engleski

Relationship between fundraising success and nonprofit performance: Empirical analysis of Croatian nonprofits

In this paper, we analyze the problem of nonprofit organizations' performance and the influence of fundraising to achieving such performance. In the theoretical part of the paper, we present the contemporary theoretical foundations for analyzing nonprofit performance. Those are based on the theory of multiple stakeholders’ interpretations and, as such, are increasingly complex for operationalization in an empirical study. Therefore, we argue that a simplified version of the nonprofit performance measurement, oriented toward assessment of organizational growth, might be beneficial for empirical studies. We argue that this is especially true for social, political and economic environments, which lack the support for development of nonprofit organizations, i.e. civil society. At the other hand, the fundraising performance of a nonprofit organization can be more easily measured, since it is oriented toward a single group of organizational stakeholders and can be more easily conceptualized. The empirical analysis builds upon the theory of nonprofit performance, based on previous theoretical discussions, as well as on authors' conceptual research of fundraising. The objective of research is to provide a preliminary empirical verification of the hypothesized positive influence of fundraising practices to overall nonprofit performance. The empirical research has been conducted on an indicative sample of Croatian humanitarian organizations, by using a subjective assessment of overall, growth-oriented organizational performance, while both financial and non-financial indicators have been used to evaluate fundraising success. Based on the results of empirical research, theoretical conclusions, as well as practical recommendations are provided. They are formulated in terms of regional implications of the European integration process, since the experiences of the Croatian civil society may serve as a certain benchmark to the nonprofit organizations in the wider region.

fundraising performance; nonprofit performance; civil society; Croatia

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