Nonprofit Geography

Mark I WilsonMichigan State University

OutlineWhat is geography?Maps and mappingNonprofit geographyThe nonprofit economy and geographyOur town

What is Geography?

What is Geography?"As a young man, my fondest dream was to become a geographer. However, while working in the customs office I thought deeply about the matter and concluded it was too difficult a subject. With some reluctance I then turned to physics as a substitute." - Albert Einstein

What is Geography?"Geography is the study of the patterns and processes of human (built) and environmental (natural) landscapes, where landscapes comprise real (objective) and perceived (subjective) space." - Gregg Wassmansdorf, 1995

Branches of GeographyPhysical geography

EnvironmentClimateLand use

Human geographySocialEconomicCultural

Maps and Mapping

The Challenge of MapsMaps are tools that provide information about spatial concepts, such as the location of landforms and settlements, and offer insights into the spatial organization of territoryIn addition to showing the location of features they are also used to provide directions, indicate ownership, specify authority and rule, and also be used as a source of propagandaMaps contain many universal elements, and can often be understood without a common language or culture

Maps as Social ConstructionsMaps are often considered true presentations of the worldBUT they are a form of story-telling about the world that map makers wish to convey to readersMaps are not found naturally out there in the world but are made by people to depict the worldNo map can capture all of the information associated with a location, so the maker of the map must choose what to include and what to exclude.

Squash a Ball/Peel an OrangeOne of the central problems of making maps is the translation from three to two dimensions

Types of MapsTypes of maps

Purpose To locate places on the surface of the earth To show patterns of distribution of natural and man-made

phenomena To compare and contrast map information and thereby

discover relationships between different phenomena. AudienceProjection

ProjectionsA globe is the best way to represent the planet, but it is difficult to show a lot of detail and it is bulky to use and interpretMap projections commonly take one of three forms: Cylindrical, Conic, AzimuthalFor more information: Map Projection Overview by Peter Dana. Online at: www.colorado.edu/geography/gcraft/notes/mapproj/mapproj.html

Mercator Projection (Cylindrical)

Peters Projection (Cylindrical)

OnLine ResourcesPerry-Castañeda Library Map Collection

www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/index.htmlNational Geographic Xpeditions (Atlas and National K12 Standards)

www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditionsCensus Teaching Materials

www.census.gov/dmd/www/schmat1.html Geography of US Diversity (US Census)

www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/atlas.html

MapsAmerican Factfinder (Census)

Factfinder.census.gov Florida Geographic Alliance

multimedia2.freac.fsu.edu/fga/maps.htmlEducation Place

www.eduplace.com/ss/ssmaps/index.htmlMSU Map Library

www.lib.msu.edu/coll/main/maps/online.html

Nonprofit Geography

Spatial Variation in Nonprofit Action Nonprofit actions varies by location, such as country, state, county, metropolitan area, town and neighborhoodVariation in donations, volunteering, types of nonprofit activitiesHow to account for different levels of action?

The Four Sector EconomyHouseholdsGovernmentFor-profitNonprofit

For Profit FirmsPrivate goods and servicesMarket orientedCustomer satisfactionVoluntary paymentFocus on profitEfficient at meeting consumer demands at minimum costWill not undertake unprofitable activities

GovernmentCan provide public goodsCan regulate production (universal access)Coercive power through taxes/feesFocus on service/re-electionInfluence of pressure groups

Public Goods2 Characteristics

Nonexcludability - consumers cannot be prevented from using or benefiting from itNonrivalry - one person’s use does not reduce the amount available for use by others

ExamplesNational defenseLighthouses

NonprofitCan provide public goodsCan provide private goodsClient satisfaction, role of trustVoluntary payment/3rd party paymentFocus on service, break even

Sector MixEcological metaphor

Organizations operate when and where they canOrganizations provide the goods and services that they are able to offerFertile conditions for operating (entrepreneurship, activity, type of goods/services etc).

GovernmentFor-profitNonprofitHouseholds

The Nonprofit Niche

The Nonprofit Economy & Geography

The Nonprofit Sector in the US1.5 million organizations6% of the workforce$500 billion in expenses

Michigan’s Nonprofit Sector 1999 IRS Data:

7,498 reporting public charities$28.0 billion in revenue$26.5 billion expenses$37.1 billion in assets300,000 jobs/6.2% of workforce

Regional Variation in MichiganType and level of nonprofit activity varies by location across MichiganDifferent locations have different experience with nonprofit organizationsPublic opinion about nonprofit organizations varies across the state

Giving and Volunteering by Region

020406080

100120

UpperPeninsula

NorthernLP

WestCentral

EastCentral

Southwest Southeast Detroit

per

cent

Giving Volunteering

Need for Charitable Organizations Greater Now than 5 Years Ago

0 20 40 60

Michigan

UP

NorthernMichigan

West Central

East Central

Southwest

Southeast

Detroit

per cent

Strongly Agree

Somewhat Agree

Neither

SomewhatDisagreeStronglyDisagree

Charitable Organizations Honest and Ethical

0 20 40 60

Michigan

UP

NorthernMichigan

West Central

East Central

Southwest

Southeast

Detroit

per cent

Strongly Agree

Somewhat Agree

Neither

SomewhatDisagree

Strongly Disagree

Donations are used Appropriately

0 20 40 60 80

Michigan

UP

NorthernMichigan

West Central

East Central

Southwest

Southeast

Detroit

per cent

Strongly Agree

Somewhat Agree

Neither

SomewhatDisagree

Strongly Disagree

Social CapitalSocial capital is a person's or group's sympathy or sense of obligation toward another person or group that may produce a potential benefit, advantage, and preferential treatment to that other person or group of persons beyond that which might be expected in a selfish exchange relationship.Social ties; trust; influence; resource, membership; networks; benefit; social relationships; connections; participation; and common good

Social Capital in MichiganCommunity Benchmark Survey40 communities across the USIn Michigan

Metro DetroitFremont/NewaygoGrand RapidsKalamazoo County

Michigan Resultswww.cfsv.org/communitysurvey/mi.html

Nonprofit Data for MichiganInternal Revenue Service

www.nccs.urban.org (Aggregate data by state)www.guidestar.org (By organization, zip code)

Census of Services (tax exempt organizations)1997 available; 2002 survey in Decemberwww.census.gov/epcd/www/econ97.html

Social Capital Community Benchmark Surveywww.cfsv.org/communitysurvey/results.html

Our Town

Nonprofits in Our TownMapping population, diversity, at risk residents3 sector economy in our town

Who does what?Organizations that make a difference in our livesHow important is the nonprofit sector to our town?

Qualitative indicatorsEconomic impact

Additional InformationLTG Nonprofit Geography Website

Presentation downloadLinks to resourceswww.msu.edu/user/wilsonmm/LTG.htm

Mark WilsonOnline at www.mark-wilson.org E-mail: wilsonmm@msu.edu Nonprofit Michigan Project: www.nonprofitmichigan.org