Views from the Outside: How the Nonprofit Community Characterizes High Performance Nonprofit Organizations

Abstract

What high performance means for nonprofit organizations and how to define high performance is still a discussed issue. Building on Paul Light’s work and the Standards of Excellence Codes of Conduct developed by the Maryland Association of Nonprofit Organizations, this research presents how the community, respectively the nonprofit organizations themselves, views high performance and define the characteristics of high performing organizations. The paper also analysis how the community’s perception of high performance compares with the Standards of Excellence Codes of Conduct.