Why are there problems of accountability for non-profits and how can they be addressed?
In this essay, I will present the issue of accountability in regard to non-profit organizations, the different types of this issue and to whom and how non-profits must answer or deliver in this sense. In the first section of this paper I will expand on what we understand for accountability (with emphasis on non-profit organizations). Then, in the second section of this paper I will present the many variables a non-profit organization has to respond to in regard to being accountable to the many actors involved in its activities. Lastly, in the last section of this work I will analyze the problems of accountability and if there are ways to give them a solution,
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It is a matter of being responsible and being trustworthy, but as a complex human activity, it entails problems of all kinds. This sector in particular goes through changes, adaptations and always-evolving phases that do not allow for strict measurements or solutions. Therefore, the nature of the solutions needed must also be always-evolving, creating a never-ending cycle of problems to address and solutions to fix such problems. We are never going to arrive a definitive solution (or set of solutions) for accountability problems in the non-profit sector. We must assume that accountability problems are just another part of the non-profit package. For an instance, one of the biggest accountability problems I see is something we already touched upon on previously in this paper, and that is questions of performance. We learnt this term refers to the efficiency of an institution measured by the quality or quantity of the outcome obtained. That is in general lines, but the concept certainly varies on the non-profits’ mission and size. In current times, quick results, quick fixes, being on top of things and expanding “further” and “wider” is better and prevailed. But not every non-profit goal, objective and mission can be measured against these parameters. Specific cases are non-profit organizations catering to HIV, diabetes, cancer in children (heath realm), etc. These organizations need to evaluate their progress and how well their plan is working along many years, if not decades. Research, trial and error, medicines, health policies are just a few essential factors that with time will determine the efficiency of an organization. No funder or donor can expect quick fixes and results in these areas, thus non-profit organizations in health care (especially small sized ones) are highly vulnerable to losing consecutive funding due to the nature of their work. A way to address
Accountability is a subject that ranges through every spectrum of life. From simply knowing your food supply by opening the refrigerator, to knowing the exact amount of ammunition a military convoy has at its disposal, down to each individual round. When we know what the situation is, and hold each person responsible for they're actions in the situation, that is the concept of accountability at its root. If we are not to hold each other responsible for each of our own actions and choices then we will never be able to correct problems and concerns, which will make us fail as a whole because the smallest individual action can account for the gravest of concequences. In this essay I'm going to show how important accountability is in the everyday life of a United States Marine. I will do this by presenting the textbook definition of accountability then dissecting it and defining it in my own words. I will then show you how the military practices accountability with everything it does; by applying a system that is similiar to that of checks and balances. I will tie into this the Incident that occurd in 29 Palms, CA on August 31, 1988, where the failure to have accountability of all the marines on Base ultimately resulted in the negligent death of one Marine, and the ruined careers of those who were in charge of him. Lastly I will go down to the basic level of the Marine Corps: the life of the individual Marine and how he can, and naturally does to a point, apply accountability to his every action, be it on or off duty.
Verbruggen, S., Christiaens, J., & Milis, K. (2011). Can Resource Dependence and Coercive Isomorphism explain Nonprofit Organizations’ Compliance with Reporting Standards? Nonprofit and voluntary sector quarterly, 40(1), 5-32.
Due to NPO MCCC often have controversial objectives related to the offering of services or intangible products, non-profit organizations MCCC may have non-financial indicators that measure the quantity and quality of services, non-profit organizations have difficulties in developing quantitative techniques helpful for evaluating the performance of the organization. BSC potentially balance financial and non-financial activities, for example, MCCC are willing to establish positive word of
Throughout Dan Pallotta’s TED Talk he argues that the discrimination against nonprofits is limiting their ability to change the world. He believes that nonprofits operate under one rule book, while for-profits operate under another. And the book for-profits are encouraged to operate under, allows them to attract the best talent, spend money to make money, take risks, pay dividends, and take their time returning profits to investors.
Nonprofit Organizations The purpose of this research is to define nonprofit organizations, describe opportunities that are present in nonprofits, outline advantages and disadvantages of working in the nonprofit sector, and explain how you can determine if this is an area for you to consider as a career. WHAT IS THE NONPROFIT SECTOR? "Nonprofit" is a term that the I.R.S. uses to define tax-exempt organizations whose money or "profit" must be used solely to further their charitable or educational mission, rather than distribute profits to owners or shareholders as in the for-profit sector. The term is also used to describe organizations which are not a branch of -- are independent of -- the government and the corporate sector. This term refers to one of the most important uniqueness of a nonprofit organization: it is independent of both the public or government sector and the private or corporate sector.
There is no question that today’s political landscape comes with many questions, concerns, and fears for our future. With the country divided and tensions rising seemingly every day, government is increasingly coming under scrutiny and perception are far from favorable these days. I think it is important that we reexamine the roles of government and understand how and why it operates as it does. I think the first and most important aspect of modern government is the idea of accountability. In class, we discussed the idea of a “golden circle of accountability.” In summary, this idea realizes that all aspects of government have a civic duty to serve society. In this regard, they are “accountable,” through the many levels of the golden circle,
Accountability Research Corp., which Rosen runs with his son, Mark, is warning those statements are misleading and allow companies to overstate profitability. Companies have to put a value on their marijuana plants for accounting purposes, even though pricing and future demand are not yet known.
According to the article authored by Mark Rupert, what are the seven best practices in the roles and responsibilities of an internal audit function?
The center’s perspective on voluntary and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) is mixed. In other words, while AEI considers NGOs forces of change, influencing international and national governments and corporations, the organization’s view concerning their achievements and impact is both positive and negative. On the one hand, it treats NGOs with caution, almost dreading their existence, as indicated by remarks concerning their legitimacy, accountability, and credibility (AEI, 2003). Noting their achievements and contributions to human rights, the environment, and economic and social development, AEI (2003) also points out that “the growing power of supranational organizations and a loose set of rules governing the accreditation of NGOs has meant that an unelected few have access to growing and unregulated power.” Asserting that NGOs coerce leaders into acquiescence through twisting policies and intentions to fit their need, they exercise undue influence over the policy making process (AEI, 2003). In addition, they tend to “create their own rules and regulations and demand that governments and corporations abide by those rules” (AEI, 2003). Likewise, the argumen...
Worth, Michael J. Nonprofit Management: Principles and Practice. 3rd Ed. Copyright 2014 by SAGE Publications, Inc.
Organizational Leadership and management in any organization include the key elements of identity, trust, communication, innovation, and ethics managing. A clear challenge that non-profit organizations (NPO) face is trying to effectively incorporate these elements. On the other hand, they are used effectively by for-profit organizations (FPO) to benefit corporate gains. If NPOs and FPOs were to come together and bring the positives that both organizations offer, they could make a new sector that would benefit everyone. “NPOs do not have a single personality or purpose, a particular political agenda, or a distinct organizational form”(Lune,2010,pg133).
Responsibility accounting is the practice that focuses on providing financial information useful in evaluating efficiency and effectiveness of managers or department heads, on the basis of financial performance directly under their control. Responsibility accounting is also based on the assumption that every cost incurred must be the responsibility of one person somewhere in the company. Examples could include; the cost of rent being assigned to the person who negotiates and signs the rental agreements; or the cost of an employee’s salary being the responsibility of that person’s direct manager, or human resources manager (S. Bragg, 2010).
Without vision, mission, and goals for organizations to govern themselves by, it is venerable to the personal values, or the lack there of, imposed by administrators. John Bryson states, an organization that forgets its mission will drift, and opportunism and loss of integrity are likely to spread and perhaps become rampant (Bryson, 2011). This was the case in the City of Bell scandal which focused on city officials engaged in acts of negligent and gross misappropriation of city funds for personal, gain over several years, in the late 2000’s. In addition, the residents had no standards in which to hold their Administrators and Officials
Instrumental stakeholder theory proposes a positive relationship between fairness toward stakeholders and performance while some firms focus on addressing stakeholders based on bargaining power rather than fairness (Bridoux & Stoelhorst, 2014). In Non-for Profit organizations, the goal is to establish an equity based system with the stakeholders, which in many cases is synonymous with volunteers make up the critical infrastructure of the organization. With non-profit organizations, bargaining power is the primary driver to determine if the voice of the stakeholder will be is to be heard.
In nonprofit organizations, the monetary support provided is not always directly related to the service provided, as patrons are not directly charged for services. So the success is measured by the quality of economically costed services.