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Abstract
Nonprofit organizations serve an essential role in response to natural hazards by delivering services to affected communities and those in need. However, little is known about the drivers of nonprofit-resident engagement during and aftermath of emergencies. Utilizing survey data collected in Austin, Texas, we address this gap by analyzing how beneficiaries of nonprofit services become donors and/or volunteers. Specifically, this study empirically analyzes how risk awareness and perceived nonprofit responsiveness and satisfaction (i.e., evaluation of services) influence beneficiaries’ donation and volunteering during and after natural hazards. This relationship between risk awareness, evaluation of nonprofit services, and prosocial behaviors is understudied but extremely salient in the context of the expanding role of nonprofits on the frontlines of increasing frequency and duration of extreme weather events. The results indicate that the mediating role of citizens’ evaluation of nonprofit services in the relationship between risk awareness and prosocial behavior is evident, despite the lack of significant direct effects of risk awareness on prosocial behavior. This study offers new perspectives to understanding the co-production of nonprofit services and mobilizing community resources to prepare, respond, and recover from climate impacts and informs ongoing conversations in urban sociology and the sociology of disaster.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Notes
1 Within the complete sample size, 8.06% of respondents (100 individuals) indicated that they had made donations to nonprofits providing help, while 7.42% of respondents (92 individuals) mentioned that they had engaged in volunteering for nonprofits offering help. Among the respondents who provided answers regarding both donations and volunteering, a total of 80 individuals reported participating in both activities.
2 If a respondent did not receive any help from the listed organizations, it is recorded as 0.
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Notes on contributors
Hyunseok Hwang
Dr. Hyunseok Hwang is an assistant professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Houston. His research interests include organization theory, community resilience, public & nonprofit management, and social entrepreneurship.
R. Patrick Bixler
Dr. R. Patrick Bixler is an assistant professor at the LBJ School of Public Affairs with a joint appointment in the Community and Regional Planning program in the School of Architecture. His current research focuses on climate and environmental governance, urban sustainability and resilience, hazard preparedness and response, and network science.
William A. Brown
Dr. William A. Brown is a professor at the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University and holds the Mary Julia and George Jordan Professorship. He serves as the Director of the Center for Nonprofits and Philanthropy. His research focuses on nonprofit governance, strategy, and organizational effectiveness. He has authored numerous research articles, technical reports, and several practice-oriented publications.
Arnold Vedlitz
Dr. Arnold Vedlitz is a Professor, Distinguished Research Scholar of the Institute for Science, Technology and Public Policy, and holder of the Bob Bullock Chair in Government and Public Policy, Bush School of Government and Public Service, Texas A&M University. His research focuses on science and technology policy, public-private partnership, public policy, inter-group conflict, urban politics, and political psychology.