Katie Misener -Post Doctoral Stipend 2009
University of Western Ontario
Français
Community Sport Organizations (CSOs) are expected to play a significant role in civil society. However, our understanding of their social impact is primarily limited to the context of their basic mandate for sport service provision. Pearson (2008) argues that a type of social responsibility mirroring the CSR movement in the business sector could be a central element in the development of sport policy and fundamental to sport governing bodies’ advancement of social capital. Greater evidence is needed to show how these clubs integrate concerns and action on wider social issues into their structure, operations, and plans. Then, equipped with this organizational understanding, research can determine how CSOs may contribute to the community development agenda of the broader nonprofit and voluntary sector, while supporting or enhancing their primary mandate– sport participation.
This study investigates the prevalence of a broader social responsibility among CSOs that encompasses more than just providing a particular ‘good’ to society; it refers to ethical practices and a more generalized concern for the community (e.g., societal integration, environmental activism). Presidents of CSOs in three provinces will complete an online survey that measures the extent to which they are engaging in various aspects of social responsibility (legal, ethical, philanthropic, instrumental), as well as the perceived importance of each construct for their organization’s strategy and operations. Analysis of variance will also be used to determine whether social responsibility is associated with institutional characteristics such as sport, size of club, age of club, community size, and urban/rural location. The research will be used to develop a model of social responsibility in nonprofit sport organizations, and generate understanding about social responsibility as a (potential) avenue for strategic practice by CSOs to further their social impact.
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