Institute for Nonprofit Management Studies

The Nonprofit Institute Advisory Committee provides leadership and guidance in curriculum development and internships in our nonprofit management studies program as well as programming for the Institute. Committee members engage with program staff on a monthly basis to provide input on program development and promotion, ongoing collaborative research projects, and funding opportunities. Membership in the Advisory Committee includes community leaders from the nonprofit sector, and faculty and administrators from nonprofit management and philanthropic studies programs across the U.S. Our Advisory Committee members are:

• Ann De Tienne, UW-Whitewater alum and former food distribution manager at Second Harvest Food Bank
• Payton Jones, UW-Whitewater alum and coordinator of resource development at United Way Dane County
• Anne Katz, executive director at Arts Wisconsin
• Katie Kuznacic, UW-Whitewater alum and executive director of philanthropy and alumni engagement at UW-Whitewater
• Bryce Lord, associate director at Helen Bader Institute
• Kevin O’Leary, president and CEO at O’Leary and Anick
• Kristin Plessel, interim associate vice chancellor for academic affairs at UW-Whitewater
• Christine Rebout, executive director at Janesville Area Convention and Visitors Bureau
• Ozalle M. Toms, associate professor and assistant vice chancellor of student diversity, engagement, and success at UW-Whitewater
• Peter Weber, assistant professor at Auburn University

1. Participate in cutting edge research projects reflective of current international trends
2. Encourage student participation in conferences, workshops and training activities
3. Serve as a hub and an incubator for multi-disciplinary cooperation on research on the nonprofit sector nationally and internationally, with a special interest in Wisconsin.
4. Designate faculty affiliates
5. Encourage sharing of current and aspirational research projects for feedback and idea generation
6. Provide small amounts of funding for pilot projects, and liaise with campus representatives to promote seeking campus, system, and external funding for research projects.

1. Encourage collaboration and adoption of a multi-disciplinary approach to nonprofit management education across departments
2. Coordinate educational and learning opportunities such as conferences, career events, speaking series, study aboard opportunities, and internship placements.
3. Conduct regular student sessions to generate new ideas for programming.

1. Contribute to statewide network of nonprofit management resources
2. Liaise with professional sectoral networks to inform research and promote community co-production opportunities
3. Seek input on and address the needs of regional nonprofit sector efforts by matching Faculty and volunteer expertise and interests.
4. Host regular open-door community events for networking and consulting
5. Co-develop and host special projects

Faculty research and Wisconsin Idea

Our faculty research publications promote the Wisconsin Idea by addressing issues in nonprofit and social practice to improve society. We publish articles for scholarly audiences, book chapters for students and professionals, and articles and reports for professionals and the public.

Where material is freely available, we have included links. If you would like a copy of a piece that is not freely available, email us at cobenonprofit@uww.edu with your request.

National COVID-19 Nonprofit Impact Report

Researchers have released a nationwide picture of COVID impacts. A total of 68 state level reports from 43 states covering over 21,000 nonprofit organizations have been compiled to provide a national level synthesis of COVID's impact on the nonprofit sector. View the written report and a shared table summarizing the state reports. [DOC]

Wisconsin's COVID-19 Impact Study

The Helen Bader Institute (HBI), in collaboration with the Institute for Nonprofit Management Studies (INMS), conducted a series of surveys to assess the state of Wisconsin nonprofits after the onset of the coronavirus. View Report One [PDF] »

Hansen, R.K. & Dula, L.A. (2023). What do you value? Examining gendered responses to fundraising appeals. Journal of Philanthropy and Marketing, 28(2), 1-14. DOI: 10.1002/nvsm.1776

Alborough, L.J., & Hansen, R.K. (2023). Reframing fundraising research: The challenges and opportunities of interpretivist research practices and practitioner researchers in fundraising studies. Journal of Philanthropy and Marketing, 28(1), 1-11. DOI: 10.1002/nvsm.1775

Brunt, C., Hansen, R.K., & Matthews, M. (2022). Recognizing the plural sector: Nonprofit studies in a business school environment. Journal of Nonprofit Education & Leadership, 12(3), 78-98. DOI:10.18666/jnel-2021-10184

Hansen, R.K. (2021). Applying a stakeholder management approach to ethics in charitable fundraising. Journal of Philanthropy and Marketing. DOI:10.1002/nvsm.1731

Brunt, C., N. Dolch, T. Freeman, R. Mirabella, Peter Weber and M. Woodell. (2020) “Undergraduate nonprofit education: Between Institutionalization and Recruitment”, Invited Essay, Journal of Nonprofit Education and Leadership. 10:1, 2-24.

Bhati, A. & Hansen, R.K. (2020). A literature review of experimental studies in fundraising [PDF]. Journal of Behavioral Public Administration. 3(1). DOI: 10.30636/jbpa.31.129

Hansen, R.K. (2020). Stories of strangers: Writing donor acquisition letters in the human services. Nonprofit Management & Leadership. DOI: 10.1002/nml.21414

Matthews, M., Werner, J., Schnaedter, J., Woletz, J., Barber, K., Baskin, D., Buchholz, R., Douglas, S. & DuPree, L. (2019). Business and Society: Building Skills and Awareness for the Workplace. 156 pp.

Book chapters

Hansen, R.K., & Witkowski, G.R. (2024, in press). Sector theorists should consider how social values determine unmet needs. In Reimagining nonprofits: Sector theory for the 21st century (E. Witesman & C. Child, eds.). Cambridge.

Hansen, R.K. (2022). Gary Neighborhood House: Managing mission and uncertainty in the Civil Rights Era. In Hoosier Philanthropy (G. Witkowski, ed.), pp 368-392. Indiana University Press.

Hansen, R.K. (2022). Theory in Fundraising. In Achieving Excellence in Fundraising, 5th edition (G. Shaker, S. Nathan, E. Tempel, W. Stanczykewicz, eds.), pp 35-43. John Wiley & Sons.

Practice-focused publications

Hansen, R.K., & Dula, L.A. (in press - 2023, October). Demystifying the Donors in Checkout Charity. Advancing Philanthropy.

Dula, L.A., & Hansen, R.K. (2023, April). Do Your Acquisition Letters Appeal to New Donors? Evidence from the field examines how personal values and gender play a role. Advancing Philanthropy, 30(2).

Hansen, R.K. (2023). Giving by bequest. In Giving USA 2023: The annual report on philanthropy for the year 2022. Giving USA Foundation. 111-123.

Hansen, R.K. (2022). Giving by bequest. In Giving USA 2022: The annual report on philanthropy for the year 2021. Giving USA Foundation. 108-120.

Hansen, R.K. (2021). Giving by bequest. In Giving USA 2021: The annual report on philanthropy for the year 2020. Giving USA Foundation. 132-144.

Public outreach

Subject of article: “AFP ICON 2023 Spotlight: A Stakeholder Management Process for Ethical Fundraising.” AFP Daily newsletter. Sent December 1, 2022.

Subject of article: “AFP Wilson C. “Bill” Levis Grant -Funded Research Report: Interaction of Gender and Personal Values in Donor Response to Appeals.” AFP Daily newsletter. Sent November 2, 2022. 

Guest on episode: “The Why Behind the How in Fundraising.” First Day Podcast from The Fund Raising School, Bill Stanczykiewicz, host. Aired on May 31, 2022.

Subject of article: “Surprise – Men, Women Differ in Reaction to Direct Mail Fundraising.” The NonProfit Times, May 10, 2022. 

Blog post author: Meanings of “Community” in Fundraising. Lilly Family School of Philanthropy blog.  Posted on April 18, 2022.

Subject of article: “Where Do Gender and Values Fit Into Direct Mail Appeals?” by Megan Venzin, in Successful Fundraising, March 2022.