Barriers to the development of resource centers for socially oriented non-profit organizations: a regional perspective (experience from the Northwestern Federal District)
Abstract. This article addresses the issues surrounding the functioning of resource centers (RCs) supporting socially oriented non-profit organizations (SONPOs) in the regions of the Northwestern Federal District. RCs are viewed as key actors in providing infrastructural support at the regional and local levels. Based on a qualitative study, including semi-structured interviews with RC managers and specialists (n=21), and an analysis of secondary data, the author identified challenges and barriers to RC development at the regional level related to funding stability, human resource development, and interactions with other entities. Finally, the author proposes areas for improving infrastructural support for SONPOs, including the development of a concept for a standard for developing infrastructural support aimed at increasing the sustainability and effectiveness of RCs in the regional context.
Keywords: SONPO support, infrastructure support, resource centers, infrastructure organizations, NWFD.
Hightlightts:
- resource centers play a crucial role in strengthening the non-profit sector by providing information, consulting, and educational support to NPOs. They contribute to enhancing the professionalism of organizations, developing the management skills of their employees, and strengthening interactions with government agencies and businesses. However, their potential is limited by systemic challenges that require a comprehensive solution;
- key barriers to the development of resource centers in the Northwestern Federal District have been identified: funding instability, staffing shortages, and weak intersectoral cooperation;
- barriers to supporting resource centers at the regional level include: the lack of an institutional and strategic framework for the development of infrastructure support entities in most regions; a limited range of support tools for resource centers; the project-based nature of financial support, which often does not take into account the long-term and ongoing specifics of resource centers` work;
- the regional development of resource centers is characterized by differentiation in the number of operating resource centers in the regions and at the municipal level, as well as in the mechanisms for their support from government authorities;
- areas for improving infrastructure support for NPOs include the creation of a standard for developing infrastructure support for NPOs at the regional level, taking into account the best practices of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation, and the formation of an institutional framework for infrastructure development at the federal level.
Denis S. Tyukhov - St. Petersburg State Electrotechnical University "LETI" named after V.I. Ulyanov, Saint-Petersburg, Russia