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The International Society for Third-Sector Research (ISTR) is pleased to present the fourth in a series of occasional reports. This report outlines the five year plan for the Society, "Strategic Directions: 2000- 2005" which is a culmination of a long range planning initiative which began in 1998. This plan has been recommended by the board of directors for approval by the Society's membership at the General Membership Meeting to be held on Saturday, July 8, 2000 in Dublin, Ireland.
In order not to delay implementation of important recommendations, the board has approved implementation of several recommendations in anticipation of member approval in July. These include: 1)increasing the size of the board (for 2001 and beyond); 2) enlarging the membership of the Nominating Committee; 3) establishing 3 new standing committees; 4) pursuing the establishment of an international research fund; and 5) selection of conference sites through 2008. A number of recommendations will be voted on as amendments to the by-laws in July and are noted at the end of this report. The full report also contains three appendices-summary of findings, list of interviewees, and copy of interview protocol. These are available upon request.
Our deep appreciation is extended to Russy Sumariwalla and Sylvie Tsyboula who served as consultants to the Society for this long term planning process and prepared the original draft of this report. Virginia Hodgkinson, chair of the initiative, requests that members contact the secretariat with their comments and suggestions for the plan.
STRATEGIC DIRECTIONS: 2000-2005
The Board of Directors of the
International Society for Third-Sector Research
Conceived and established only 8 years ago (1992) by a few visionary scholars from around the world, ISTR today has grown into a vital, vibrant, international organization with over 670 scholars, practitioners, institutions, and others from 81 countries, interested in all matters related to the creation of knowledge about the Third Sector. (For the purposes of this report, the term Third Sector is used synonymously with: Independent sector; Voluntary sector; Nonprofit sector; Civil Society sector; Économie sociale; and Nongovernmental organization sector (NGO)).
The findings of this study combined with those of the staff-directed mailed survey of members gives every reason to members to be proud of their infant organization. ISTR has accomplished much in little time. We found very few mildly critical observations from members who overwhelmingly applaud the organization, its programs, and services. Quite simply, members like ISTR-this is our impression. The vast majority of members surveyed and interviewed express their greatest satisfaction with three strengths of ISTR:
- Most members have found the biennial conference to be a very enjoyable, learning, and collegial experience.
- Members, almost without exception, express high regard for Voluntas, the ISTR journal, and consider it a major asset.
- The competence and responsiveness of the staff is the third major asset. Survey and interviews reveal a near unanimous praise and admiration for ISTR staff.
These three major assets need to be cherished, nurtured, and strengthened as ISTR enters a new century and a new millennium, and as the Third Sector faces new challenges in various parts of the world. While this is not the place to expound on the future role of the Third Sector in world affairs, suffice it to say that in the coming years and decades, Third Sector leaders and organizations will play an increasingly substantive role in human and planetary development both within and across national boundaries.
The Report, Strategic Directions: 2000-2005, includes statements of vision, mission, and guiding principles for the Society. In addition there are three strategic goals and objectives which embrace three broad areas: strengthening ISTR capacity; knowledge creation; and communication-dissemination. The theme of internationalism is also included and permeates this entire report. Finally, the broad strategic goals and recommendations are interrelated and interdependent in that, they reinforce each other.
ISTR is an organization committed to building a growing global community of scholars and interested others dedicated to the creation, discussion, and advancement of knowledge pertaining to the Third Sector and its impact on human and planetary well-being and development internationally. As an organization, ISTR will be recognized and respected for its global vision, its commitment to excellence, its collaborative approach, and the values of diversity and pluralism with which it pursues its mission.
ISTR's Mission is:
The policies and day to day operations, programs and services of ISTR will be guided by the following
principles.
GOAL-A: Build and strengthen ISTR capacity as an international
organization to accelerate its global expansion in Third Sector
research.
GOAL-B: Foster the creation of high quality research about the Third Sector,
its relations to other sectors and its effect on human and planetary
well-being.
GOAL-C: Serve as an effective vehicle for diffusion and application of
knowledge about the Third Sector and position ISTR globally as a
reference point of information on Third Sector research.
GOAL-A: Build and strengthen ISTR's capacity as an international organization to accelerate its global expansion in Third Sector research.
Governance and Management
Board of Directors
Board Size: Increase voting Board membership to 15 from the present 11.
Comments: There is a need to strengthen the Board and increase member representation and participation. This will create opportunities for more countries to be represented on the Board. A large Board is not functional but an 11-member Board for an international body is inadequate to represent various interests and constituencies.
The requirement that no more than two voting Board members should come from the same country should be retained. Efforts should be made in the future to make the Board inclusive of as many countries as possible. This provision has served ISTR well.
Term of Office: (Addition:) The immediate Past President shall serve on the Board ex officio for one term (2 years) following the end of her/his elected term. (This term was not previously defined.)
Consideration was given to reducing the second term for board members. This option will be considered in the subsequent five year plan.
Nominating Process: Expand the Nominating Committee membership to six from members-at-large and four from the Board. The Committee chair shall be a member-at-large. Further encourage self-nominations and publicize the nomination process better. Consult regional leaders among members extensively to identify potential candidates for Board.
Comments: The nominating process is not well understood by many members. Several members expressed dissatisfaction with the process. This has the potential to harm ISTR's credibility because some question its transparency and fairness. Improved communication with members and greater publicity in this regard will help. The notion of "slate" is not clear to many non-US members. There were some voices for election by regions; however, we do not recommend it at this time as the regional structure has not matured sufficiently to make it an effective solution.
Board Committees: Consider appointment of three new standing committees of the Board: Membership Development; Fund Raising or Resource Development; and Publications and Communications. These committees will provide members additional opportunities for active participation in ISTR's affairs. The committees should be composed of 7 to 10 members of ISTR- the chair, two Board members, and the remainder from the membership at large.
Comments: Board committees serve two important functions: First, they aid the small staff with their special knowledge and expertise about the subject area they represent. Second, members need channels of direct involvement in ISTR's affairs. Currently, there are very few opportunities for members to be engaged with ISTR. Also, to many members, the ISTR Board is "invisible." They know next to nothing about the work of the Board. Work of Board Committees will be publicized and increase member awareness of an active Board.
Staff
With membership and program expansion consider the creation of the position of a deputy executive
director to take charge of the day-to-day administration to free up the executive director's time for fund-
raising and member-relations and strengthening relations with kindred organizations around the world.
Consider adding a part-time support staff and/or student interns.
Comments: The tiny two-staff team seems to have performed exceedingly well during ISTR's formative years. However, as the organization grows, the workload will inevitably expand. The geographical spread of the organization makes the staff workload particularly difficult and complex. Some upgrading of staff capacity will become necessary in the next year or two.
Revenue Generation
- Set a 10-year goal of financial self-sufficiency through membership revenues to cover the cost of "core administrative budget" (i.e., secretariat's expenses) by the year 2010.
- Charge the proposed Board Committee on Fund-Raising to aid staff in exploring new avenues for revenue generation, particularly within their countries or regions.
- Make a concerted effort to raise financial and in-kind support from non-US foundations and corporations.
- Explore the feasibility of organizing an annual "special event" as a vehicle for fund-raising.
- Explore the feasibility of "planned giving" and bequests, for developing a long-term endowment.
- Identify members in different parts of the world who may have contacts with potential donors interested in Third Sector matters in their regions or countries.
- Create new categories of membership such as "Corporate Sponsors" at $3,000 for three years.
- Add a new line for donation/contribution to the membership dues form to seek additional support from members who may be inclined to help ISTR.
- Offer multi-year memberships (from two to three years).
- Consider increasing institutional membership to $250
- Use the biennial conference for revenue generation.
Comments: ISTR has managed reasonably well in terms of revenue generation in its early years. However, continued reliance on the same few funders in the future will be hazardous to the financial health of the organization. A concentrated effort needs to be made on all fronts and all hitherto untapped prospects need to be explored and approached. At the current rate, membership fees alone cannot and will not sustain the organization. Support from non-member sources is essential to ISTR's survival.
Membership Development
(member retention and new members)
- Set a challenging target to increase to 1,000 members by the year 2006 biennial conference.
- Put to work the proposed Membership Committee and assign annual goals to each member of the committee, arm them with relevant information, and provide some "training" where feasible.
- Use every opportunity to engage members in ISTR affairs; e.g. Board Committees; conferences, seminars, symposia planning, and publications.
- Seek support of current members to bring their colleagues and institutions into the fold.
- Use biennial, regional, and national Third Sector related conferences to publicize ISTR and sign up members.
- Survey members periodically with respect to their views of ISTR, their needs and expectations, and ISTR services and products. On occasion, conduct exit interviews with members who have not renewed.
Comments: Member involvement, enthusiasm, and support are essential to all membership organizations. ISTR would do well to take the pulse of membership periodically to learn their likes and dislikes, services that are valued and those that are not. The "global associational revolution" which we are witnessing and the growth of Third Sector academic centers and programs which is evident, ought to provide tremendous opportunities for membership building. An aggressive ISTR marketing effort may have to be launched.
Institutional Identity and Independence
ISTR Name
There is no need to change ISTR name at this time but the matter should be on the agenda of future
evaluations.
Comment: Consultants found no ground swell of interest in changing ISTR name. Not because everyone loved the name but because most could not come up with a better, more descriptive solution.
ISTR Legal Status
Commence the exploration of the application process and its implications for registering ISTR as a separate,
independent, tax-exempt, Internal Revenue Code section 501(c)(3) entity.
Comments: It is essential that ISTR is recognized as an independent international body. The current situation is confusing to members and others and is not advantageous to ISTR. The Board of ISTR has no legal standing. This is not to cast aspersions on Johns Hopkins University which provided a fine shelter during ISTR's start-up. However, the time now is opportune to establish and assert ISTR's independence.
Secretariat Location
Review the best institutional home for the ISTR secretariat. ISTR President may appoint a small ad hoc
Board committee to explore the issue with staff and make recommendations to the Board. Two criteria are
proposed: (1) There should be some concrete "value added" (tangible benefits) and (2) the new home
should result in equal or enhanced efficiency and effectiveness. The move should not be at the cost of
organizational efficiency and effectiveness.
Comments: Several members have expressed reservations about the present location of ISTR secretariat because of the loss of independent identity of the organization. The Johns Hopkins University has provided a good and highly-respected home to ISTR up to now. However, several members have felt that it is too close to the Center for Civil Society Studies at JHU. Some members even perceive ISTR as a part and parcel of the Center. If ISTR is to maintain its independent identity as an international body then this issue needs to be considered carefully. It should be noted that some international organizations rotate secretariat location every few years to different parts of the world in order to reinforce its "international" character.
GOAL-B: Foster the creation of high quality research about the Third Sector, its relations to other sectors and its effect on human and planetary well-being.
Biennial Conferences
- Make a concerted effort to organize each biennial conference better than previous ones in all aspects, increasing member and non-member attendance and satisfaction. The primary objectives of the biennial conference should be to: (1) maximize opportunities for networking; (2) share and exchange new knowledge and to provide a platform for unveiling of major new findings, discoveries, theories about the Third Sector; and (4) provide for a meeting of the membership of the Society. Other objectives include: (1) training young, emerging scholars; (2) membership development; (3) promoting Third Sector information in the country where the conference is held; (4) providing opportunities for interviews and recruitment of candidates for Third Sector employment; and (5) exposing potential funders to a learning experience about the Third Sector.
- Organize more pre-conference sessions and training workshops, both traditional and new format.
- Provide greater opportunities for regional networks and affinity groups to meet during the biennial conference. (But don't tag them on at the end of the conference.)
- Set high standards for the quality of conference papers and presentations.
- Ensure that plenary sessions' topics are of broad general interest and keynotes are chosen for what they have to contribute to our thinking and knowledge.
- Provide specific instructions and guidelines to panel moderators as to the management of panel presentations and to foster discussion, dialogue, and debate among participants.
Comments: Biennial conferences probably represent the single most popular activity of ISTR. Continued attention and thought needs to be invested in planning, organizing, and execution of this important biennial event. Many members cited the biennial conferences as one of the main reasons for joining ISTR. Also, the survey responses provide a number of additional ideas for improving the biennial conference. ISTR staff and conference planning committee should give all due consideration to members' suggestions.
Regional Networks
Make a clear distinction between ISTR regional networks and other sub-regional and affinity groups. For the near future we will formalize ISTR regions as they develop. Currently there are regional networks in Africa; Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean. This issue requires further study.
Affinity Groups
Greater flexibility needs to be instituted with respect to affinity groups. These groups can be (1) culture based; (2) academic discipline-based; or (3) issue based. While informal affinity group formation may be encouraged, formal recognition of affinity groups within ISTR structure should be limited to a few well- organized entities with evidence of "critical mass" and capacity for sustainability.
Comments: The basic rationale for both affinity groups and regional networks is that within each such entity they share a common set of Third Sector issues and problems to be studied, unique to their regional or affinity groups. Survey results and interviews indicate that affinity groups have not taken off. Many members are not even aware of affinity groups' existence. A proliferation of affinity groups could place an inordinate burden on ISTR secretariat if they need to be serviced. Thus we recommend proceeding slowly and with caution in organizing affinity groups-it should be a lower priority for ISTR.
International Fund
A special International Fund for Third Sector research needs to be created either in partnership with an existing group (e.g., The Aspen Institute Nonprofit Sector Research Fund) or one to be managed independently by ISTR. The research fund will be jointly governed by an international board and regional committees. This should be considered a high priority by the Board and should involve the proposed Fund Raising Committee of the Board. Fund support must be internationally based. Proposal review and selection process must establish high standards and ensure total integrity and transparency.
GOAL-C: Serve as an effective vehicle for diffusion and application of knowledge about the Third Sector and position ISTR globally as a reference point of information on Third Sector research.
Voluntas
- Continue to build upon the high standards and excellent reputation gained by Voluntas.
- Voluntas editors need to review areas of scholarly interest and practice not adequately covered or absent in Voluntas and reach out to those able to make a quality contribution. These areas include: Third Sector theory; developing countries; Third Sector organization management; Third Sector law; history; and economics. Third Sector being a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary subject area, provides a wide scope for diversity of topics and interests to be considered for future contributions to Voluntas.
- Editors should explore the feasibility of including abstracts of important Third Sector research in other major languages such as Japanese, Chinese, Arabic. (Currently abstracts are published only in French, German and Spanish.)
- Editors may look into the feasibility of putting Voluntas on-line as desired by a large number of members.
Comments: As mentioned elsewhere in this report, Voluntas is one of the top three assets of ISTR. It has "arrived," so to say. It has gained respectability as a "learned journal." Whatever can be done to strengthen and improve it will be welcome and increase its popularity among ISTR members and subscribers. One area has not been reconciled: the tension between "pure," empirical research and "participatory research." It is difficult to satisfy different constituencies with often conflicting agendas. However, Voluntas editors would do well to review this issue and ameliorate tension in this area.
Inside ISTR
Strengthen Inside ISTR as the premiere vehicle for two-way communication with members and for involvement of members in ISTR's activities and affairs. Suggestions proposed by members include:
- More contributions from members
- More debates and exchange of critical perspectives
- More about funding opportunities
- Less glossy and less cluttered presentation
- More case studies on action and community development
ISTR Report
Make ISTR Report distinct in design and appearance from Inside ISTR.
Comments: Many respondents were at a loss to distinguish between two very similar looking publications. Many were not even aware that there is a separate publication called ISTR Report. Some were not sure if they had read the Report because of the confusion between the two publications. The idea of an occasional publication focused on a single issue or topic is a good one and can provide an additional product to members and a useful communication tool for ISTR.
Website
Continue to improve the ISTR website design, content, and accessibility and encourage members to use the website.
Comments: While, at this time, not one of the more popular or regularly-utilized vehicles for members and others, the ISTR website in the future will become a more important tool for members. Therefore investment in website improvement will be rewarded in the long run.
Directory
Continue to improve this very important tool for members in terms of design, content, and regular updating. (Note: some of the suggestions made by respondents have already been implemented by ISTR staff.)
Comment: The directory is another very important and useful product of ISTR. Whatever can be done to make it more attractive and accessible will increase its popularity and use.
Strategic Alliances
ISTR Board and management need to take a serious look at forming strategic alliances with selected kindred international organizations. Alliances can take various forms, informal as well as formal. It must be organized on the principle of mutuality of interests and benefits-"win-win."
Comments: While we encourage exploration of this area we also say, "proceed with caution." ISTR identity and independence should not be sacrificed by entering into an alliance. This is another area for ISTR Board to use an ad hoc committee to identify potential candidates and pros and cons of entering into alliances with them.
By-Laws Changes:
The Strategic Plan includes the following proposed changes to the Society's By-laws. The specific By- laws changes are shown in the crossed-out and bold-faced sections.
Article III. Board of Directors
B. The Board of Directors consists of a President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, and seven
eleven other elected members. In addition, the immediate Past-President, the editor of the official
journal, and a representative of the host institution shall also serve on the Board ex officio. The
immediate Past-President shall serve one (2 year) term.
Article V. Nominations and Elections
A. A Nominating Committee shall be selected at the Board meeting the year preceding the election.
The Nominating Committee shall consist of seven ten members, three four from the Board,and
three six from the membership at large and the past President. The Executive Committee shall
appoint the three four Nominating Committee members from the Board, and the Board shall
appoint the three six Nominating Committee members from the membership at large. The
composition of the Nominating Committee shall be approved by Board and then announced
promptly through the Society newsletter. The Board shall designate one of the non-Board
members at Chairperson of the Nominating Committee.
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