Cost-Effectiveness in the Nonprofit Sector

This work not only makes the case that responsible nonprofit managers must routinely utilize cost-effectiveness analysis, but also gives many outstanding examples of how it can be done. The examples are drawn from prestigious nonprofit organizations as varied as the National Gallery of Art, Girls Inc., and the Nature Conservancy.

Drawing on TechnoServe's search for a practical methodology to measure the cost-effectiveness of its own work, editor Schmaedick provides a unique synthesis of the principles of cost-effectiveness analysis in the opening chapter. The guidelines he provides are almost universally applicable and make cost-effective management an attainable goal for all nonprofits. Rather than subject the reader to arcane explanations of intricate mathematical formulae, Schmaedick provides hard-nosed practical directions for nonprofit managers. Those seriously interested in upgrading the management systems of their organizations to produce more results at lower costs will find this a challenging, but not intimidating, prescription.

GERALD L. SCHMAEDICK is the Vice President for Research and Development of TechnoServe, Inc. He was promoted to this position after serving for twelve years as TechnoServe's Vice President for Latin America. Mr. Schmaedick has served as consultant to the World Bank, U.S. Agency for International Development, and the InterAmerican Development Bank on assignments in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. He was contributing author to The World Food Budget--1970 (1965) and An Evaluation of the Food for Peace Program (1972). He is an economist and a member of the American Economics Association and the American Agriculture Economics Association.