Evolution of Nonprofits: Organizational Structures and Perceptions of Effectiveness within Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Services

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the structures of nonprofit victim service organizations and organizational effectiveness. Past research has rarely considered the structures of nonprofit institutions, and thus there is a lack of understanding regarding how nonprofit service organizations function, and whether not traditional concepts of effectiveness can accurately describe organizational success. Thus, there is an opportunity for further exploration regarding how this structural change impacted organizational effectiveness. This study used mixed-methodology including surveys (N=16), interviews (N=17), and comparative case studies (N=5) to examine nonprofit organizational structures and effectiveness in efforts to answer questions regarding the reality of hybrid nonprofit structures, the characteristics of these hybrid structures, and the presentation of organizational effectiveness in nonprofit service organizations. The findings revealed that a) hybrid structures are overwhelmingly the style of service nonprofits, b) externally bureaucratic structures and collective internal structures are combined to form these hybrid organizations, and c) traditional measures of organizational effectiveness as well as characteristics unique to hybrid structures are influential in determining effectiveness in nonprofit service organizations. Future research should consider what factors influence the collaboration of nonprofit service organizations and criminal justice institutions in order to best support crime victims.