les responsables associatifs sont-ils des adhrents ...

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The role of non-profit organisations in civil society and their weight in the ... association leaders with other members and voluntary workers, both from a socio-.
ARE THE MANAGERS/ADMINISTRATORS OF NON-PROFIT ORGANISATIONS DIFFERENT FROM OTHER MEMBERS? Lionel PROUTEAU Muriel TABARIES

The aims of the paper The role of non-profit organisations in civil society and their weight in the third sector are widely recognised. In France, associations, which represent the bulk of non-profit sector, employ more than one million people and have an annual budget of € 59 billion (Tchernonog, 2007). They have considerable economic importance. However, the world of these organisations remains little known, despite the research carried out in this field. Studies undertaken nationally or from a comparative, international perspective have highlighted factors explaining organisation membership, as well as the characteristics of members and voluntary workers. In contrast, research on managers/administrators is much more limited, despite some interesting papers (Friedman et al, 1988; Markham et al., 2001; Iecovich, 2005). Yet these persons play an essential role in the dynamism of organisations, because of their leadership functions. It therefore seems useful to know more about who these voluntary managers are and where they come from. Do they constitute a particular category of members, and if so, in what way? These questions deserve special attention, given the widespread problems which non-profit organisations have in renewing their managers/administrators. This phenomenon is not specifically French: almost thirty years ago, Pearce (1980) already observed, in the United States, members avoiding the responsibilities which voluntary organisations entail. The aim of this paper is twofold. First, it seeks to point out the profiles of leaders in the whole of the non-profit sector, but also according to the three main, “tested” types of associations: associations whose mission is linked to public policy, associations which militate for a cause, and lastly membership associations. These profiles, whose trends may be identified by taking into account the age of organisations, are compared and contrasted with the characteristics of the French population as a whole. Next, the paper seeks to compare association leaders with other members and voluntary workers, both from a sociodemographic point of view, and from the perspective of their motivations, the intensity and the manner of their participation. The results show in particular that organisation managers/administrators form a group which is quite different from the French population as a whole. These differences nevertheless diminish for organisations created more recently. It is also shown that organisation leaders tend more often to be men compared to other members, that they have a stronger local “attachment” and more participation in other associations. Their membership is often spurred on by a high degree of militancy. The results of this research provide food for thought for organisations which are seeking to encourage their members to take on responsibilities. Methodology The paper uses two databases which are unique in their nature, in France today. The first is based on the processing of surveys carried out by the MATISSE team of the Sorbonne Centre

for Economics, and especially the work done in 2005. This survey covers 9,265 organisations. The data collected concern all aspects of non-profit activities. Thus, the analysis of the profile of managers/administrators may be placed within the context of non-profit activities, for the first time. The information covers 27,000 managers/administrators. The second part of the paper draws on the Vie associative survey carried out by the INSEE in 2002. The survey is based on a representative sample of 5,799 individuals who were questioned about their likely participation in non-profit activities. Members indicate what kind of an organisation they belong to, if they do voluntary work, and if so, what kind of activities they carry out, as well as the competencies they use. This survey is particularly interesting for comparing organisation leaders with other members. References Friedmann R. F., Florin P., Wandersman A. and Meier R. (1988), “Local Action on Behalf of Local Collective in the U.S. and Israel: How Different Are Leaders From Members in Voluntary Associations?”, Journal of Voluntary Action Research, vol. 17, pp. 36-54. Iecovich E. (2005), “The Profile of Board Membership in Israeli Voluntary Organizations”, Voluntas, vol. 16 n° 2, pp. 161-180. Markham W. T., Walters J., Bonjean C. M. (2001), “Leadership in Voluntary Associations: The Case of the ‘International Association of Women’”, Voluntas, vol. 12, 103-130. Pearce J. L. (1980), “Apathy or self interest? The Volunteer’s Avoidance of Leadership Roles”, Journal of Voluntary Action Research, vol. 9, 85-94. Tchernonog V. (2007), L’Etat des associations. Le paysage associatif français et ses évolutions, Dalloz-Juris associations