Nonprofit Leadership Concepts

ReferencesRobert D. H. & Associates (2005). THE JOSSEY-BASS HANDBOOK OF NONPROFIT LEADERSHIP & MANAGEMENT (2nd ed.). San Francisco, CA: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

The governing body of a nonprofit organization is crucial to its success as it provides the necessary leadership, planning, accountability and oversight to propel the organization forward. The success of a nonprofit board often hinges on effective planning, policy, meetings and committee work. Board members of Northeast Texas CASA are described as invested in the program and the children they serve.

The diversity of nonprofit organizations, services provided and the problems faced shows that nonprofits require leadership with an in-depth understanding of the multifaceted nonprofit landscape. Understanding the culture of nonprofit work is also crucial and much easier to understand once you have been through a nonprofit management program. My career interests lead me towards an avocation of a deeper knowledge of strategic management/planning, legal structure and standards, increase my skills in quantitative analysis of policy, financial governance and developing fundraising strategies. These areas allow for macro management within the nonprofit

Most nonprofit agencies follow the same management structure. The structure normally consists of a vertical hierarchal structure with the chief executive manager at the helm, and divisional leaders rounding out the strategic leadership team. Since 9/11, then government shutdowns, multiple wars, natural disasters, and the government sequester, the challenge to most nonprofits is to compete for every available charitable dollar. Chief Executive Officers (CEO) of nonprofits must not only be skillful in maximizing the outcomes with fewer dollars, but also politically savvy in vying for monies for federal, state, local, foundation, and private funding sources.

At the center of any successful nonprofit organization there is an effective chief executive and board of directors. These leaders must work as a team with a vision and specific skills, to effectively produce resources in order to accomplish the organization's goals. The majority of the decision making authority and leadership is shared amongst board members; however, critical management skills and day-to-day operational decisions rest within the authority of the chief executive. However, members of the board must also be sufficiently skilled in management in order to assess the work of its director to assist in the implementation and evaluation of strategic decision making.

Meals on wheels was the other nonprofit organization that I analyzed in my leadership style and theories overview. I choose meals on wheels because I discovered that there target audience is the elderly population in the United States. The biggest difference with this nonprofit compared to the other nonprofits I have discussed is that they operate with volunteers that do a variety of different jobs from preparing the meals, delivering them, serving them, to helping in the office and even visiting to make sure they senior is safe (Meals, 2015). When the research I conducted showed how many seniors are living alone across the country it was truly shocking with are 25 percent and from the 25 percent 15 percent are unable to drive (Meals, 2015). It is very possible that the

Contained within the context of the Camden Groups paper are some unique traits that would form the foundation for the non-profit business model. Some characteristics would be based on but, not limited to:

The CEO of a nonprofit must distinguish himself not only as a financial manager but as a financial leader also by improving the nonprofit practice (Young, 2007). The CEO is commonly expected to collect data, produce reports, analyze findings, as well as offer financial solutions for short and long term objectives along with other daily operational duties. However, a CEO distinguishes him or herself as a financial leader by developing a business model that meaningfully impacts organizational productivity, sustainability, and propel nonprofits futuristic vision while remaining integral to its mission (Bell, 2016). This is accomplished in several ways such as, vigorous budgeting, attaining a net financial outcome, exploring futuristic expectations, performing financial projection assessments, evaluating income diversification options, etc. and work well with the organizational board.

The organization who will be discussed in this paper is currently evolving from a grassroots phase to a growth phase. As this nonprofit prepares to embark on another strategic planning phase, the CEO and chair are aware that the role of the board is moving through its own phases of growth as well. The organization is no longer in its early stages of development, as such, leadership has self-reflected and is committed to amending the organization’s vision to take it to the next level. The CEO and chair are focused on providing the board the tools needed for appropriate management and effective governance as it moves through this stage in its lifecycle to the next. The leadership of this nonprofit is committed to maintaining a strong and constructive partnership which will assist in keeping everyone focused on the mission, foster the further definition of board members roles and responsibilities, introduce a performance evaluation of the board, honor legacy/founding members by instituting a legacy board, and provide additional resources and documents which strengthen the communication of the board’s fiduciary role.

A nonprofit organization has turned into one prominent highlight to American life in which non-profits are the drivers of social change for the delivery of needed goods and services to the population (Hess & Bacigalupo 2013). Nonprofits expresses the American ideals and beliefs in which a group of volunteer members seek to provide societal benefit, identify social problems, and advocate for change (Heyman, 2011, pg 7). Nonetheless, nonprofits are essential to public policy and advocacy that has created a significant amount of pressure and demand on the role of leadership among those organizations. In this paper, I will discuss the aspect of leadership I found interesting on managing organizations and people, strategic and planning, and integrating

A nonprofit organization (NPO), can be self-sustaining by adhering to some very simple rules. A nonprofit is described as an organization that “Operates for the common good and not for generating individual wealth: does not distribute its profits to individuals who control the organization such as its members, officers, directors, or trustees. While a non-profit organization can make a profit, the profit it earns must be used toward the core missions of the organization and not towards any personal benefits” (Bennett, 2013). One of the enormous challenges that a

To be a leader in a non-profit agency such as Hillview Mental Health Center, one must possess a wide range of qualities. First of all, I believe a leader needs to be a team player and able to delegate projects to your team and/or staff. With this trait a manager can identify strengths within the team and utilize individual team members in manners which promote success, encourage participation, and motivate employees to maximize their potential. A leader must also be willing to accept input from the team in order to meet the different demands associated with managing a program. Patience and honesty are also important traits to have in order to assure that ethical boundaries are not crossed. Additionally, a leader must also show consistency in their communication and actions, accountability for tasks at hand, dedication to the agency, staff, and clientele, and appreciation of the team as a whole.

What a great post. You stated that, “Collins (2005) rejected the notion that the best way for organizations in the social sector to become great is to operate like a business; “many widely practiced business norms turn out to correlate with mediocrity, not greatness” (p. 1). However, the same sentiment may be applied by some to MDO norms” (Scruggs, 2016, para.1). I absolutely agree. I have had the privilege of serving in leadership positions for a variety of organizations. Collins (2005) makes an excellent point regarding the practices of the modern business in that often these should not be emulated. At the same time however, I have also worked for nonprofits where the same is also true. Both for-profit and non-profit organizations

This semester we had the opportunity to explore management principles in public and nonprofit organizations. We learned a range of concepts, theories, models and techniques related to organizational and management theory, supervision, communication, ethics, and a multitude of perspectives within organizations and society. The concepts that were stressed by Lee G. Bolman & Terrence E. Deal (2013) in Reframing Organization was the structural, human resource, political and symbolic aspects of organizational behavior. (Bolman & Deal 2013). Exploring these organizational structures have made me evaluate my own organization and I want to present in my paper some of the concepts that we learned this semester and relate them to my experiences I

Every nonprofit organization undergoes leadership changes at some point. Whether the change is unexpected or planned, it can result in a period of dangerous organizational uncertainty or offer opportunities for greater accomplishments. Without a transition plan in place, a sudden or planned departure of a chief executive officer, chief financial officer or other upper management official can seriously degrade the performance of a nonprofit organization. Experienced transition leadership and adequate planning will minimize disruption and maintain the mission of the organization, as well as offer the possibilities of further growth and development.