Marketing collaborations in the voluntary sector

This paper examines the current status of marketing collaborations in the voluntary sector, within the context of the overall charity marketing environment. It compares the incidence and scope of collaborations in the voluntary sector with those of the commercial sector; while being mindful of some important inherent differences between the two milieus. The findings are illustrated with examples of charity collaborations, both past and present. The paper concludes with some possible ways forward for both practitioners and policy makers. Copyright © 2001 Henry Stewart Publications     

Back to school? What the voluntary sector can learn from the education sector

Almost unnoticed by the charitable sector as a whole, a quiet revolution has transformed educational fundraising over the last decade. From a minor and wholly owned subsidiary on the periphery of the industry, the education sector has become a highly professional and successful multinational, which in some respects is now the market leader. This paper argues that the whole of the charitable sector could benefit by taking a close look at the experience of educational fundraisers, and that such an examination could have profound repercussions in the way most fundraisers treat their donors and organise their operations. Specifically, it suggests that the nature of ‘relationship fundraising’ actually means that every donor must be treated as an individual by an individual fundraiser, irrespective of the size of their gift, and that the work of a fundraising department should not work towards merely giving the impression of such treatment.     

Developing a marketing database in the voluntary sector

This paper explores the key issues that need to be addressed in the development and implementation of a marketing database in the voluntary sector.     

Improving public trust in the voluntary sector: an empirical analysis

Public trust and confidence in the voluntary sector continues to be at the heart of the government's new policy agenda. A number of initiatives are currently under way to review how trust and confidence could be bolstered. In this study the authors review the findings of a major new study of how donors feel about voluntary organisations and the factors that drive trust therein. Managerial and public policy recommendations are offered in the light of the findings. Copyright © 2002 Henry Stewart Publications     

The third way: The repositioning of the voluntary sector

This paper explores some of the ways in which the voluntary sector can enter into a series of professional and creatively led communications alliances with the burgeoning media/communications industry. From design to advertising, from programme making to telecommunications, from regulatory bodies to multimedia companies, the paper demonstrates how the formation of the media/communications industry is at a critical stage of its life cycle having witnessed an almost meteoric proliferation of skills, profiles, professional codes and competences. The paper demonstrates that with its emphasis on creative skills, its ability to amplify and legitimise social messages and values and its constitution being determined by portfolio ‘specialist’ careers the media/communications industry presents a unique opportunity for the renewal of the voluntary sector. It also argues that the professional rules of the media/communications industry, its alliances and its ethical codification still have to be defined. Further, that this definition is integral to the growth of a profession and could, if channelled effectively, underpin the repositioning of the voluntary sector for the 21st century.     

Examining public service motivation in the voluntary sector: implications for public management

Building on research about the nature of public service motivation (PSM) and its application outside the public sector, the authors provide a qualitative-based examination of PSM’s relevance to voluntary sector employees. In doing so, they explore how far their motivations extend beyond those encompassed within current conceptualizations of PSM and whether PSM research can be enriched through the adoption of qualitative methodologies. The findings suggest that PSM accounts for some, but not all, of the motives of voluntary sector employees and indicate that public sector managers involved in outsourcing public services need to be sensitive to their distinctive features.     

Using job embeddedness factors to explain voluntary turnover in four European countries

The aging of the European workforce coupled with existing deficits of skilled workers in vital sectors (e.g., information and communication technology) make the attraction and retention of skilled workers a critical strategic human resource management issue. The large-scale, multi-country study reported in this article investigates the causes of voluntary turnover. The study is based on a large European dataset that contains information about a wide variety of variables that have been shown to influence voluntary turnover. The results indicate that the traditional turnover model, where ease of movement and desirability of movement are regarded as important predictors of turnover, receives support. Importantly, the study also shows that a new theory of employee retention – job embeddedness – explains a significant amount of variance above and beyond the role of demographic and traditional variables. In sum, the evidence suggests that the turnover decision is not only about the individual's attitudes towards work or about the actual opportunities in the labour market, but also job embeddedness.     

Exploring the interpersonal determinants of job embeddedness and voluntary turnover: A conservation of resources perspective

This paper draws on a conservation of resources perspective to understand employee voluntary turnover. We conceptualise voluntary turnover as an outcome of resource loss, and we view job embeddedness as an indication of resource levels. On the basis of this conceptualisation, we propose that workplace ostracism and leader–member exchange (LMX) affect voluntary turnover via job embeddedness. We also propose an interaction effect of workplace ostracism and LMX: Workplace ostracism increases voluntary turnover by depleting job embeddedness only when people experience high‐quality LMX. Data from 352 employees in a Chinese software company obtained through a three‐wave survey support our model. Our findings illuminate the resource consequences of interpersonal interactions on job embeddedness and voluntary turnover, and we offer practical implications for employee retention.     

ARCHSECRET: a multi‐item scale to measure service quality within the voluntary sector

This paper provides an overview of the application of SERVQUAL reflecting the theoretical criticisms concerning disconfirmation model, process orientation, role of expectations and portability. The original SERVQUAL framework was found to be inappropriate for services that had no close analogue with the private sector. A qualitative research study was undertaken to establish the sector‐specific criteria used by customers to evaluate service quality. The study identified 40 potentially unique features of the service as perceived by service recipients. These features were developed into a pilot survey instrument that comprised 40 questions, covering expectations, perceptions and importance. A pilot study was undertaken to test the instrument among disabled customers and their carers across the main centres of a national voluntary organisation. Analyses of the pilot survey data resulted in a set of 27 distinct statements across ten hypothesised service quality dimensions. These are Access, Responsiveness, Communication, Humaneness, Security, Enabling/Empowerment, Competence, Reliability, Equity, and Tangibles, giving rise to the acronym ARCHSECRET. The ARCHSECRET instrument is potentially a powerful diagnostic tool for managers in their pursuit of continuous quality improvement within voluntary sector organisations. Copyright © 2001 Henry Stewart Publications     

Achieving voluntary data sharing in cross sector partnerships: Three partnership models

The complex societal problems that we face today require unprecedented collaboration and evidence-based decisions. These collaboration processes are further propelled by the datafication of virtually all spheres of public life. To benefit from this, the data needs to be made available to allow for data analytics. Thus, data sharing becomes a crucial aspect of cross-sector collaborations that aim to create and capture value from information. Compared to collaborations where data sharing is not the main goal, data sharing partnerships face a number of novel challenges, such as mitigating data risks, complying with data protection legislation, and ensuring responsible data use. Navigating these waters and achieving data sharing can be challenging for both governments and businesses, as well as other actors. How do organizations from different sectors manage to achieve data sharing for addressing societal challenges? To address this research question, we apply a framework of three models of cross sector social partnerships developed in the field of organization studies to structure the analysis of six cases. Our analysis suggests that to a certain extent the partnership model determines the types of drivers and challenges to sharing data in a partnership. Leveraging the drivers and anticipating these challenges can help organizations be more aware of key terms of the collaboration and the mechanisms that can be used to succeed in their partnership goals.     

Employee recruitment and job search: Towards a multi-level integration

This study describes an attempt to develop an integrative model of job search and employee recruitment. Inevitably multi-level in nature, the model demonstrates the interplay between organizational-level factors and individual-level factors in influencing the outcomes of employee recruitment and job search activities. According to the model, influenced by job seeker and organizational characteristics, job search and recruitment activities jointly create job awareness, which is the first step in organizational attraction. Next, depending on the job seeker's current job situation, this attraction leads to job pursuit intention and behavior. The model also emphasizes the longitudinal nature of the process by which individuals gain employment. Finally, since each organization's applicant pool consists of job seekers with some common characteristics attracted to the same position, the model proposes that recruitment and job search can be examined by utilizing a multilevel framework.     

Organising non‐standard workers: union recruitment in the Irish care sector

In 2004, Ireland's largest union initiated its most comprehensive organising campaign to date, resulting in 12,000 care workers being organised. This article explores how unions can sustain campaigns among a dispersed workforce, and how public support and worker commitment can be leveraged to achieve structural changes in an emerging sector.     

What's different about nonprofit and voluntary sector marketing? A research agenda

What is the role of this journal? This paper addresses the controversies over what constitutes marketing in nonprofit and voluntary organisations, and over the nature and significance of the differences between marketing in not-for-profit and for-profit contexts. It delineates the field in terms of its objectives and programmes, and locates it within the broader discipline of marketing, in terms of the sorts of exchanges that are sought with external parties. It then considers the sorts of reflections and research that will contribute to the development of this area of professional practice.     

Mobilising workers within inter‐organisational relationships in the UK voluntary sector

This article assesses the prospects for union membership growth in the UK voluntary sector. It examines the efforts of workplace activists to defend terms and conditions and recruit and retain members in two voluntary organisations in the context of the sector's close relationship with external state funding and regulatory bodies. The study confirms the importance of workplace activists in contributing to successful mobilisation. It also finds, however, that differences in inter‐organisational relations between the two organisations and state funding bodies that are shaped by product markets and competition are pivotal in explaining the variability in outcomes for union mobilisation efforts. The article has wider significance in telling us more about why union campaigns in areas of the economy characterised by close supply chain relations succeed or fail.     

Prospects for union growth in the UK voluntary sector: the impact of the Employment Relations Act 1999

The article argues that despite the imminent introduction of the Employment Relations Act 1999, unions face a difficult environment in which to achieve recognition deals in the voluntary sector. However, it also highlights how some large charities are re‐evaluating their position on employee representation in response to government legislation and that unions can use these developments to encourage further growth.