Leveraging Academic Partnerships to Improve Logistics at Nonprofit Organizations
Date
2017
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Nonprofit Management and Leadership
Abstract
This article presents the results of a partnership between a nonprofit organization and a team of academic researchers that developed a low-cost spreadsheet-based tool that allows organizations to effectively schedule vehicle operations. Specifically, the tool (1) handles the real-world constraints present in moderately complex logistics environments; and (2) uses general computing hardware and software that is already deployed in most organiza-tions, thereby rendering the solution radically low cost (effectively free). We deployed this tool to a humanitarian organization, the Idaho Foodbank, which realized a substantial improvement in its fleet efficiency and a corresponding reduction in route-planning time. The methodology used to manage this collaboration with academia can be leveraged by other nonprofit organizations attempting to overcome the financial barriers that commonly prevent budget-constrained organizations from accessing advanced technologies.
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Keywords
nonprofit, non-profit, research, partnerships, budget-constrained organizations, academic researchers
Citation
Manikas, A. S., Kroes, J. R., & Gattiker, T. F. (2017). Leveraging Academic Partnerships to Improve Logistics at Nonprofit Organizations. Nonprofit Management and Leadership, 27(3), 435-444.