View Research by Author - Janelle Kerlin

Citation URL: http://www.urban.org/JanelleKerlin

The work described in this report first provides suggested core indicators for 14 categories of nonprofit organizations and then expands the notion of common core indicators to a much wider variety of programs by suggesting a common framework of outcome indicators for all nonprofit programs. This can provide guidance to nonprofits as they figure out what to measure and how to do it and will work to ease the looming reporting nightmare that will occur unless a common framework for outcome measurement emerges.

This brief provides an overview of the report, The International Charitable Nonprofit Subsector in the United States. It provides a snapshot of the international subsector through an analysis of trends in their size, resources, and scope from FY 2001 to FY 2003 in three major areas of operation: international development and assistance, international understanding, and international affairs. The brief confirms the central role of private support and financing for foreign aid and provides a window into the financial health of these organizations. It also gives an overview of the geographic concentrations and the depth of U.S. international nonprofit activities and enumerates the importance of small organizations.

Since the 1970s, U.S. government funding of international nongovernmental organizations (INGOs) has risen dramatically, however, there is little research examining this trend. This analysis of U.S.-based INGOs uses the Urban Institute’s National Center for Charitable Statistics/GuideStar National Nonprofit Database to provide new insight into the government funding of these organizations. Analysis finds that despite a steady increase, government funding is still limited to a relatively small percentage of INGOs and federal dollars only contribute about a fifth of the overall revenue for the sector. Also, government funding varies across different types of INGO activities and regions. Findings additionally show that changes in foreign policy after 2001 affected foreign assistance funding for INGOs.

This report describes the capacity of U.S. nonprofits to mobilize in international development and assistance, promotion of international understanding, and international affairs. It is the first systematic national study of international nonprofits using descriptive statistics and data on charitable nonprofits obtained from the National Center for Charitable Statistics (NCCS) at the Urban Institute. Findings confirm the central role of international nonprofits in supporting foreign causes and distributing aid around the world. Government's increasing reliance on non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to carry out foreign aid programs is also detailed.

While the transfer of policy between state governments is a well-researched practice, little is known about the state-to-state spread of programs generated and implemented by nonprofit organizations. In 1990, the nonprofit Child Care Services Association in North Carolina began an education and compensation scholarship program for 21 child care workers in three counties. As of August 2003, the program, now known as the T.E.A.C.H. (Teacher Education and Compensation Helps) Early Childhood® Project, had spread to 23 states and is annually providing more than 15,000 scholarships. This policy brief examines factors that supported, promoted, and challenged the transfer of the T.E.A.C.H. model to four states (Florida, Indiana, Pennsylvania, and Washington). This research finds that effective policy replication involves multiple stages and a number of roles for policy advocates.

In 1990, the nonprofit Child Care Services Association in North Carolina began an education and compensation scholarship program for 21 child care workers in three counties. As of August 2003, the program, now known as the T.E.A.C.H. (Teacher Education and Compensation Helps) Early Childhood® Project, had spread to 23 states and is annually providing more than 15,000 scholarships. This report analyzes how a program started by a nonprofit in one state gets transferred to a nonprofit in another state. Specifically, it examines factors that supported, promoted, and challenged the transfer of the T.E.A.C.H. model to four states. In contrast to other literature on the diffusion of public policy innovation, this research shows that effective policy diffusion from nonprofit to nonprofit consists of multiple stages and often involves more than one policy advocate.

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