| Nonprofit organizations face numerous operating and financial struggles. The literature revealed that donors are more likely to contribute to organizations if they understand how nonprofits are functioning and operating. One way in which some organizations address the challenges of the nonprofit environment is by sharing space. The problem addressed in this study was that for organizations sharing space the relationship of organizational characteristics to efficiency was unknown. The purpose of the research was to identify the relevant organizational characteristics that contribute to the efficiency of nonprofit organizations in multi-tenant facilities. The research questions addressed the characteristics related to higher levels of programmatic and fundraising efficiency. The research methodology was exploratory and a quantitative research design was used to examine the relationship between organizational characteristics and efficiency. Twelve independent variables were examined and the data were analyzed using correlations. Statistical and operational significance was determined for each variable. The results were that type and size of the nonprofit organization, affiliation with the United Way, size of the center, and the number of staff members were statistically and operationally related to efficiency. The study makes a contribution by providing a methodology and a starting point for conducting other studies on improving the efficiency of nonprofit organizations. The social impact lies in the study prompting nonprofit organizations to consider sharing space as an option to potentially improve their operations. Improvements in the ways in which nonprofits operate, yields the potential to serve more clients more efficiently and increase the social benefit from the services provided by nonprofit organizations. |
