ARNOVA (Association for Research on Nonprofit and Voluntary Action) is an international academic conference on nonprofits and volunteering held in the United States. The 54th ARNOVA Conference took place in Indianapolis, Indiana, under the theme: “The Evolving Role of Philanthropy: In Global, National, and Local Contexts”. As a first-semester PhD student at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, I felt incredibly fortunate to experience this conference firsthand. Here is my review of ARNOVA through the eyes of a newcomer.
Pre-sessions and Networking
A day before the main event, a pre-session was held, followed by an afternoon reception. The reception, sponsored by the IU Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, was attended by many people and featured active networking alongside plenty of food.
Diverse Research Topics
Presentations on a wide range of topics occurred simultaneously, including collaboration, nonprofit accountability, global civil society, social movements, grassroots organizations, leadership, management, innovation, nonprofit finance, performance evaluation, fundraising, and volunteering.
One of the most memorable moments was a discussion among Korean scholars regarding the need to define the term “nonprofit” within specific cultural and national contexts. While the term is used globally, Korea utilizes various terms such as public interest organizations, nonprofit organizations, and civic organizations. It was a meaningful opportunity to reconsider terminology based on regional and cultural backgrounds.
Understanding Philanthropy
The conference also provided a chance to reflect on the concept of philanthropy, defined as voluntarily acting for the public good or the benefit of others using private resources such as money, time, and talent. It was noted that philanthropic projects primarily support areas such as education (82%), basic needs (81%), health (51%), youth and families (51%), and arts and culture (47%).
The Beautiful Foundation as a Sponsor
During the conference banquet and awards ceremony, where many Korean scholars were recognized, it was a joy to see The Beautiful Foundation logo. The Foundation participated as a sponsor for this year’s ARNOVA conference. Hae Jung KIM, the Assistant Director of the Center on Philanthropy at The Beautiful Foundation, delivered a greeting to the attendees. Seeing the foundation’s name represented among international scholars made the Korean participants feel very proud. This concludes my report from Indianapolis, and I hope to share more of the vibrant atmosphere in the future.
Author: Hyun Tak JUNG, PhD Student at IU Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. Hyun Tak JUNG first connected with The Beautiful Foundation as an intern during his master’s program and has since participated in various initiatives, including the Nonprofit Colloquium. He previously worked at the research center of the Community Chest of Korea, collaborating with the Center on Philanthropy at The Beautiful Foundation on projects like the Sharing Knowledge Network. After serving as a manager for the Change Business Team at The Beautiful Foundation for seven months, he began his doctoral studies at the IU Lilly Family School of Philanthropy this August with the foundation’s recommendation.