Public Money & Management· 2026Q1
Unlocking collaboration among nonprofit organizations: The case of health and social services for marginalized people
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- Q1SCImago
- 2026year
Short summary
Informal collaborations among 10 Italian health and social service NPOs are hindered by capacity saturation and lack of reciprocal knowledge, but offer opportunities for competence acquisition and improved motivation.
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Key points
- Informal collaborations among NPOs are underexplored but crucial for complex needs.
- Barriers include capacity saturation, lack of reciprocal knowledge, and absence of structured methods.
- Opportunities include acquiring competences and improved motivation.
- Sharing cultural aspects increases the likelihood of collaboration.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
Collaboration among nonprofit organizations (NPOs) is essential for delivering services to users with complex needs. The dynamics underlying informal collaborations among NPOs, which can represent a distinct mode of collaboration or a precursor to formal collaboration, remain underexplored. This study examines informal collaborations among NPOs, exploring their characteristics and perceptions of barriers and opportunities for collaboration. The research adopts a multiple case study of 10 Italian NPOs delivering health and social care services to marginalized people, using qualitative and quantitative analysis. Results show that NPOs perceive barriers concerning, among others, capacity saturation, lack of reciprocal knowledge, and structured collaboration methods. Reported opportunities relate to acquiring competences and improved motivation. These mostly confirm that dynamics known from broader collaboration literature also hold for informal collaborations, while lack of reciprocal knowledge, learning and improved motivation extend it further. Finally, sharing cultural aspects among NPOs increases the probability of declaring a collaboration.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Public Money & Management, 2026 · DOI ↗
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Field: Public Administration
Public AdministrationSocial Sciences