��Vlog��ý Little Rock students conduct research with Little Rock Congregations Study

Ajani Oyindamola — Mon, 14 Oct 2019 13:13:10 +0000

Three ��Vlog��ý Little Rock students are helping to uncover the secret to successful community partnerships between religious and nonprofit organizations in Little Rock.�� The Little Rock Congregations Study is an ongoing research project led by Dr. Rebecca Glazier, associate professor in the School of Public Affairs, stemming from research begun in 2012 about the effects of religious organizations on community engagement in Little Rock. This fall, they are surveying nonprofit organizations to learn more about when and how partnerships form.�� The students who are working on the research project include Jessica Olson, a double major in biology and political science, Kaylyn “Presley” Hager, a graduate student in the joint Master of Public Administration/Juris Doctor program, and Jasmine Pugh, a mass communication major.�� Hager, of Keller, Texas, joined the Little Rock Congregations Study as a graduate assistant after gaining a passion for the project last year. She is one of the nearly 60 student researchers who worked on the Little Rock Congregations Study in 2018, when they studied the community service patterns of religious organizations in Little Rock.�� “I worked on the project previously and loved it,” Hager said. “I believe the work we are doing is extremely important, and I really admire Dr. Glazier’s passion for her projects.”�� In 2018, student researchers surveyed more than 110 clergy members in the Little Rock area, conducted interviews with 24 clergy members, and wrote 22 stories highlighting partnerships between congregations and community organizations.�� This year, Hager is working on the survey that is being distributed to nonprofit leaders to understand how nonprofit organizations facilitate programs with religious organizations. She is hoping to learn more research skills before she completes her master’s degree in public administration in December.

From left, ��Vlog��ý Little Rock professors and student researchers Gerald Driskill, Jessica Olson, Jasmine Pugh, Kaylyn Hager, and Rebecca Glazier are researching how partnerships between churches and nonprofit organizations can provide services to the community. Photo by Ben Krain.

“I finished up my law degree last spring,” Hager said. “Now, I am hoping to make more connections in the field, and learn more about the technical side of survey research.”�� Olson of East End, Arkansas, said she wanted to work on the Little Rock Congregations Study because of a love of nonprofits.�� “Over the course of my life, I have been involved with many nonprofit organizations such as Girl Scouts,” Olson said. “This led to me having an interest in how organizations function and make decisions.”�� Through an independent study class, Olson is researching nonprofit organizations and creating a contact list to encourage survey participation. She hopes this project will give her the research skills she needs for veterinary school.�� “I hope to understand more about how nonprofits decide who to work with,” Olson said. “Further, I hope to learn research skills that can translate across many fields since I am applying to vet school. This will require me to know how to do proper research procedures.”�� Pugh, a junior from Little Rock, is completing a communications internship with the Little Rock Congregations Study. She is responsible for creating flyers and brochures and managing the website and social media posts.�� “I joined this team because I felt like it was a great opportunity to use what I have learned so far and put it to use,” Pugh said. “I also joined this team because I was captured by their service, and I wanted to get involved and help out in some way. I am hoping to learn more about how social media makes an impact in projects like these.”�� The Little Rock Congregations Study shares findings and community spotlights on their . “Involving students in research is a major goal of the Little Rock Congregations Study,” Glazier said. “We love for students to get out of the classroom and into the community to have experiences and learn skills they otherwise wouldn’t be able to. We are thrilled to have these dedicated students on our research team this fall and we are excited to be able to share the results of the study with the community once the surveys are in.” Any nonprofit leaders can complete the ��The survey will be live through Oct. 15.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock investigates how churches, nonprofit partnerships can better help Little Rock

Ajani Oyindamola — Wed, 18 Sep 2019 20:06:12 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock is researching how partnerships between churches and nonprofit organizations can provide services to the community at a time where more nonprofits are competing for fewer resources.�� The Little Rock Congregations Study is an ongoing research project led by Dr. Rebecca Glazier, associate professor in the School of Public Affairs, stemming from research begun in 2012 about the effects of religious organizations on community engagement in Little Rock. Her research partners include Dr. Kirk Leach, assistant professor in the School of Public Affairs, and Dr. Gerald Driskill, professor of applied communication. “Most religious traditions have an ethos of service and encourage their members to give back through volunteering,” Glazier said. “Most nonprofits have limited budgets and are in desperate need of volunteers. It would seem that partnerships between nonprofits and congregations would be a natural fit.”�� However, data from the 2018 Little Rock Congregations Study did not match that conclusion. A survey of 112 congregation leaders in Little Rock found that only a quarter of congregations partnered with nonprofits on their most important service project.�� “But more than 70 percent of congregation leaders said they had a desire to partner with nonprofits in the coming year,” Glazier said. “There is a desire for more partnerships, but in reality, they are not happening. That’s why we are asking nonprofits why and how these partnerships happen and do not happen.” The study has already found that successful partnerships are mutually beneficial for both churches and nonprofits. While nonprofits gain resources and volunteers, they are better able to provide services to the community. In turn, the 2018 Little Rock Congregations Study found that congregations that are engaged in the community were often among the 46 percent of Little Rock churches that reported a growth in membership over the past two years. “There are more than 14,000 nonprofit organizations in Arkansas,” Glazier said. “As in many states, tighter budgets, fewer donors, and more competition has made serving those in need more difficult in recent years. But Arkansas has an asset that few other states have: a very religious population.”�� In Arkansas, 86 percent of people say religion is very or somewhat important in their lives, compared to only 53 percent nationally, according to the Pew Research Center. Church attendance is also significantly higher, with 41 percent of Arkansans attending religious services weekly, and another 32 percent going at least a few times a year.�� Utilizing data collected in 2018, Glazier and her team of researchers designed a survey for directors of nonprofit organizations to fill out. The online survey takes about 10 minutes to complete. While the study is focused on the Little Rock area, all nonprofits are invited to participate to gain insight on what makes partnerships, especially partnerships between churches and nonprofits, effective.�� Glazier hopes the results from this survey of nonprofits will lead to conclusions that can better facilitate partnerships between Little Rock’s congregations and nonprofit organizations.�� “There’s a lot of reason to believe that there should be partnerships between places of worship and nonprofits. Many religious people want to give back and nonprofits need volunteers. We want to help nonprofits do the good work they are already doing in Little Rock by facilitating more partnerships between congregations and nonprofit organizations,” Glazier said.�� To complete the survey, visit the . The survey will be live through Oct. 15, 2019.�� For more information, contact Glazier at raglazier@ualr.edu or 501-569-3331. In the upper right photo, Dr. Rebecca Glazier (left) discusses the Little Rock Congregations Study with student researchers in fall 2018. Photo by Ben Krain.

- University News Archive - ����Vlog��ý Little Rock

����Vlog��ý Little Rock students conduct research with Little Rock Congregations Study

����Vlog��ý Little Rock investigates how churches, nonprofit partnerships can better help Little Rock

- University News Archive - ��Vlog��ý Little Rock

��Vlog��ý Little Rock students conduct research with Little Rock Congregations Study

��Vlog��ý Little Rock investigates how churches, nonprofit partnerships can better help Little Rock