An Application and Extension of the Technology Acceptance Model to Nonprofit Certification

Nonprofit organizations are confronted with a wide range of operational and environmental obstacles. Even though this sector has constructed creative and forward thinking initiatives, it remains a struggle to maintain their unique character and role in society (Salamon, 1999). To stay competitive, nonprofit organizations must aggressively assess their current capacity to deliver needed services. One viable response to scarce resources and competitive pressures in the sector is the pursuit of a competitive advantage through certification (in this study, “certification” is a form of accreditation). Certified organizations enjoy bolstered public trust, weather publicized scandals and leverage their certification as a key differentiator when competing for resources. Such nonprofit certification programs currently exist in nearly 20 states, including Louisiana, where the certification mechanism is known as the Standards for Excellence program. Established in 2004 by the Louisiana Association of Nonprofit Organizations (LANO), the program encourages nonprofit organizations to engage in ongoing evaluation and performance procedures and to adopt the Standards for Excellence criteria as a demonstration of their quality of service. The purpose of this research was to study the decisions leading to the adoption and application of nonprofit certification using a modification of the Technology Acceptance Model.