The World According to Peter Hart-Brinson
Civic Recreation
Research
My master's thesis research is a mixed-methods study of the ACT II AIDS bike ride, a 6 day, 400 mile bicycle ride/fundraiser to benefit AIDS Network. The results of my research are below. I am currently working on revising this article for publication. The bike ride is an example of what professionals in the nonprofit sector call "special events fundraising," in which some activity that is irrelevant to the tax-exempt mission of an organization is used to raise money for it. Examples of this could include benefit dinners, charity balls, walk-a-thons, fairs, and festivals. I prefer the term "civic recreation" to the term "special events fundraising" because the former label is more meaningful than the latter to a general audience: these events are simultaneously opportunities to have fun and opportunities to do something for a good cause.
Surprisingly, this type of civic engagement has received relatively little attention for scholars interested in whether or not civic engagement in the United States is in decline. In my current work on this topic, I consider whether or not this type of civic engagement is on the rise in the U.S. and the cultural and political significance of this type of participation in public life.
New Ways of Bowling Together? Civic Recreation and the Changing Civic Repertoire
Resources
National Center for Charitable Statistics--Only place I have found with representative longitudinal data from all 501 (c) organizations filing IRS form 990. The data analysis tools are very useful, allowing you to generate descriptive statistics and even run simple regressions.
Charity Navigator 2007 Special Events Study--Study by a non-profit watchdog organization that assesses the efficiency and efficacy of special events organizing.
Run Walk Ride Fundraising Council--Resource for special events organizers who want to organize athletic event fundraisers. Also contains annual lists of 30 top-grossing events.
Special Events Fundraising--Informational paper by Angela S. Vander. Includes bibliographic and internet resources about special events fundraising.
Special Events Fundraising--Another list of resources oriented towards special events organizers.
Bowling Alone Data--Data used by Robert Putnam in his classic book on civic decline in the United States.
990 Finder--Search for and download IRS form 990s filed by 501(c) organizations, as required by law.
Independent Sector--Organization serving the nonprofit and philanthropic sector. Publishes the Nonprofit Almanac and other statistics on giving and volunteering.
Indiana Nonprofit Survey--Comprehensive survey completed in 2002 of non-profit organizations in the state of Indiana.
Links
ASA Political Sociology Section
Indiana University's Center on Philanthropy--Their section on research contains working papers, studies and statistics on giving and volunteering, and a database of the Indiana nonprofit sector.
Chronicle of Philanthropy--"Newspaper of the nonprofit world."
Association of Fundraising Professionals--Large collection of resources and information about issues relevant to the nonprofit sector.
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Page last updated November 13, 2009