Do the Boundaries Between the Nonprofit, Public and Business Sectors Blur?: Comparing “Within the Nonprofit Sector Collaboration Networks” and “Inter-Sector Collaboration Networks” in the Social Service Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Many of the current debates in public and nonprofit management have focused on the blurring boundaries between the nonprofit, business, and public sectors. However, surprisingly little empirical research has been conducted on this phenomenon. In order to bridge this knowledge gap, this study compares “within the nonprofit sector collaboration patterns” with “cross-sector collaboration patterns” from a network perspective. This study adopts a blockmodel that is useful for reducing complex networks into concise and easily understandable forms. Using a survey of 33 nonprofit organizations in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, this study uncovers the hidden patterns of collaboration. First, this study provides empirical evidence that when nonprofits collaborate with other sector organizations, boundaries blur and new network structures replace the existing network structures that are composed exclusively of nonprofits. Second, when nonprofits collaborate with other sector organizations, some nonprofits become strategically significant in that they play a coordinating role between other nonprofits and business/public organizations.