Maintaining the mission: a comparative case study of two youth-serving, nonprofit agencies in Edmonton, Alberta
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Abstract
This study explores the impact of social, economic, and political environments on social service nonprofit and voluntary organizations in Edmonton and Alberta. Using comparative case-study methodology, the research examines how two youth-serving nonprofit agencies in Edmonton experience and respond to existing trends and challenges in the Edmonton and Alberta voluntary sectors. The student researcher conducted sixteen in-depth, semi-structured interviews with local nonprofit advocates and staff members from the participating youth agencies. Agency statements, publications, and annual financial reports were also reviewed. Analysis of collected data was guided by the institutional perspective in organizational theory. The research identified various trends in Edmonton and Alberta’s nonprofit and voluntary sector and highlighted internal and external factors that influence the organizational environment of each youth-serving agency. The findings of the study suggest that organizational experience and response to pressure are closely connected to agency funding structure and political, social, and economic conditions of the external environment.