e rischio nelle organizzazioni non-profit: i prodromi di una ricerca sullo sviluppo di modelli innovativi di misurazione e valutazione in "WELFARE E ERGONOMIA" 2 Suppl./2022, pp 133-147, DOI: 10.3280/WE2022-002-S1013