Report on Research Results from Individual Special Research Grants 2025 (Yu Ishida, Professor at School of Human Welfare Studies)

Using the Kwansei Gakuin University Individual Special Research Grant for the 2025 academic year, I conducted research titled “Empirical Study on the Sustainable Management of NPOs: Understanding the Use of Donations through Narrative Effects.”

To carry out this research, I created a dataset of NPO financial statements for analysis and assessed the current state of donation revenue collected by NPOs. Additionally, based on interview survey data, I analyzed how the storytelling of organizations that solicit monetary donations and time donations (volunteer work) influences donors' and potential donors' behavior. Furthermore, I conducted a review of the existing literature on NPOs, donations, and volunteerism.

I presented four research findings at the annual conferences of ARNOVA and ISTR, the two major international academic societies in this field. Furthermore, based on these findings, I developed collaborative research projects with corporations.