THE ROLE OF NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS IN SOCIAL CHANGE: A QUALITATIVE REVIEW ON THE SABANCI FOUNDATION

Abstract

Non-profit organizations have been actively operating from the past to the present as structures that emerged in a historical context, interact with changing social needs, and whose organizational forms are shaped within this scope. From their religious and charitable foundations to their transformation into global actors today, they have gone through different stages, always intertwined with society and influencing and being influenced in social, economic, and political terms. Understanding and making sense of this entire process is crucial to understanding the role of non-profit organizations in social change. The aim of this study is to understand and explain the multifaceted contributions of non-profit organizations and initiatives, which are agents of social change signaling significant shifts in social structures, institutions, and cultural norms that shape human behavior and interactions, and their impact on societal outcomes. Within the scope of this study, designed using qualitative methods, the Sabancı Foundation's “Grant Programs” and “Difference Makers” initiatives, which fall under the heading of social change, were subjected to content analysis. The analysis highlighted findings such as cooperation, awareness and education, economic benefit, technology, social entrepreneurship and cooperatives, advocacy and rights-based work, social change, grants, and professions. The study revealed that non-profit organizations play a role in shaping social change in the context of social needs, similar to political, economic, and cultural changes.

Keywords

• Non-profit organizations
• civil society
• social change
• Sabancı Foundation

KÂR AMACI GÜTMEYEN ÖRGÜTLERİN SOSYAL DEĞİŞİMDEKİ ROLÜ: SABANCI VAKFI ÜZERİNE NİTEL BİR İNCELEME

Abstract

Kâr amacı gütmeyen örgütler tarihsel bağlamda ortaya çıkan, değişen toplumsal ihtiyaçlar ile etkileşim halinde olan, örgütsel biçimleri de bunlar kapsamında şekil alan yapılar olarak geçmişten günümüze aktif olarak faaliyet göstermektedirler. Dini ve hayırseverlik temelinden günümüzde küresel bir aktöre dönüşmesine kadar farklı evrelerden geçerken toplumla hep iç içe olmuş sosyal, ekonomik ve politik anlamda etkileyen ve etkilenen konumda olmuşlardır. Tüm bu süreci anlamak ve anlamlandırmak kâr amacı gütmeyen örgütlerin sosyal değişimdeki rolünü anlamak açısından oldukça önemlidir. Bu çalışmanın amacı insan davranışlarını ve de etkileşimlerini şekillendiren sosyal yapı, kurumlar ve kültürel normlarda önemli değişikliklere işaret eden sosyal değişimin bir aracısı olan kâr amacı gütmeyen örgütlerin ve girişimlerin değişime çok yönlü katkılarını ve toplumsal sonuçlar üzerine etkisini anlamaya ve açıklamaya çalışmaktır. Nitel yöntemle tasarlanan bu çalışma kapsamında Sabancı Vakfı’nın sosyal değişim başlığı altında yer alan “Hibe Programları” ve “Fark Yaratanlar” çalışmaları içerik analizine tabi tutulmuştur. Yapılan analizde işbirliği, farkındalık ve bilinçlendirme, ekonomik fayda sağlama, teknoloji, sosyal girişim ve kooperatifler, savunuculuk ve hak temelli çalışmalar, sosyal değişim, hibe ve meslek gibi bulgular öne çıkmıştır. Çalışma sonucunda kâr amacı gütmeyen örgütlerin toplumsal ihtiyaçlar bağlamında ayrıca politik, ekonomik ve kültürel değişimlere benzer şekilde toplumsal değişimi şekillendiren bir rolü olduğunu ortaya çıkmıştır.

Keywords

• Kâr amacı gütmeyen örgütler
• sivil toplum
• sosyal değişim
• Sabancı Vakfı

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