Engagement in beneficiary participation of Philippine nonprofits: A pilot study

• Main Author: Aguiling, Maria Adiel H.
• Format: text
• Published: Animo Repository 2021
• Subjects: Beneficiaries—Philippines; Nonprofit organizations—Philippines; Nonprofit Administration and Management
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/faculty_research/10907
• Institution: De La Salle University

There is a dearth of Asian literature on beneficiary participation. This pilot study aims to answer research questions on the beneficiary participatory mechanisms utilized by selected Philippine nonprofit organizations (NPOs), the level of beneficiary participation in these NPOs, and the factors that lead local NPOs to engage their beneficiaries to participate. Using a confirmatory case study, I interviewed officers in the management team of ten active NPOs in the National Capital Region and Calabarzon Region. I developed the conceptual framework based on related literature which were written mostly by Western scholars. From this framework, I derived six propositions on the determinants of the NPO’s engagement in beneficiary participation. The results showed that Philippine laws and funders do not mandate beneficiary participation and thus, regulatory requirements and funding requirements are not relevant factors in the engagement in beneficiary participation of NPOs in the country. However, there is some evidence that trust in beneficiaries influences the NPO’s engagement in beneficiary participation. On the other hand, there are some evidences that do not support three propositions. Therefore, I introduced refinements in these propositions as follows: industry-practice may be a determinant of beneficiary participation if the NPO is community-based or has an alliance with a public institution; management style, more than organizational structure, can lead the NPO to engage in beneficiary participation; and the desire for information from beneficiaries influences the engagement in beneficiary participation if the NPOs are aware of the practice of participatory mechanisms. Majority of the selected NPOs conduct meetings and workgroups with beneficiaries. Notwithstanding, the practice of beneficiary participation is not strongly casted in the selected Philippine NPOs. The study contributes to the emerging literature on beneficiary participation by providing empirical evidence in an Asian and developing country. It provides recommendations for policy, practice and future research.