Join us at the Kenwood Interdisciplinary Research Complex, Room 1130 to hear more about Leadership and Governance and Executive Director Perceptions of Board Chairs and their Performance.

• Douglas Ihrke, Professor & Chair, Public & Nonprofit Administration, UW-Milwaukee
• Michael Ford, Asst. Professor, Public Administration, UW-Oshkosh
• Troy Washington, PhD Candidate, Urban Education, UW-Milwaukee

This study examines Executive Directors’ perceptions of their Board Chairs in Wisconsin and Nova Scotia, and the factors that influence these perceptions. Relatively little work has been done in evaluating Board Chairs in the literature on nonprofit organizations. Data for the study come from a random sample of executive directors representing nonprofit organizations in the State of Wisconsin and the Province of Nova Scotia. Our results indicate that board demographics, board structures, and small group dynamics all have an influence on the perceptions of executives as to how well their board chairs are doing in leading their boards.

Join HBI on Friday, October 5 at the Kenwood Interdisciplinary Research Complex, Room 1130 to learn about Revenue Diversification for Charitable Nonprofits.

• William Cleveland, Assistant Lecturer, Public & Nonprofit Administration, UW-Milwaukee

The diversification of revenue sources for charitable nonprofits has been written about extensively. A guiding principle for much of this research is modern portfolio theory, the concept that one can minimize risk and maximize return through asset diversification. While the logic of revenue diversification based on modern portfolio theory seems appealing, the underlying specifics reveal sufficient inconsistencies to consider alternative theories to explain nonprofit revenue structure. This presentation discusses weaknesses of modern portfolio theory as an explanation of charitable nonprofit revenue structures, systematically examining differences between nonprofit revenues and portfolio management. Given the diversity of charitable missions and revenue sources, a broadly applicable theory of revenue structures for nonprofits is considered.

Join HBI at UW-Madison, School of Human Ecology on Monday, November 9 to learn more about Connecting Group Dynamics, Governance and Performance: Evidence from Charter School Boards

• Douglas Ihrke, Professor & Chair, Public & Nonprofit Administration, UW-Milwaukee
• Michael Ford, Asst. Professor, Public Administration, UW-Oshkosh

In this article we build on the existing literatures on small group dynamics and public and nonprofit organizational performance by exploring the link between small group dynamics, governance, and performance on Minnesota nonprofit charter school boards. The goal is to give nonprofit charter school boards a path to improve outcomes through improved governance. Originally collected survey data from nonprofit charter school board members is linked with hard measures of performance from the Minnesota Department of Education, and used in a path analysis predicting charter school math and reading proficiency levels. We find that boards exhibiting low-levels of negative group conflict are more active in key governance areas, and that active governance is linked to increased student outcomes. We conclude that nonprofit charter school boards can increase their organizational performance by taking steps to reduce board conflict.

Join us on Monday, November 12 at the UWM Alumni House for a Graduate Education Information Session.

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