When the bottom line is faithfulness

About this book

Religious service organizations play a central role in philanthropy in the United States. As with their secular counterparts, society expects that these organizations will be "values-expressive," idealistic as well as pragmatic, upholding and promoting an identifiable set of social and moral values as well as providing particular services. For religious philanthropies, these societal concerns create a distinctive set of management issues. This book explores those special requirements for management and leadership and makes specific proposals for how these requirements may best be met. Although based on research with Christian service organizations, the recommendations are broadly applicable to all such groups. . The book begins with an examination of the origins and development of the philanthropic tradition in the United States, giving special scrutiny to the role of religious ideals and institutions in shaping American culture and to the influence of religion on philanthropic practice. It then focuses on the pragmatic concerns in the management of Christian service organizations. Jeavons explores different approaches to the maintenance of organizational culture and management of human resources, resource development and fund raising, and executive and board roles in leadership and planning. The volume concludes with a summary of research findings, a proposal of critical "points of attention" for managers, and suggests lessons other nonprofit organizations might learn from this research.