The Caster Family Center for Nonprofit Research

Introduction
The Caster Family Center for Nonprofit Research was launched in 2004 with generous start-up grants provided by The Westreich Foundation and the Bruce T. Halle Family Foundation. In 2007 the Center received a generous naming contribution from the Caster family. The work of the Center is co-directed by Robert Donmoyer, Ph.D. and Pat Libby and is supported by an active Advisory Committee (click here to view the complete list). The Center is staffed by doctoral students: Laura Deitrick, Stephen H. Velez-Confer, Audrey Barrett, Lindsey McDougle, Heather Carpenter and Melanie Hitchcock.

Mission
The Mission of the Caster Family Center for Nonprofit Research is to study issues of strategic importance to the sector and to identify and advance best practices in nonprofit leadership and management.

Vision
•  In the next five years USD's Center for Nonprofit Research will become recognized as a source of the highest quality research in the nonprofit sector.

•  The Center will serve as a convener of broad based community dialogues around topics of relevance to strategic operations and public policy.

•  The Center will help to define the full landscape of San Diego 's nonprofit sector so as to increase the community's understanding of the value and contribution of the sector.

Click here to read about the projects that the Center is currently working on!

News
In response to a call for public comment on the draft form 990, the Caster Family Center for Nonprofit Research provided the IRS with recommendations. Click here to view our comments to the IRS.

Center Services

Information Center
The Center is currently compiling and constructing a resource center that includes, for example:
•  A data base of nonprofit activity throughout California within San Diego County.
•  Annual reports up-dating the “vital statistics” of the sector.
•  A library of reference materials and best-practice projects completed by students in the program – for example, sample board manuals, personnel policy manuals, volunteer manuals, by-laws, etc.
•  Periodicals pertaining to nonprofit research, management & leadership.

Community and Independent Research Projects
The Center has produced the following projects:

A Spotlight on San Diego's Third Sector
In conjunction with the University of San Francisco's Institute for Nonprofit Organization Management, the Center produced a report focused on the contributions of the San Diego nonprofit sector to the local economy. This report's intent is to create an understanding of the nonprofit sector, measure its capacity & economic contributions, and chart its future. This project was presented November 13, 2006.
Click here to review the report as a PDF.
Completed: November 2006

Beyond Regulation: Tools for Promoting Ethical Action in Nonprofit Organizations
For a full year more than 168 nonprofit practitioners participated in a dialogue series about nonprofit ethics that culminated in a large-scale forum on October 27, 2006.  The result of this thoughtful deliberation was a discussion guide that can be used by nonprofits during board and/or senior staff meetings (a) to explore existing ethical practices within a nonprofit organization (b) reach a common understanding about the ethical culture that participants wish to see in action and (c) uncover any discrepancies that currently might exist between what is currently happening and what people engaged in the conversation believe ought to be happening.
Click here to read the introduction of the ethics project and how the standards were developed.
Click here to access the ethics discussion guide.
Completed: October 2006

Report on Nonprofit Executive Transition
Recent national studies of executives in the nonprofit field have indicated that the sector will soon be facing a massive transition in leadership. In this study, the Center saught to define and understand the challenges posed by executive transition, and how it pertains specifically to San Diego nonprofit sector. Particular focus was placed on the number of San Diego nonprofit executives who plan to retire or leave their positions in the next 5 years.
Completed: February 2006
Click here for an Executive Summary of the report.
Click here to read the full report.

Initial Market Survey
To ensure the Center provides products that meet the demands of its constituents, a market survey has been mailed to 1,500 San Diego nonprofits. The results of this survey will help to define the scope of services offered through the Center, and will be used to guide decisions on future topics of study. The survey focuses on services in the following areas: program evaluation, organizational development, data, and library resources.
Completed: March 2005
Click here to read our case statement and learn more about our findings!

For more information about the Center and our services, please contact Laura Deitrick at (619) 260-2903 or email lauradeitrick@yahoo.com.