Ethnography is a rich research tradition originating from sociocultural anthropology that aims to vividly represent cultural meaning through fieldwork and thick description. Ethnographic fieldwork is known for unearthing surprises, and ethnographers are often convinced that, had they used another approach, they would have been unable to explain fully what was going on in the research setting. Ethnography in nonprofit studies is increasing, but sparse. This article argues that introducing more tales of the nonprofit field could deepen the analysis of how nonprofit organizing works, bridge the nonprofit research–practice divide, challenge the Western ethnocentricity of nonprofit studies, bring the sector’s periphery to the forefront and enhance nonprofit management education. However, to benefit from ethnographic work, the nonprofit field must embrace alternative norms of composition and rigor. The starting point is conversation and community among nonprofit ethnographers to foster such work.

民族志是一种起源于社​​会文化人类学的丰富研究传统，旨在通过实地考察和厚实的描述来生动地表现文化意义。民族志田野调查以发掘惊喜而闻名，民族志学家常常相信，如果他们使用另一种方法，他们将无法完全解释研究环境中发生的事情。非营利研究中的民族志正在增加，但很少。本文认为，引入更多非营利领域的故事可以深化对非营利组织如何运作的分析，弥合非营利研究与实践的鸿沟，挑战非营利研究的西方民族中心主义，将行业的边缘带到前沿，加强非营利管理教育。然而，为了从民族志工作中受益，非营利领域必须接受替代性的组成和严谨规范。起点是非营利人种学家之间的对话和社区，以促进此类工作。