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| Providing innovative research, unsurpassed education, and engaged and principled outreach for leaders and potential leaders of the nonprofit community. |
Mission
The Center is a place through which university and community stakeholders convene and collaborate to understand and strengthen the nonprofit sector. It is a place that builds public awareness of the sector, the demands for its service, and the challenges it faces.
Toward these ends, the Center provides innovative research, quality education, and engaged outreach to current and future leaders of the nonprofit sector.
Director's WelcomeWelcome to the UW Center for Nonprofits. The Center was formally established at the University of Wisconsin in May 2008 but in the two years prior to that engaged hundreds of nonprofit professionals from across our campus and community as well as many others across the country who hold interest in advancing the nonprofit sector. The Center is currently developing a program committed to academic degree programs, research on the nonprofit sector and professional connections in the form of outreach that will engage, enlighten and enhance the learning opportunities of the nonprofit sector’s current and future leaders. Many thanks go to the Oscar Rennebohm Foundation for their generous support of our Center’s development. Additional support has been provided through the Alliant Energy Foundation as well as many other organizations and individuals who have invested time and intelligence to this effort. As we develop our program, we hope you will share your thoughts on how we might best serve the interests of the sector. Please feel free to be in touch with me personally at jyasiric@wisc.edu. Opportunities for affiliation and sponsorship are available and we hope to connect you to our efforts. Executive Director |
Why a Center on Non Profits?
Prior to inception of this Center, there was no entity on campus that specifically focused on the nonprofit sector although there are many faculty, staff and students with great interest in the field. During the planning process of the Center, many came forth to express their interest in participating. There is great interest on the part of multiple and diverse university stakeholders to share their expertise and contribute to the growth of the Center.
By the same token, there is equal drive on the part of the nonprofit community to engage with UW based faculty, staff and students on networking, mentorship and educational opportunities. Through the course of the Center development process, community representatives have been invited to participate and have willingly invested time and intelligence in forming the preliminary program and agenda for how the Center can be of best service to their needs to advance community interests. In the spirit of the Wisconsin Idea, the vision of the Center’s program includes regular convening, interaction and involvement of both the academic and community stakeholders of the nonprofit sector.
Understanding the Impact of the Sector
The nonprofit sector in the United States and across the world is going through transformative change. Its contribution to the U.S. economy includes 1.4 million nonprofit organizations in the U.S., employment of more than 11 million people including the equivalent of 5.7 million full-time volunteers. Nonprofit organizations in the U.S. have annual revenues that exceed $1 trillion dollars.
Beyond the economic impact, the structures the sector has become responsible for shepherding in our society are tremendous and span housing, hunger, healthcare, youth development, environmental, aging and economic development areas among many other areas that promote community health and well-being.
Study of this sector which addresses the basic needs of most communities is an integral process to understanding its current status and future capacity. Engaging the interdisciplinary talent of world class academicians at the University of Wisconsin will provide a platform for outreach and understanding of the variety of issues that sector faces and academic partners can inform, develop and advance.
Need for Academic Investment
A Center is needed because of the vital role that the sector plays in democratic, civil society. The sector not only delivers essential services, but it serves as a monitor/watchdog of the public sector. It is a protector of rights. Through philanthropy, the sector identifies priority community needs and leverages investments to address them. These are functions that will continue to grow in importance and require a concerted and focused range of study and research so that the sector can be understood by its many stakeholders and strengthen over time.
The University of Wisconsin has long embraced a tradition of interdisciplinary research and education. In tandem with that concept, the Wisconsin Idea -- advancing that the “boundaries of the University are the boundaries of the state” – ensures that the work performed at the University be relevant and accessible to all communities who need it.
Establishing and investing in a Center for Nonprofits at the UW holds practical importance to the academic, community and sector stakeholders for certain.
The opportunities for rich collaboration between sector stewards with the UW serving as a base of operations holds great promise for all involved.
