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Cited by 7Nonprofit Sector and VolunteeringInnovation and Knowledge ManagementEntrepreneurship Studies and Influences

How can nonprofit boards innovate for growth? An integrative‐systematic review

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Richardson, Sarah, Kelly, Sarah Jane, Gillespie, Nicole·2023·Nonprofit Management and Leadership
DOI 10.1002/nml.21563
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Abstract

Despite the nonprofit sector's significance in economic contribution, workforce, and social impact, it faces unique innovation hurdles and is not well positioned for sustainability, growth, and prosperity. However, with only a partial, disconnected view from the extant research, we do not understand the relationship between boards and nonprofit innovation for growth. To address this problem, we conducted a systematic literature review drawing on 27 studies published since 2000 to provide a first‐in‐field and comprehensive integration of disparate, mono‐factorial research. We conceptualize a new, multifactorial model that depicts a blend of board composition, relations and practice factors, and organizational and environmental characteristics that influence nonprofit innovation for growth.

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  • Existing sustainability management frameworks and ESG assessment tools often fail to capture the distinctive characteristics of NPOs, such as volunteer-based human capital, donor dependence, advocacy roles, and multi-stakeholder governance structures.

    “These frameworks often fail to capture the distinc-tive characteristics of NPOs, such as volunteer-based human capital, donor dependence, advocacy roles, and multi-stakeholder governance structures [17].”

    From Sustainable Value Creation in Nonprofit Organizations: Processes, Determinants, and Strategic Dimensions (2026) · cites this paper as [17]

    The Introduction (page unavailable) says corporate governance research rests on assumptions that do not fit nonprofits’ multiple stakeholders and limited reporting. Section 2 (page unavailable) discusses ESG reporting metrics and the predominance of financial measures, but does not say ESG tools fail to capture volunteer-based human capital, donor dependence, advocacy roles, or multi-stakeholder governance. (LLM, conf=0.84)

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Research works printed but not linked: 4

  1. [10]10. Bourdieu, P. (1980). Le capital social. Actes de la Recherche en Sciences Sociales, 31(1), 2-3. https://www.persee. fr/doc/arss_0335-5322_1980_num_31_1_2069
  2. [14]14. Bruni-Bossio, V., Story, D. C., & Garcea, J. (2016). Board governance in the nonprofit sector: Role-performance relationships of directors. The Innovation Journal, 21(1), 1-22.
  3. [60]60. Lévi-Strauss, C. (1966). The savage mind. University of Chicago Press.
  4. [102]102. Whyte, A. (2022). The Whyte Review. https://www.whytereview.org/

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Authors
Richardson, S., Kelly, S. J., & Gillespie, N.
Affiliations
The University of Queensland (AU)
Corresponding author
Richardson, Sarah
ORCID
Venue
Nonprofit Management and Leadership
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2023-05-02
Volume
34
Issue
1
Pages
35-58
ISSN
  • 1048-6682 (ISSN-L)
  • 1542-7854
DOI
10.1002/nml.21563
OpenAlex
W4367677402
Semantic Scholar
aeab1ba8c8e6ff766ec9b2b849713c625cd4d938
Cited by
7
References
105
Citations by year
2026: 4 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 1
FWCI
0.36
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor (vor)
Locations
Nonprofit Management and Leadership (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Nonprofit Sector and Volunteering
  • Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Strategy and Management › Innovation and Knowledge Management
  • Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Management of Technology and Innovation › Entrepreneurship Studies and Influences
Keywords
nonprofit boards, nonprofit innovation, organizational growth, board composition, board relations, board practices, organizational characteristics, environmental characteristics, nonprofit sustainability, multi-factor models

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