Survival of the Nonprofit Spirit in a For-Profit World,” Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly

The author contends that nonprofit organizations can find more ap-propriate administrative values in the traditions of the voluntary sector itself than in the competition-based management approach inherent in private sector administrative theory and practice. He argues that administration in the voluntary sector should be mission based and mission driven; be grounded in the historical traditions of altruism, compassion, and philanthropy; remain sensitive to the key value of volunteerism and to the phenomenon of the volunteers them-selves; continue to act as mediating structures between the individual, the community, and the public and private organizations of modern society; emphasize cooperation and collaboration over conflict and competition in the administration of sector organizations; and develop and practice a type of leadership compatible with the values and differences inherent in the independent sector. Religion has rightfully been called the &dquo;godmother of the nonprofit sector&dquo; (O’Neill, 1989, p. 20). Drawing from religious roots, early lead-ership and administration within the sector founded and ran organiza-tions in a manner best characterized by spiritual and religious fervor, evangelical hope, and deep faith that commitment to mission would preserve the organization in both good times and bad. For two centuries, the management and administration of nonprofit organizations continued to &dquo;derive... quite centrally from the historical ethos of [religious] charity and philanthropy&dquo; the core value orientation