PAMIJ, October 2001

Theme:
Stefan Toepler of the Department of Public & International Affairs at George Mason University investigates the viability of commercialisation in the NGO sector.

Abstract:
“In recent years, the American nonprofit sector has increasingly shifted towards using more market-based financing mechanisms, in what has been variably termed nonprofit commercialisation or social entrepreneurship trends. While this development may either be seen as positive or negative, the growing consensus is that nonprofit organizations have come to adopt entrepreneurial or commercial activities for purposes of cross subsidizing mission-related activities and largely in reactions to shifts in the funding and institutional contexts beginning in the 1980s. Providing an overview of the current debate, this paper uses data from a museum case study to probe some of the underpinnings of the commercialisation discussion.”

Visit the Public Administration & Management Interactive Journal to find out more about the impact of commercialisation on the organisation in question for this case study.