Who’s Watching Us Now? The Nonprofit Sector and the New Government by Surveillance

Abstract

This article addresses the increasing use by the public sector of compliance monitoring and surveillance as modes of governance and the potential impact of it on the nonprofit sector. The article traces the origins of this shift in public sector governance to major events in the early 21st century, such as 9/11 and the corporate accountability scandals. The ramifications for nonprofit organizations are described, including more rigid reporting requirements, diminished capacity to innovate, and potential wariness of engaging in public policy. There are a number of ways for the sector to adapt to these changes. Closer collaboration with the business sector that is also being affected by the more stringent regulatory environment would help to broaden the message of nonprofits. Foundation support of advocacy and strategic communications would also assist the nonprofit sector in collaborating productively with government.