Katherine Cooper

Kate Cooper is an assistant professor of communication studies in the College of Communication. She received her PhD in communication from the University of Illinois, Urbana–Champaign. She teaches classes in small group communication, communication consulting and organizational communication.

As a researcher, Kate is primarily interested in nonprofit organizations and interorganizational collaboration in response to social problems. Her research has been published in both communication and nonprofit journals, as well as outlets for nonprofit practitioners. She is the co-author of the book "Networks for Social Impact" (2021, Oxford University Press), and continues to work with nonprofits as a volunteer and speaker.

Selected Publications

Books

Shumate, M., & Cooper, K.R. (2022). Networks for social impact. Oxford University ​

*Peer-Reviewed Articles *

• Cooper, K.R., & Wang, R. (in press). From reactionary to revelatory: CSR reporting in response to the global refugee crisis. Accepted for publication in Business and Society.
• Fu, J.S., & Cooper, K.R. (in press). The visibility paradox in politically restrictive environments: Organizational social media use in China. Accepted for publication in Journal of Communication.
• Fu, J. S., & Cooper, K. R. (in press). Multiple identities in faith-based organizations: Exploring status and value homophily in idealized partnerships. Accepted for publication in Communication Research. doi: 10.1177/00936502211046246
• Cooper, K.R. (2021). “For everyone" means “for no one:" Membership tensions in community collaboration. Management Communication Quarterly, 35(3), 392-417. doi: 10.1177/08933189211000324
• Cooper, K.R., & Cooper, L.O. (2021). Partners, not providers: A collaboration typology for congregations and community. Accepted for publication in Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly. doi: 10.1177/0899764021991669
• Cooper, K.R., & Maktoufi, R. (2019). Identity and integration: The roles of relationships and retention in nonprofit mergers. Nonprofit Management and Leadership, 30(2), 299-319. doi: 10.1002/nml.21382
• Shumate, M., Cooper, K.R., Pilny, A., & Peña y Lillo, M. (2017). The nonprofit capacities instrument: A validation. Nonprofit Management and Leadership, 28(2), 155-174. doi: 10.1002/nml (Editor's Prize for Top Article)

Resources for Nonprofit Practitioners

• Shumate, M., & Cooper, K.R. (2022). How to build more resilient networks. Stanford Social Innovation Review.
• Cooper, K.R., & Shumate, M. (2022). The road to social impact: Leveraging community power and institutional influence. Nonprofit Quarterly.
• Cooper, K.R., & Shumate, M. (2022, January 3). 5 ways international funders can support networks for social impact. International Policy Digest.
• Cooper, K.R. (2021). Our democracy needs investors to fund nonprofit collaborations. The Fulcrum.
• Shumate, M., Wang, R., Cooper, K.R., Harris, J.L., Doughtery, S., Miles, J., Boyer, A.M., Gibson, Z., Richardson, M., & Kistler, H. (2021). The Networks for Social Impact in Education series.
• Wang, R., Cooper, K.R., & Shumate, M. (2020, Winter). Alternatives to collective impact: The Community System Solutions Framework. Stanford Social Innovation Review. (English and Chinese)
• Haider, D., Cooper, K.R., & Maktoufi, R. (2016). Mergers as a strategy for success: 2016 Report from the Metropolitan Chicago Nonprofit Merger research project.
• Milward, H.B., Cooper, K.R., & Shumate, M. (2016). Who says a common agenda is necessary for collective impact?