The Canadian environmental nonprofit sector : understanding organizational effectiveness assessment

Abstract

Environmental NGOs work to address a deficit in environmental protection and improvement. In order to achieve positive environmental outcomes, it is critical that these groups are as effective as possible. Studying how nonprofits construct their assessments of organizational effectiveness can reveal important insights into a sector's strategic vision and performance. This research explores how the leadership of large Canadian nonprofit environmental groups and their funders assess the effectiveness of environmental organizations. The analysis of interview data reveals key findings, including: that effectiveness assessments within this subsector are multidimensional with an emphasis on mission and goal attainment; there exists a reluctance to include resource efficiency in assessments despite research participants identifying resource deficiency as a major sector weakness; and that generally positive organizational self-assessments do not equate to a positive assessment of sector performance.