Peter Weber

Dr. Peter C. Weber is Associate Professor and Program Coordinator of the Philanthropy and Nonprofit Studies (PNPS) Program in the College of Human Sciences at Auburn University, where he served as the 2024–25 Mike and Leann Rowe Endowed Professor. He holds a Ph.D. in Philanthropic Studies from the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, as well as Master’s degrees in History and in International Studies in Philanthropy and Social Entrepreneurship from the University of Bologna in Italy.
Dr. Weber employs historical and qualitative methods to investigate the factors that influence an organization’s ability to implement its mission, with particular attention to how organizations and their leaders shape and manage these factors to their advantage. His research conceptualizes capacity and capacity building broadly, examining it through three key lenses: (1) the development of individual skills, knowledge, and expertise; (2) the built environment as a dimension of organizational capacity; and (3) the strategic use of organizational history for internal management, fundraising, and public engagement. As a member of Auburn University’s Global Development Solutions (GDS) Lab, Dr. Weber extends this research into global contexts, contributing to interdisciplinary initiatives in Africa that explore how civil society organizations build capacity to foster democratic participation and drive social change. His work emphasizes the role of nonprofits in creating spaces for individuals and communities to influence political, social, and economic outcomes.
Dr. Weber has published extensively in leading peer-reviewed journals, including Voluntas, Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, Journal of Civil Society, Nonprofit Policy Forum, Global Society, Journal of Public Affairs Education, and Journal of Nonprofit Education and Leadership. His scholarship also includes contributions to the International Encyclopedia of Civil Society and several edited volumes on nonprofit leadership and philanthropy.
He has taught graduate and undergraduate courses at Indiana University, IUPUI, Murray State University, and Auburn University. His teaching interests include grant-making practices, nonprofit management and governance, nonprofit advocacy and public policy, and community engagement. He has also co-led interdisciplinary study abroad programs in Edinburgh, Scotland, focused on “design for social impact,” exploring how interior design and philanthropic practice intersect in nonprofit settings. These programs, developed in collaboration with faculty in interior design, offer students from diverse disciplines experiential, cross-cultural learning grounded in applied, community-based perspectives. A new study abroad program in Berlin, Germany, is currently in development.
In recognition of his contributions to the field, Dr. Weber received the 2013 ARNOVA Emerging Scholar Award and was named a Future Philanthropic Educator Fellow by the Learning by Giving Foundation in 2015. At Auburn, he has been honored with induction into the Global Teaching Academy and awarded the Honor Your Teaching Fellowship. Nationally, he serves as President-Elect of the Nonprofit Academic Centers Council (NACC), where he has also held leadership roles as Vice President of Governance and Secretary of the Board. He currently serves on the editorial boards of Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, Philanthropia, and the Journal of Nonprofit Education and Leadership.