Factors Key to the Success of Nonprofit Organizations
(Pages 21-34)Ming-Tao Chou1, Chi-Ping Liu2,* and Cathay Kuo-Tai Kang3
1Department of Aviationand Maritime Transportation Management, College of Management, Chang Jung Christian University. Postal address: No.1, Changda Rd., Gueiren District, Tainan City 711301, Taiwan (R.O.C.).
2PhD Program in Business and Operations Management, College of Management, Chang Jung Christian University, Postal address: No.1, Changda Rd., Gueiren District, Tainan City 711301, Taiwan (R.O.C.).
3PhD Program in Business and Operations Management, College of Management, Chang Jung Christian University, Taiwan (R.O.C.)
DOI: https://doi.org/10.55365/1923.x2026.24.03
Abstract:
The present study combined the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) methods to systematically examine the key factors influencing the success of nonprofit organizations in Taiwan. AHP was used to quantify the relative weights of factors influencing organizational success through a hierarchical structure, addressing the lack of objective weighting in qualitative research on these factors. However, AHP assumes independence among factors and does not reflect their interactions. Hence, this study introduced DEMATEL to reveal the associations and causal relationships among the factors. The findings indicate that the core path to the success of nonprofit organizations is leadership → organizational capacity → financial and human resources → stakeholder interactions, in which leadership serves as the primary driving factor, organizational capacity functions as the system’s central hub, and stakeholder interactions are the desired outcome. This study extends the literature by constructing a cross-dimensional integrated model, validating the magnitude and direction of the influence of factors critical to the success of nonprofit organizations using quantitative methods, and repositioning the role of stakeholder participation within a framework of organizational capacity. The findings provide crucial strategic guidance for nonprofit organizations in governance, capacity-building, and resource allocation.
Keywords:
Analytic hierarchy process (AHP); decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL), leadership; organizational capacity; success of nonprofit organizations.
How to Cite:
Ming-Tao Chou, Chi-Ping Liu and Cathay Kuo-Tai Kang. Factors Key to the Success of Nonprofit Organizations. [ref]: vol.24.2026. available at: https://refpress.org/ref-vol24-a3
Licensee REF Press This is an open access article licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted, non-commercial use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the work is properly cited.
