title: Characteristics associated with organizational independence in consumer-operated service organizations.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This research compares two types of consumer organizations in one state in order to explore the significance of organizational independence for internal structure/operations and external relationships. The first type, consumeroperated service organizations (COSOs), are independent and fully self-governing; the second are peer-support service organizations (PSSOs), which are part of larger non-consumer entities.
  
  
  METHODS
  Mail surveys were completed by COSO and PSSO directors of a geographically representative sample of organizations; telephone interviews were conducted with a sub-sample. Owing to small sample size, matched COSO-PSSO pairs were analyzed using non-parametric statistics.
  
  
  RESULTS
  COSOs and PSSOs are similar in some ways, e.g., types of services provided, but significantly different on internal variables, such as budget size, and external variables, such as number of relationships with community groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Organizational independence appears to be a significant characteristic for consumer service organizations and should be encouraged by funders and among participants. Funders might establish administrative and/or programmatic measures to support consumer organizations that are independent or moving toward independence; their participants would also benefit from the provision, by authorities or advocates, of materials to guide organizations toward, for example, 501(c)3 status.
authors.affiliation: College of Public Health, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43201, USA. tanenbaum.1@osu.edu
authors.forename: Sandra J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Tanenbaum
mesh_terms: D003156:Community Mental Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D003256:Community Participation; D003255:Consumer Organizations / Q000458:organization & administration*; D003625:Data Collection / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D007373:Interinstitutional Relations; D009820:Ohio; D009935:Organizational Affiliation; D009937:Organizational Objectives; D010379:Peer Group; D012944:Social Support