How can nonprofit boards innovate for growth? An integrative-systematic review

Abstract

Despite the nonprofit sector's significance in economic contribution, workforce, and social impact, it faces unique innovation hurdles and is not well positioned for sustainability, growth, and prosperity. However, with only a partial, disconnected view from the extant research, we do not understand the relationship between boards and nonprofit innovation for growth. To address this problem, we conducted a systematic literature review drawing on 27 studies published since 2000 to provide a first-in-field and comprehensive integration of disparate, mono-factorial research. We conceptualize a new, multifactorial model that depicts a blend of board composition, relations and practice factors, and organizational and environmental characteristics that influence nonprofit innovation for growth.