Operations Management in Community-Based Nonprofit Organizations

Addressing the needs of underrepresented, underserved, and vulnerable populations at a local level is the central goal of many charitable nonprofit organizations, and is thus naturally intertwined with community-based operations research. Through promoting and creating positive change, such nonprofits play an integral role in their communities and affect individual lives. However, the research literature addressing nonprofit operations is limited. The purpose of this chapter is to introduce to the operations research/operations management audience the modeling and policy issues of nonpro t organizations, using the fundamental metaphor of the supply chain. As the supply-side (inputs), production, and demand-side (consumers, beneficiaries, etc.) are uncoupled, we review relevant operations research and nonprofit studies (social science) literature and identify potential future research in each area. The primary contribution is cross-disciplinary understanding to support innovative theory-building, modeling and solution development for nonprofit organizations and community-based operations research.