Benefits of Partnerships with Non-profit and Community-Based Organizations - Essay Example

Running head: BENEFITS OF PARTNERSHIPS WITH NONPROFITS Benefits of Partnerships with Nonprofit and Community based organizations Table of Contents I. Abstract II. Introduction III. Non-Profits IV. Strategic Benefit V. Conclusion VI. References Abstract Nonprofit organizations today are a huge sector in the United States that now includes thousands of different kinds of organizations. There are approximately 1.6 million of them and this includes 1.2 million that are charitable. Charitable organizations in this country grew 5.1 per cent over the last 10 years. They share in 6.7 percent of national income. That gives them a total annual income of over $665 million (Jennings, 2005). They have 5.8 million volunteers and employ over 10 million workers. Their assets are enormous. They are engaged in tremendous numbers of activities of interest to the public as well as the governmental sector. Public Administration in partnership with these entities can only assure a gain on both sides. Having both at the board table can only improve and extend the services presently being rendered to the public (Carroll, 1989). Collaboration is one of the things that have been missing over the last 30 years in the development of Public Administration and that collaboration can build strong interrelated teams for a better public trust. Introduction The world of the non-profit has continued to expand over the last 30 years. Public Administrations expected responsibilities have also expanded. Traditionally the two groups have worked alone, even being in competition with each other at times. This causes a lack of collaboration and less than adequate use of funds on both sides. Funds, under today's circumstances, are not increasing and neither is the public's trust of how funds are being used (Butz, 2009). The building of partnerships between Public Administration and the non-profits may be the answer to how we manage better use of funds available for the better of the public. We will discuss how non-profit and Public Administration is presently working and what a partnership may accomplish. Non Profits Nonprofits today are very inter-related with communities and it is sometimes difficult to understand what their impact on the community truly is. They support local economies through employment as well as collection of needed funding. There is usually a great deal of public trust and funds throughout the community are collected through various methods to permit these to function. Grants frequently support large numbers of them and with each of these grants comes accountability that is often difficult to achieve. On the same note Public Administration has a great deal of engagement in the public good and how and what areas are funded in a community. Community housing becomes an extreme need for both sides and therefore is an important consideration for the possibility of a partnership. At this time, the community at large may see both Public Administration and the not-profit housing industry as repetitive (Jennings, 2005) as well as somewhat competitive. There are many concerns that there is a great deal of redundancy as these agencies depend on volunteered funds, government funding and foundation funding alike. Would it be more efficient for Public Administration to be involved in a partnership here to decrease gaps in services as well as gaps in skills necessary to provide these services (Jennings, 2005) Recently because of the thought that redundancy is happening, there has been a decrease in overall confidence in nonprofit organizations in some states that are handling the housing piece. This might be remedied by having some administrative duties being provided by public administration. This might also help to close the gap of government funding in the social sector, increasing the funding that both have available to do their work. Public Administration can help the public with experience in building the capacity of the local government and business interests in a problem or need. Local government has become a mix of public administration, non-profits, foundations, universities, religious organizations, and neighborhood groups. At this point there being few partnerships that have been formed, there is competition instead of collaboration (Waddell, 1999). Collaboration is necessary because the government sector influences the work of the nonprofit based on laws and policies formulated. Public Administration and the nonprofits would bring about change needed through better collaboration. Outreach and accessibility is one of the many important abilities of the nonprofit. One of the greatest needs of Public Administration is outreach and accessibility. Community based nonprofits can assist public administration in making impoverished and working-class residents and citizens realized that they can improve their living conditions by being integrated into mainstream institutions and processes. They connect the social welfare of the community with that of the public administration (Jennings, 2005). Sometimes both the government and public administration are short sighted in seeing what it is that the nonprofit sector can do. Because of the difference in their tax structure and revenue structures, they are often not seen as businesses and this is a mistake. Not only do nonprofits have an enormous impact on the community financially but they save the local government a lot of money (Porter, 2003). They have a great deal of flexibility and because they are not government driven, they can rapidly change which would be an enormous help for public administration when policy changes and that needs to get out to the public. Non profits have accomplished a tremendous amount in many states when it comes to public housing. In many states, including the state of Massachusetts where it has been greatly publicized, they have expanded infrastructure and made huge housing improvements. In Massachusetts alone they started 72 commercial and mixed use housing developments creating almost 1,500 jobs. That includes 940 affordable housing units (Jennings, 2005). These non-profits have shown staying power and the ability to continue to revitalize communities. A partnership in this situation would improve the ability of public administration to provide as well as be involved in and encourage the community. Leadership as well as resources become more abundant. The need for inter-organizational collaboration has become prominent in all of the literature today. Many kinds of companies are finding that this is a way to empower their organization. Why should public administration be any different The need for cooperation and collaboration for the healthy running of public administration is very important. This can be accomplished through partnership and this writer believes it should begin in governmental housing. This would help in pursuing shared goals as well as address any common concerns and have the end result be mutually beneficial (Kapucu, Arslan, & Healy, 2008). An example of this process in action has occurred in Napa County, California. In this case the community based non-profit organizations have successfully partnered with local government, federal agencies, and public administration. They have come together to plan and implement a comprehensive service delivery system to address community service needs. The goal is to develop a seamless system that works for the community as well as the agencies involved. They have three goals in hand. Those are to change the way services are designed and delivered, the way that agencies work together, and the role of the county health and human services agencies presently involved (Libby, & Austin, 2002). This partnership and collaboration is saving the state and non-profits money which is stretched and used in expanding projects. Jefferson County in Louisville is another example of a good process that worked. They are the first large scale merger that happened within the United States. There was major institutional change that took place. This was considered a major institutional innovation and the expectation was to really shake up how business was done. It is controversial as to whether that truly happened but there were some excellent outcomes from the project. There were also some unsatisfying outcomes but the effort to become partners in care certainly maintained that there was improvement in the overall process for both the non-profits and public administration (Savitch, Vogel, & Ye, 2010). Private sector has played a very administrative role in providing governmental services at the street level (Butz, A., 2009). Studies do not show that this has created a more contracted method of using funds, however. In fact, there has been very little contracting for assistance from for profit or non-profit organizations. This seems to be the norm even though most studies show that there could be an improvement in outcomes based on that contracting. Silverman, (2008), would inform us that local public housing is often the responsibility of the public administrators in any given area but funding patterns and perceptions of getting people there is perceived to come from community based organizations. Therefore inter-organizational relations that lead to contracting becomes important to improve community relations as well as the before mentioned communication and collaboration between the two areas. Strategic Benefit There was much to be said about the move that was made by Conservation Law Foundation and the AES when they purchased, as partners, the New England Electric Company. After all, how could they have the same thing in mind CLF was out to do away with power that was dirty and of course AES was out to profit from the grid. Was this not a conflict of interest (Waddell, 1999). Why do we bring up this case in a discussion about public administration and housing What was accomplished here was that it allowed CLF to be at the board table. That is a goal that public administration needs to keep in mind as it chooses partnerships with non-profits. What board tables do you need to sit at That is where the business is done and that is where the outcomes are decided. That is where the collaboration ignites change. This is not an unusual kind of partnership in today's world. Many businesses and organizations are finding out that collaboration is the way to good outcomes. That means partnering with unusual areas. Public administration will find as it develops these partnerships that it is more likely to reach its goals and that at the very least, it will be allowed to sit at the board table when decisions are made. This new relationship type is made on what is known as the mutual gain and exchange system (Waddell, 1999). There is great rationale for collaborations among these groups. This collaboration will improve the potential of both partners by optimizing the gain on both sides. The public at large also can only gain, not only in funding but in better organization and administration of those funds. Conclusion There is much work being done by Public Administration, as well as the non-profits. Funding for that work is scarce and not easy to come by on either side. The administration of those funds as well as the drive toward good outcomes can better come from collaboration than redundancy and lack of true management technique. The board rooms on both sides are full of people who want to make a difference but in the end are stuck with lack of funds or support before all of their goals are realized. These goals can be better realized as shown with some of the cases in this paper by creating a partnership between Public Administration and the non-profit organizations. This providing better collaboration, sharing of resources and decrease in redundant work on both sides. References Butz, A. (2009). Privatization and performance in the implementation of temporary Assistance to needy families: a multi-level analysis. Conference Papers- Southern Political Science Association; Retrieved from http://www.ebscohost December 6, 2009. Carroll, B., (1989). Administrative devolution and accountability: the case of the non- Profit housing program. Canadian Public Administration. Fall Vol. 32, Iss 3; 345. Jennings, J. , (2005). Community based organizations and the nonprofit sector in Massachusetts: Where do we go from here Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning, Tufts University. Medford, Massachusetts. Kapucu, N., Arslan, T., & Healy, B., (2008). Partnerships and perceived organizational Effectiveness of nonprofit organizations. European Journal of Political Studies (EJEPS) 1 (2), 72-89 Libby, MK., Austin, MJ. (2002). Building a coalition of non-profit agencies to Collaborate with a county health and human services agency; The Napa County Behavioral Health Committee of the Napa Coalition of Non-Profits. Administration in Social Work, 26(4): 81-99.. Porter, M., & Kramer, M. (2002). The competitive advantage of corporate philanthropy. Harvard Business Review. December. Pg 1-10. Savitch, HV, Vogel, R, Ye, L, (2010). Beyond the rhetoric: Lessons from Louisville's Consolidation. American Review of Public Administration. Parkville: Jan Vol,40, Iss. 1, pg. 3. Silverman, R., (2008). The influence of nonprofit networks on local affordable housing Findings from a national survey of local public administrators. Urban Affairs Reviews. Thousand Oaks: Sept. Vol. 44, Iss 1, 126. Waddell, S. (1999). The evolving strategic benefits for business in collaboration with Nonprofit civil society: A strategic resources, capabilities and competencies. USAID. Retrieved from http://www.ebscohost.com Read More