OUR MISSION
The Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action (ARNOVA) is a diverse community of scholars, educators, philanthropists, and practice leaders focused on strengthening the field of nonprofit and philanthropic research to improve civil society and human life.
ARNOVA members and staff live and work throughout the U.S. and around the world. We strive to share thought-provoking research and engage in lively discussions about civil society, volunteerism, nonprofit organizations, and philanthropy.
We come from different faith, political, geographic, and social perspectives. No one statement could reflect the multitude of values we individually endorse, but we recognize and respect the need to express our association’s guiding principles.
Quite simply, we value:
- the free, unbiased pursuit of knowledge
- diversity, so that our work and our world reflect the infinite variety of our existence and experience
- collaboration, so that we can find common, workable solutions even when we don’t all agree on every issue,
- access, so that each one of us can participate in the association, engage with colleagues, and share our knowledge and expertise
- integrity, so that the quality of research is never sacrificed
- good governance, so that we can have candid conversations about what’s working in the sector, and suggest improvements
ABOUT US
Founded in 1971 as the Association of Voluntary Action Scholars, ARNOVA is a neutral, open forum committed to strengthening the research about and helping shape better practice in these realms. We bring together both theoretical and applied interests, helping scholars gain insight into the day-to-day concerns of third-sector organizations, while providing nonprofit professionals with connections to research they can use to improve the work of their organizations and the quality of life for citizens and communities.