Abstract
Although nonprofit management has grown in popularity as a field of study (Mirabella, 2007), the phenomenon of nonprofit organizations—and less formally, voluntary associations—is one that attracts interest from multiple scholarly disciplines. In Nonprofit Organizations and Civil Society in the United States, Kelly LeRoux and Mary K. Feeney offer a text written at the upper-class undergraduate level that is appropriate for use in multiple departments—sociology, political science, public administration, philanthropic studies—and yes, business or nonprofit management. It is also a solid resource for a theoretical introduction to nonprofits at the graduate level.
LeRoux and Feeney both teach nonprofit management: LeRoux in the Department of Public Administration at the University of Illinois in Chicago, and Feeney at the School of Public Affairs at Arizona State University. Their teaching practice is evident in the construction of the text. Chapters begin with vignettes that put a personal face on issues of ethical or policy deliberation; others are sprinkled throughout the chapters. These not only draw in the student reader but also raise important issues: Who should bear responsibility for paying for a cure for malaria (pp. 5-7)? Should nonprofits contribute to the cost of city services (p. 70)? Chapters include clear learning objectives, discussion questions, key terms, activities, and recommended additional sources from both the library and the Internet. Foundational concepts such as “theory” and “reciprocity” are defined, supporting students’ solid understanding of the content. Illustrative examples are often fun, as in Movember, a movement supporting awareness of men’s health concerns through mustache growth (p. 123); timely, as in Edith Windsor’s court challenge to claim a marital estate tax deduction on the death of her same-sex spouse (pp. 249-250); and often chosen with an eye toward the age of the expected reader, such as the spread of Ultimate Frisbee (p. 127) or the function of fraternities (pp. 130-132).
LeRoux and Feeney share an interest in nonprofits’ relationship to the government, an interest that no doubt contributed to their decision to situate nonprofits in this text within civil society. Civil society is itself a versatile term that benefits from definition. This text uses an expansive interpretation, including “the broader social and legal structure that makes it possible for nonprofit organizations to exist” (p. 113). Drawing on the work of Helmut Anheier (2005), LeRoux and Feeney’s working definition relies on institutions, ideas and action, and organizations (pp. 13-14). By including expected normative dimensions such as fostering tolerance, belonging, equality, and altruism (p. 113), their definition is compatible with notions of civil society as a “good society” (e.g., Edwards, 2014).
The book has 10 chapters, arranged into four sections. Chapters 1 through 3 introduce the scope of the nonprofit sector in the United States and the concept of civil society, offer historical and legal context for today’s nonprofits, and outline key theoretical approaches to studies of the sector. Chapter 2 approaches the historical overview from the points of nonprofits as social organizations, as political organizations, and as economic organizations, conveying multiple valuable lenses for analysis (pp. 47-63). The second section begins by situating contemporary nonprofits within civil society, building on Bruce Sievers’s (2010) description of civil society as a constellation (LeRoux & Feeney, pp. 113-115). Robert Putnam’s (2000) work on social capital in Bowling Alone is introduced and critiqued (pp. 119-120). Chapters 5 and 6 address volunteering and community service, and philanthropy and giving. LeRoux and Feeney draw heavily on E. Gil Clary and Mark Snyder’s (1999) work in motivations of volunteers and question whether mandating community service retains the value ascribed to volunteering. A third section examines political, social, and economic aspects. Chapter 7 sets the stage, delineating different forms of nonprofits and the implications on lobbying, advocacy, and political mobilization. This is a clear presentation of a topic that is met with anxiety by some nonprofit administrators and boards. Chapter 8 describes social movements and nonprofits’ roles in starting movements and advancing their goals at different points. The final chapter for this section focuses on nonprofits as employers, vocational trainers, and agents in community development at both the grassroots and elite business levels. A final section has but one chapter, focusing on challenges and opportunities for nonprofits as a sector, which include changing American demographics, uncertainty about government financing, pressures for accountability and performance, the blurring of sectoral boundaries, and technological advances.
Overall, Nonprofit Organizations and Civil Society in the United States succeeds as a broad, interdisciplinary introduction to nonprofits, exactly as the authors intended. There are minor errors—The Polish American Association, for which this reviewer previously raised funds, is a multi-purpose human services organization (501c3 Lookup, n.d.) and, therefore, not the best example of a cultural group established for people with common interests to associate (p. 4). I was amused to see that, due to a typographical error on page 55, the Progressive Era started in the 1980s. However, these are mostly minor issues and do not change the overarching frameworks presented. The text poses many important questions, but is, and is meant to be, a versatile text that can be adapted to the needs of different approaches. As such, many other valuable questions are not addressed within its pages. My reading generated the following “wish list”: Ought philanthropy to be redistributive in nature (see, inter alia, Schervish & Havens, 2001; Singer, 2015)? Can government expect voluntary donations to be distributed according to its policy preferences (see Breeze, 2012)? Should groups publicly associated with a militant stance, such as the Black Panthers, be included among nonprofits who were instrumental in the Civil Rights movement (see Thornbrough, 2000)? How is the early development of the American charitable sector related to changing opportunities for women (see McCarthy, 2005)? Is setting up new legal forms for social enterprise necessary or desirable to achieve a socially conscious business model (see Katz & Page, 2013)? Doubtless, each instructor will bring their own preferences for what supplemental material will best support the class they intend to teach. LeRoux and Feeney have some recommendations on page xix.