Esther Presenting at the University of Arkansas Undergraduate Research Symposium

Author: Esther Beller | Major: Accounting and Business Economics | Semester: Spring 2025|

Blurb:
My name is Esther Beller, and I am studying Accounting and Business Economics at the Walton
College of Business. I was funded for research in the Spring semester of 2025 and mentored by
Dr. Charles Leflar in the Department of Accounting. I will walk in my undergraduate graduation
in May of 2026 and plan to complete a master’s in accountancy through the integrated program
offered by the University of Arkansas.

Blog Post:
This research project titled “Non-Profit Foundation Boards: An Investigation into Best
Practices Using the Fayetteville Public Library Foundation Board as a Test Case” dives into non-
profit governance best practices and deeply analyzes the Fayetteville Public Library Foundation
Board’s current practices and perceptions of board actions. This two-phased project begins with
research into best practices for nonprofit governance including specific documents and processes
and identifying common issues found in nonprofit boards. The second phase involved
conducting interviews with both staff and board members with questions based on evaluating the
board members and board as a whole on the common issues faced by nonprofit governance. The
results of this project will have the ability to serve the Fayetteville Public Library Foundation
board directly with helpful insights on how their board governance aligns with standard best
practices. Apart from this very direct impact, this project contributes to wider and still
developing research on nonprofit governance with tangible ways to evaluate a nonprofit to
determine problem areas and spaces for improvement.

In June of 2024, I had the opportunity to study abroad through the University of Arkansas
Faculty-Led Business Seminar in Ireland. During my time in Ireland, I conducted a research
project into the Nonprofit Sector in Ireland and a general comparison to the sector in the United
States. While working on this research throughout the month, I had many conversations with Dr.
Leflar, one of the accounting faculty leading the program, about nonprofits and the ways that
shared interest could turn into my thesis project and asked him for that support as my thesis
mentor and advisor. Dr. Leflar serves on the Fayetteville Public Library Foundation Board as the
Treasurer and was able to get me connected to the staff and board to dive deep into board
governance in a way that would be an interesting research topic as well as tangibly beneficial to
the foundation board. Throughout the time of the project, I met with Dr. Leflar regularly for
support throughout the Fall and Spring semesters to carefully craft grant applications, go over
foundation and library history, meet with the Director of Development to discuss board practices,
observe foundation board meetings, and generally check-in on research progress.

As someone passionate about service heading into corporate America through public
accounting, I believe that supporting the nonprofit sector through board governance is one way
that I can contribute and serve my community in the future. Diving into this research provided
me with a strong background and understanding of nonprofit governance that will support that
goal and enable me to put my best foot forward as I pursue this path. Understanding best
practices and common issues provides context and general knowledge that many nonprofit board
members are unaware of as they begin their tenure as board members. The common issues for
board member performance are nearly all related to mindset and internal orientations that even
having a general awareness of can help mitigate to improve the overall performance and level of
work put in to support the nonprofit. Ultimately, this project has given me a tangible way to enter
future nonprofit governance confidently and with a strong foundation.

Coming up for me, I will be presenting this research at a conference and wrapping up
both my undergraduate and graduate studies in the next two years. I will be interning with
KPMG in their federal audit practice with the goal of pursuing a career in that field post-grad. I
hope to continue finding ways to stay in touch with the nonprofit sector through both my career
and personal endeavors, using this research as a springboard into the sector.