Document Type
Article
Publication Date
12-1-2009
Abstract
During times of severe economic adversity, nonprofit organizations must carry out their charitable missions to ever-growing and needier constituencies despite endowment erosion, dwindling contributions, reduced staff, and severe funding cuts. The literature tells us little about what nonprofit organizations and managers actually do to survive economic crises. In depth interviews with leaders of a wide range of U.S. nonprofit organizations compared and contrasted crisis management experiences, revealing that, regardless of size and operation tenure, those best situated to emerge from severe and sudden revenue loss had energized, outwardly focused leaders and actively engaged boards, many volunteers, greatly extended hours of operation, and formal risk and crisis management plans. Key findings also revealed that principles of mindfulness − anticipatory obsession with details, taking nothing for granted, making continual assessments, absorbing and utilizing change, and deferring to capable others − influence successful navigation of economic adversity. Implications for leaders making more informed crisis-management choices and plans are noted.
Keywords
nonprofit organizations, adversity, reliability, resilience, traditionality, governance, leadership, structure, coping
Rights
© The Author(s). Kelvin Smith Library provides access for non-commercial, personal, or research use only. All other use, including but not limited to commercial or scholarly reproductions, redistribution, publication or transmission, whether by electronic means or otherwise, without prior written permission is strictly prohibited.
Department/Center
Design & Innovation
Recommended Citation
Roche, Kathleen, "Managing the Mission Through Times of Adversity: What Leads To Reliable Nonprofit Performance?" (2009). Student Scholarship. 301.
https://commons.case.edu/studentworks/301