Biography

Dr. Muthusami Kumaran has a 75% teaching and 25% research appointment in the Department of Family, Youth & Community Sciences. He teaches courses on fundamentals of nonprofit management, fundraising for nonprofit organizations, risk management in nonprofit organizations, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). His areas of research interest include: roles & impacts of nonprofits/NGOs, community development, management capacity building for nonprofits/NGOs. He has trained numerous nonprofit leaders in the U.S.A and NGO leaders in nine countries through various projects and grants.

Prior to his academic career, Dr. Kumaran worked for a nonprofit organization, and as an official of a state government. He currently serves on the Boards of three Florida nonprofit organizations and two international NGOs.

Dr. Kumaran's teaching, research and services on nonprofit/NGO management constantly intertwine with each other, thus benefiting his students, applied research, and the nonprofit/NGO sector.

Research Interests

Founded on the theories of change that support organizational capacity building primarily in the areas of program development, operational management, and resource mobilization, my research agenda aims at finding ways to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of nonprofit organizations in the USA and NGOs around the globe. While the nonprofit and NGO sectors have made tremendous positive impacts through their various services, identifying and addressing their capacity needs is lagging. My research strives to address this lacuna. To this end, I focus on two lines of inquiry: (1) Applied research on organizational management capacity building, rooted in the specific needs of nonprofit sub-sectors; and (2) Analysis of the roles, operations, and impacts of NGOs within their local contexts, including social, political, economic, and regulatory frameworks. Methodologically, I employ both qualitative and quantitative survey-based research in my lines of inquiry, and integrate resulting data to identify specific measures to improve the functions and organizational structures of local and international nonprofits. I also utilize ethnography and other secondary data analysis methods when survey research is not feasible. The following are my research goals which have resulted in several peer reviewed publications, book chapters, training manuals, and numerous nonprofit/NGO management capacity building training workshops for nonprofit/NGO leaders in seven countries: Goal 1: To conduct application oriented research on organizational behaviors and management practices of nonprofit organizations in order to enhance their management capacities. Goal 2: To analyze various operations and impacts of domestic nonprofit sector and international NGO sectors in order to increase better understanding on their roles.

Key words that capture my research agenda:

• nonprofit/NGO management
• organizational capacity building
• roles and impacts of NGOs