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Investigating the Marketization of the Nonprofit Sector: A Comparative Case Study of Two Nonprofit Organizations

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2026

Billie Sandberg Open the ORCID record for Billie Sandberg [Opens in a new window] ,
Erin Elliott  and
Shauna Petchel
Billie Sandberg*
Affiliation:
Portland State University, P.O. Box 751, Portland, OR 97207-0751, USA
Erin Elliott
Affiliation:
Public Affairs and Policy, Portland State University, Portland, OR, USA
Shauna Petchel
Affiliation:
Health Systems and Policy, OHSU-PSU School of Public Health, Portland, OR, USA
*
sandber2@pdx.edu
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Abstract

It has been well documented in recent years that nonprofits are becoming increasingly marketized. What is less well understood from this body of research is the variation of marketization in the nonprofit sector and how it is made manifest in nonprofit organizations. This article aims to fill this gap in knowledge by recounting the results of a comparative case study of two nonprofits. We examine their marketization through a multifaceted theoretical framework that allows us to document the marketization comprehensively and to posit some preliminary explanations as to why this variation is occurring. Our findings indicate that one organization is adopting a strong entrepreneurial orientation while the other is integrating its traditional community orientation with more professionalization. The differentiation witnessed in the case organizations suggests that marketization is best understood as a situated process that may in part be explained by varying strategic responses to institutional pressures.

Keywords

MarketizationNonprofitCase studyDiscourse

Information

Type
Original Paper
Information
Voluntas: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations , Volume 31 , Issue 3 , June 2020 , pp. 494 - 510
Copyright
Copyright © International Society for Third-Sector Research 2019

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