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The impact of economic crises on philanthropic funding to, and fundraising by, nonprofit organisations is a surprisingly under-researched field. Internationally, data is scant and comparisons are impeded by different categorisations and definitions of funders and sectors, different timeframes and the dominance of the US in the body of published research. A search and review of the literature identified 60 journal articles and professional reports that we analysed by theme. This paper brings together, reviews and analyses what is known from four national contexts - the US, the UK, Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand. Analysis covers the impact of multiple recessions, with a particular focus on the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) of 2008-09. Key findings include that losses of funding are not as uniform nor as sustained as media coverage would suggest and that different sectors are impacted in different ways. Philanthropic sources including individuals, trusts and foundations, and corporate philanthropy vary in the timing of their responses to economic crises, and though the impact of economic crises on nonprofit sectors is variable, giving as a whole is better sustained than popularly supposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of economic crises on philanthropic funding to, and fundraising by, nonprofit organisations is a surprisingly under-researched field. Internationally, data is scant and comparisons are impeded by different categorisations and definitions of funders and sectors, different timeframes and the dominance of the US in the body of published research. A search and review of the literature identified 60 journal articles and professional reports that we analysed by theme. This paper brings together, reviews and analyses what is known from four national contexts - the US, the UK, Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand. Analysis covers the impact of multiple recessions, with a particular focus on the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) of 2008-09. Key findings include that losses of funding are not as uniform nor as sustained as media coverage would suggest and that different sectors are impacted in different ways. Philanthropic sources including individuals, trusts and foundations, and corporate philanthropy vary in the timing of their responses to economic crises, and though the impact of economic crises on nonprofit sectors is variable, giving as a whole is better sustained than popularly supposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Government contracting with not-for-profit agencies, particularly those characterised as 'religious' and 'faith-based', to deliver social welfare has been the subject of substantial research in the United States and the United Kingdom in recent years. In contrast, attention to the role of 'religious' and 'faith-based' agencies in service delivery in Australia has been relatively limited. This paper explores conceptual issues relating to research into the impact on 'church-related' not-for-profit social welfare agencies in Australia of engagement in government contracting. It commences with a critical analysis of typologies in recent US and UK literature that use the terminology 'religious', 'faith-based' and 'secular', and identifies why this terminology is not analytically helpful. An alternative conceptual approach is developed, to guide research into the engagement of these agencies with government focusing on issues of governance, identity and mission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]