Managing Nonprofit Organizations by Tschirhart Mary; Bielefeld Wolfgang; & Wolfgang Bielefeld

Managing Nonprofit Organizations by Tschirhart Mary; Bielefeld Wolfgang; & Wolfgang Bielefeld

Author:Tschirhart, Mary; Bielefeld, Wolfgang; & Wolfgang Bielefeld [Tschirhart, Mary & Bielefeld, Wolfgang]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated
Published: 2012-06-15T00:00:00+00:00


CHAPTER TEN

EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS AND LEADERSHIP

Santropol Roulant is a nonprofit in Montreal, Canada, providing critical services to those in need and a space for diverse people to be deeply and meaningfully involved in their community. It has always been run by young people living in the community. The core service is a Meals on Wheels delivery program. The nonprofit also offers a rooftop garden (in partnership with other agencies) and workshops on cooking and bicycles. Information on its Web site reflects its thoughtful approach to its leadership structure and the roles and responsibilities of its executive director and board based on legal needs and democratic principles.1 After its first nine years of existence it converted to a membership-based organization, with members electing the board. The executive director is encouraged to run for a board seat. Unlike the many nonprofits that have a narrow conception of who is a member and requirements that members pay dues, Roulant treats as a member anyone who within the past year has received meals, made a donation, volunteered, or been an employee.

Santropol Roulant was founded in 1995 by Chris Godsall and Keith Fitzpatrick, when both were under the age of twenty-eight. They led the organization until 1997. To staff the organization, they took advantage of government funding for six-month contracts for youth needing employment. This set the organization on its path of dealing with regular staff transitions, including those in the job of executive director. Since its founding the nonprofit has gone through a succession of directors, some leading during rocky times and even on the verge of bankruptcy. Despite financial challenges and the high turnover of executive directors and staff, the Roulant has continued to survive, winning awards for its involvement of youth and level of community service.

A video posted on YouTube outlines the organization’s planned approach to one of its executive leadership transitions. In the video the focus is on the change from a highly charismatic leader to Jane Rabinowitz, who was seen to offer a more managerial orientation.2 Rabinowitz worked for five years for Santropol Roulant before assuming executive leadership of more than five hundred volunteers and ten full-time and two part-time employees. She describes the nonprofit as a functional family where volunteers, staff, and clients are equally valued. Job duties are flexible, and everyone pitches in when work is to be done. Staff and volunteers feel empowered to try new ideas and are meaningfully involved in decision making.

After taking over, Rabinowitz set out to establish human resource policies and procedures with the advice of the board. She interviewed staff individually to understand the lack of consistency and transparency in how human resources were handled and then brought the staff together to discuss shared concerns. She treated this challenge and other “growing pains” as opportunities for the young staff to learn. Another of her priorities was to involve the nonprofit in larger networks. As one mechanism for this, employees were encouraged to sit on boards of local organizations where they could exchange ideas helpful to the Roulant and the community.



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