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Partnership Dynamics That Support Social Innovation by Nonprofits

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2026

Micheal L. ShierOpen the ORCID record for Micheal L. Shier[Opens in a new window],
Aaron Turpin and
John R. Graham
Micheal L. Shier*
Affiliation:
Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto, 246 Bloor Street W, Toronto, ON M5S1V4, Canada
Aaron Turpin*
Affiliation:
Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto, 246 Bloor Street W, Toronto, ON M5S1V4, Canada
John R. Graham*
Affiliation:
School of Social Work, University of British Columbia (Okanagan), 1147 Research Road, Kelowna, BC V1V1V7, Canada
*
m.shier@utoronto.ca
aaron.turpin@mail.utoronto.ca
john.graham@ubc.ca
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Abstract

This research identifies conditions of intra- and cross-sector partnerships with nonprofit organizations that lead to social innovation development. Primary survey data were collected from a nationally focused sample of executive directors in Canada (n = 720) on two valid and reliable multifactor measures, including partnership dynamics for social innovation and human services social innovation. Results of a multivariate regression analysis found that the structure of engagement and clarity of outcomes in partnerships were found to significantly predict all three types of social innovation (including product-based, process-based, and socially transformative social innovations), while alignment of partnership outcomes was not predictive of any social innovation outcome. Results identify aspects of partnerships that are most supportive of nonprofit social innovation development and provide a measurement tool for partner actors to assess partnership dynamics that lead to the development and undertaking of socially innovative initiatives.

Keywords

PartnershipsSocial innovationNonprofitsEngagementOutcomesAlignment

Information

Type
Research Paper
Information
Voluntas: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations , Volume 35 , Issue 3 , June 2024, pp. 491 - 502
Copyright
Copyright © International Society for Third-Sector Research 2023

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