Do U.S. Faith-Based Social Service Organizations Resist Collaboration? Examining the Role of Religiosity and Operational Capacity in Interorganizational Partnerships

Jiawei Sophia Fu*, Katherine R. Cooper, Michelle Shumate

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

9 Scopus citations

Abstract

Although nonprofit collaboration is commonplace, recent research suggests that faith-based organizations (FBOs) are less likely to collaborate than other nonprofits. This study builds on prior FBO, collaboration, and nonprofit capacity research to examine the influence of religiosity and operational capacity on FBOs’ within- and cross-sector partnerships. Findings from a survey with 197 FBOs across the United States reveal a complex picture of how religiosity and operational capacity influence FBO collaboration. More specifically, staff religiosity was positively related to cross-sector partnerships. Service religiosity (i.e., religious elements in staff–client interactions) was negatively associated with collaboration with government agencies. Results also indicated that FBOs with higher operational capacity had more partners in the nonprofit, business, and public sectors. These findings suggest that FBOs generally lack the operational capacity for collaboration and that service religiosity creates additional barriers to it. This article concludes with implications for research in FBOs, interorganizational collaboration, and nonprofit capacity.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)241-261
Number of pages21
JournalNonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly
Volume50
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 2021

Funding

The authors thank the Network for Nonprofit and Social Impact lab at Northwestern University, the two anonymous reviewers, and the editor Dr. Susan Phillips for their helpful feedback. The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This research was supported by the National Science Foundation (SES-1264417) and the faculty start-up funding from Rutgers University School of Communication and Information. The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This research was supported by the National Science Foundation (SES-1264417) and the faculty start-up funding from Rutgers University School of Communication and Information.

Keywords

  • cross-sector partnership
  • faith-based organization
  • interorganizational collaboration
  • nonprofit capacity
  • religious identity

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Social Sciences (miscellaneous)

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