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Running head: BOARD CREATION AND PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT IN A NEW NON-
PROFIT
Paper Format: APA 6th ed.
Organizational Change Project: Board Creation and Program Development in a New Non-Profit
Heather Mahardy
Ph.D. in Leadership and Change Program – Antioch University
July 2013
BOARD CREATION AND PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT IN A NEW NON-PROFIT 2
Background
Shikita Trahan, founder of Alliance for Community Empowerment, the non-profit agency
currently in its inception, sees a critical gap in services and resource access for at-risk youth in
historically marginalized communities in the Seattle area. After 12 years of volunteering and
working in schools and non-profit organizations, observing the successes and shortcomings of
various agencies’ programs and administrations, Ms. Trahan decided to pursue her commitment
to social justice in a new way: founding her own organization in order to provide direct services
and address community needs previously neglected or underserved by existing organizations.
In the founder’s experience, existing government and private agencies struggle to serve
the needs of at-risk youth and their communities due to a number of factors: limited resources,
limited cultural competency among agency leadership, failure to hire qualified people from the
neighborhood, continued academic achievement gaps among historically marginalized
populations, lack of effective and consistent leadership development opportunities for youth, no
clear network of services or standardized intake processes, and inconsistent financial resources.
Faced with these challenges, some agencies attempt to serve the majority population of a
neighborhood, choosing one marginalized population over another. This fractured approach
compounds existing threats to the success of at-risk youth and young adults: risk factors for high
school dropout, social pressure to join gangs, lack of high quality and appealing after-school
programs and sports, and limited access to high quality education and support services.
Rather than competing against existing agencies for funding, Alliance for Community
Empowerment seeks to establish a collaborative, community integrated support program by
actively engaging community members, middle and high school counselors, and other agencies
as active partners in order to assess needs, generate solution steps, and provide referrals and
BOARD CREATION AND PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT IN A NEW NON-PROFIT 3
direct services that are responsive to the High Point, West Seattle, White Center, Burien, South
Park, Kent, SeaTac, Des Moines, Federal Way, Rainier Beach, and Tukwila communities.
Proposed programs and services to be provided by Alliance for Community
Empowerment include: case management, resource referrals, academic advising, tutoring,
admissions support, service learning, leadership training, and sports camps. All programs will be
grant funded, providing services at no cost to at-risk youth and community members, so as to
mitigate financially prohibitive barriers to access.
My current position at Alliance for Community Empowerment is Vice President of the
board and Program Director, collaborating with the founder on a number of startup activities:
drafting a business plan, incorporating the organization, creating a board of directors, cultivating
strategic partnerships, securing grants, and program development. At this point in time, the
founder and I are the only employees and two additional board members have been recruited.
Criterion 1: Social Systems at Work in the Proposed Change
As referenced in the background section, existing government and private agencies and
organizations are encumbered by a number of challenges to effectively serving at-risk youth and
their communities. Financial scarcity impedes programs serving vulnerable populations,
including low-income families and at-risk youth, and state and private agencies face the
challenge of cutting back services and programs, potentially causing further marginalization of
the very populations the agencies were established to serve.
Another consequence of financial scarcity is an insular dynamic between agencies,
viewing other non-profits as threats to revenue streams, thereby discouraging interagency
communication, collaboration, or founding a coalition of agencies. In addition to forfeiting
opportunities to pool resources, the lack of interagency communication can result in redundant
BOARD CREATION AND PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT IN A NEW NON-PROFIT 4
programs and further complicates constituents’ resource access: an absence of coordinated
services and intake processes, the burden of navigating the bureaucracy of various agencies rests
on historically marginalized populations, still confronted with educational disparities.
Additionally, these marginalized populations often comprise only a minority of staff
positions within organizations serving high need communities, with the majority of program
management and senior leadership positions belonging to people from outside the community
and culture. Consequently, cultivating lasting relationships of trust and confidence with
marginalized communities continues to be a challenge for existing agencies intending to serve
these at-risk populations.
Establishing a collaborative, community-integrated agency that actively involves at-risk
populations in leadership decisions is in direct conflict with the dominant organizational culture
of existing agencies working in the High Point, West Seattle, White Center, Burien, South Park,
Kent, SeaTac, Des Moines, Federal Way, Rainier Beach, and Tukwila neighborhoods. Alliance
for Community Empowerment aims to invert the community engagement paradigm of existing
agencies, shifting the leadership, solution steps, and direction of social change back to the
communities when the agency will operate, as represented in Figure 1.
BOARD CREATION AND PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT IN A NEW NON-PROFIT 5
Figure 1. Proposed Community Engagement Culture at Alliance for Community
Empowerment
Since this agency is in its inception, there is a limited organizational structure in place,
consisting solely of the Board of Directors, with the founder and myself also serving as the only
two staff members. It is Ms. Trahan’s intention to create a Youth Advisory Board Member
position in order to develop a stronger relationship with youth and young adults in the
communities in which Alliance for Community Empowerment will operate. Figure 2
demonstrates the proposed organizational structure for the non-profit. Ms. Trahan has also
expressed an interest in embedding organizational health best practices throughout each phase of
the founding process.
historically marginalized and at-risk populations involved in leadership process and eventual
employment opportunities
directly engage community in
planning, implementation,
evaluation of programs/ services
community-dictated needs/
strengths assessment
BOARD CREATION AND PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT IN A NEW NON-PROFIT 6
Figure 2. Proposed Organizational Structure at Alliance for Community Empowerment
Criterion 2: Understanding of the Complexity of Planned Change
A number of risk factors impact at-risk youth at the individual, peer, family, school,
community, and societal levels. As such, a systems-based inquiry approach is essential to
understand the interconnected sociological factors impeding the success and empowerment of
this diverse and vulnerable population. By retaining the complexity of the risk factors and
sociological context – as opposed to trying to generalize or over-simplify the myriad challenges
facing at-risk youth – interventions can be specifically geared to addressing the needs of at-risk
youth and their communities.
In February 2013, the Building a Grad Nation Campaign reported that approximately 13
percent of Washington State high school students do not graduate. Additionally, Sitwell and
Sable (2013) cited Washington State as one of seven states with improving graduation rates, but
needing to accelerate intervention efforts. The demographic data is sobering, with historically
Board of Directors
Administrative Staff
Program Director
Instructors
Executive Director
BOARD CREATION AND PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT IN A NEW NON-PROFIT 7
marginalized populations comprising the majority of the students who drop out of school, as
Balfanz, Bridgeland, Bruce, and Fox (2013) explain:
A deeper look at the data, now possible as states and districts disaggregate information
consistently (a very beneficial legacy of No Child Left Behind), however reveals large
“graduation gaps” among subgroups in many states. The graduation rate for African
Americans, Hispanics, economically disadvantaged students, students with disabilities, or
with limited English proficiency lags far behind that of other students. These gaps
threaten individual prosperity, a strong economy, and a society that promotes opportunity
for all. … As the nation becomes more diverse, these students collectively will represent
the majority of students attending public high schools in many states. (p. 15-17)
Figure 3 demonstrates graduation data, as reported by Balfanz et al. (2013), for students in
Washington State. Subsequently, most of these populations are highly represented in the High
Point, West Seattle, White Center, Burien, South Park, Kent, SeaTac, Des Moines, Federal Way,
Rainier Beach, and Tukwila neighborhoods, the very communities where Alliance for
Community Empowerment intends to provide services.
2011 Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate (ACGR) by
Subgroup
Percentage in
WA State Students with Disabilities 56
Students with Limited English Proficiency 51
African American Students 65
Hispanic Students 63
White Students 79
Figure 3. Washington State Graduation Rates (Balfanz et al., 2013, p. 28-29)
BoostUp (2011), a national organization addressing high school dropout, compiled the
ten most significant factors contributing to a student’s decision to quit school:
BOARD CREATION AND PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT IN A NEW NON-PROFIT 8
They don’t feel challenged in school.
They don’t feel high educational expectations from either their family or school.
They believe their parents are too controlling and they want to rebel.
They have trouble with schoolwork or feel like they are not as smart as other students.
They have drug, alcohol or mental health problems.
They miss school or are frequently tardy.
They struggle with problems at home, including physical or verbal abuse.
They feel like they don’t fit in or have friends at school.
Their peers or siblings have dropped out of school.
They have poor learning conditions at school – such as overcrowding, high levels of
violence and excessive absenteeism.
The Civic Marshall Plan, an educational reform campaign initiated by Building a Grad Nation,
purports four principles necessary to effectively address the myriad sociological factors – such as
those cited by BoostUp – affecting at-risk youth in the United States. Figure 4 demonstrates the
Civic Marshall Plan theory of change and key principles.
PRINCIPLES
Philosophy of the Civic Marshall Plan to Build a Grad Nation
PLANKS
Ten research-based strategies to the cohort approach
GOAL
90% high school graduation rate for Class of 2020 and all students college and career ready
BOARD CREATION AND PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT IN A NEW NON-PROFIT 9
Figure 4. Civic Marshall Plan Theory of Change and Principles (Balfanz et al., 2013, p. 44)
The current mission of Alliance for Community Empowerment is to empower at-risk
youth and young adults to create positive change in their communities by connecting them with
the resources and guidance needed to achieve their life goals. These necessary interventions will
be centered around direct services, assisting youth that seek educational options, are on the verge
of dropping out of school, have dropped out of school, or who may be part of the juvenile justice
system. Alliance for Community Empowerment intends to provide case management, resource
referrals, educational transition programs, athletic camps, and leadership development.
Criterion 3: Rationale for the Proposed Change Based on Identified and Substantiated
Need
Alliance for Community Empowerment seeks to fund its activities through grants and, as
such, must meet grant compliance criteria. Since the organization is in the early development
stages, grant compliance criteria and organizational health principles will be used to direct
foundational activities. La Piana Associates Inc. (2003) created a tool for grantmakers to assess
candidate startup organizations, including six indicators of organizational health (p. 17):
1. A Healthy Governance Function – The organization has a board of directors that
works collaboratively with the executive director, defines the mission and then
HIGH EXPECTATIONS
All students deserve a world-class education and all children can succeed, if provided appropriate
supports.
STRATEGIC FOCUS
Direct human, financial and technical capacities and resources to low-graduation rate communities,
school systems, schools, and disadvantaged students.
ACCOUNTABILITY AND SUPPORT
We must measure our work so that we know what’s working— and what is not. We must build state, school system, and school capacity to improve
graduation and college readiness rates.
THOUGHTFUL COLLABORATION
Ending the dropout crisis requires an all-hands-on-deck approach. To achieve collective impact,
collaborations must be deliberately planned, guided by shared metrics, and thoughtfully integrated to
maximize efficiency and outcomes.
Principles of the Civic Marshall Plan
BOARD CREATION AND PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT IN A NEW NON-PROFIT 10
develops strategies and policies that advance it. It also provides an independent check
on management’s actions and a connection to the community served.
Alliance for Community Empowerment is a non-profit organization, filing under tax-exempt
status. As a small startup, the current staff is limited, comprised of the Executive Director and a
Program Director, under the governance of the Board of Directors. At this point in time, the two
staff members are also executive board members, collaborating with other board members to
develop programs, clarify the organization’s mission and vision, identify strategic goals, and
seek potential partnerships with existing agencies and foundations. A draft description of board
roles exists, but will need to be formally adopted as part of the foundational process.
2. A Competent Executive Director – The staff leader of a staffed startup non-profit in
particular must be a jack-of-all-trades. The leader must work collaboratively with the
board and staff; provide a bridge to the community, funders and clients; chart a future
course; raise funds and model a high ethical standard. The executive director sets the
tone for internal communications and the staff’s working relationships with one
another.
The founder is currently completing a non-profit leadership certificate program through South
Seattle Community College and will need additional institutional leadership resources, as this is
her first time leading at an executive level. Clarification and formalization of the Executive
Director position will need to be addressed by the board.
3. A Sound Financial Management System – Nonprofits need a system that controls
expenditures and offers accurate, timely reporting to management on income and
expenses. Management also needs data for accountability and decision making,
BOARD CREATION AND PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT IN A NEW NON-PROFIT 11
including an annual budget. There should be regular external review, both by the
finance committee and, periodically, by independent auditors.
Currently, finances are supervised by the President and Vice President, as recruitment for a
Treasurer is ongoing. Financial accountability policies and procedures, along with the creation
of a finance committee, are critical tasks to be addressed during the next few months of the
foundational period. Additionally, a formal accountant position will need to be established and a
hiring process conducted for the position.
4. Workable, Legal, Human Resource Policy and Practices – Nonprofits typically
spend upwards of 80 percent of their income on people: salaries and benefits as well
as training and supervision. They must manage this function wisely, complying with
complex government laws and regulations, compensating people adequately within
limited resources and motivating them to perform their best. Internal communications
must be structured to provide staff with appropriate input into decision making and
current knowledge of the activities of other units within the organization.
Research on current human resource laws and regulations will need to be conducted, as well as
drafting formal organizational policies. All of these activities will occur under the supervision of
the Alliance for Community Empowerment board. Additionally, the organization may explore
the creation of a personnel committee, as the board grows and develops with the agency.
5. A Successful Fund Development Strategy – One way or another, a nonprofit must
obtain funds: from grants, contracts, fees or individual gifts. It is a matter of life or
death, and a nonprofit that cannot attract resources is in desperate trouble indeed. Few
startups will have a development director, so the board and executive director must
work together to raise the necessary funds.
BOARD CREATION AND PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT IN A NEW NON-PROFIT 12
One of the pressing tasks facing board members is securing grants to fund the startup process.
The founder has identified preliminary needs to inform grant selection activities: business
startups, charitable use real estate, computer systems/equipment, emergency funds, equipment,
faculty/staff development, fellowships, general/operating support, internship funds, scholarship
funds, seed money, and student aid. A formal fund development strategy is a critical outcome
for the strategic planning process.
6. A Clear, Consistent Message – A nonprofit must communicate what it is about to
anyone who can either help it or be helped by it. Going well beyond a newsletter, its
marketing and communications efforts should make use of all available media and
take advantage of opportunities that arise to tell its story.
Alliance for Community Empowerment has working mission and vision statements, but does not
have a formal public relations or marketing plan at this time. Clarification of organizational
mission and vision, as well as development of a plan to effectively communicate the
organization’s programs and goals to potential investors and clients is essential to fulfilling its
mission.
Criterion 4: Concrete, Specific Goals for Leadership and Change for the Organization
and/or Community
The following action steps were generated from discussions with the founder and will be
completed via collaboration with the Alliance for Community Empowerment board of directors.
Organizational Leadership and Change Goal One
Completion of a business plan: documenting the need for the organization, clarifying the
mission statement, describe the programs and services to be offered, and developing a financial
BOARD CREATION AND PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT IN A NEW NON-PROFIT 13
plan. This process is essential not only for the thoughtful planning and establishment of the non-
profit, but is necessary for soliciting grants and strategic partnerships with other organizations.
Organizational Leadership and Change Goal Two
Establish board bylaws, articles of incorporation, and other foundational documentation
(e.g., organizational chart, internal controls policy, job descriptions for each position, personnel
policies, and public relations policy). In addition to clarifying the operational structure and
processes of the organization, this documentation is required for the incorporation, licensing, and
grant solicitation processes.
Organizational Leadership and Change Goal Three
Inventory of current programs and services in High Point, West Seattle, White Center,
Burien, South Park, Kent, SeaTac, Des Moines, Federal Way, Rainier Beach, and Tukwila
neighborhoods (e.g., budget, number of people served, specific services, populations served).
The organization needs additional data to inform program development activities and this data
can also be used as rationale for need to found Alliance for Community Empowerment, as well
as substantiate application requirements of grant requests.
Organizational Leadership and Change Goal Four
Develop a survey for community members regarding existing agencies and programs:
access to services, strengths/needs assessment, and trust/satisfaction with current services
provided. This goal is just one means to involve members from the High Point, West Seattle,
White Center, Burien, South Park, Kent, SeaTac, Des Moines, Federal Way, Rainier Beach, and
Tukwila neighborhoods in the program development process.
Organizational Leadership and Change Goal Five
BOARD CREATION AND PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT IN A NEW NON-PROFIT 14
Identify recruitment strategies to engage community members in the planning,
implementation, and assessment of services to be provided through Alliance for Community
Empowerment, and eventual coalition of agencies. Intentionally structuring community
engagement on an ongoing basis enables the non-profit to cultivate relationships of trust and
ensure that programs are responsive to community identified needs.
Organizational Leadership and Change Goal Six
Generate a list of potential grantors and strategic partners for board members to contact –
preliminary list of organizations includes: The Foundation Center, Small Business Association,
A Better Seattle, Russell Okung UP Foundation, Trufant Family Foundation, Marshawn Lynch
1st Family Foundation, YWCA of Seattle, Seattle Public Schools, City of Seattle Neighborhood
Matching Fund, Boeing Employees Community Fund, Microsoft, Seattle Youth Violence
Prevention Project, and the Clinton Global Fund. At present, only mission appropriate agencies
are under consideration for grant or strategic partnership solicitation – the board will also explore
block grants as a potential revenue stream.
Organizational Leadership and Change Goal Seven
Complete strategic planning – one-, two-, and three-year windows – addressing program
development, staffing, strategic partnerships, board development, and professional memberships.
Alliance for Community Empowerment planning activities are currently concentrated on the
startup phase, but organizational leadership has identified the need to complete a formal strategic
planning process.
Criterion 5: Concrete, Specific Goals for the Student as a Leader of Change
Serving the needs of at-risk youth is a personal passion and was the focus of my Master’s
thesis prior to being hired as Director of Student Services: I subsequently abandoned the thesis in
BOARD CREATION AND PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT IN A NEW NON-PROFIT 15
favor of designing the student services program as my graduate completion project. Participating
in this startup venture is an exciting opportunity for me to reconnect with a personal passion and
explore new leadership opportunities.
In my nine years as an educator, I have participated in a number of change initiatives –
strategic planning, accreditation, program design and implementation, organizational expansion,
feasibility study for a capital campaign, and a Head search – but in most of those situations, I
was not in a facilitator or senior leadership role. In my present role at Alliance for Community
Empowerment, I am Program Director and Vice President of the Board, in addition to facilitating
the change activities outlined in this proposal.
These current change initiatives can seem daunting because, at present, so much of the
foundational process at this stage is theoretical. Consequently, the founder and I spend an
extensive amount of time researching practical examples of establishment activities for non-
profits, basing decisions on what has or has not been successful for analogous agencies.
Personal Leadership Goal One
Collaborate with board to facilitate organizational development activities (e.g., board
establishment, drafting business plan, strategic planning, pursuing grants and strategic
partnerships, and public relations policy). I will achieve this goal by keeping the focus on
facilitation skills and best practices, seeking to establish a safe and constructive space for board
members to construct what organizational development means at Alliance for Community
Empowerment, as opposed to giving the board a canned set of tasks to perform.
Personal Leadership Goal Two
BOARD CREATION AND PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT IN A NEW NON-PROFIT 16
Collaborate with board members to generate ways to engage community stakeholders in
program design, implementation, and evaluation processes. Since the organization’s aim is to
empower at-risk youth in historically marginalized communities, it is especially important for
community stakeholders to be involved at each step of the organization’s development.
Additionally, involving historically marginalized populations in key leadership decisions at the
outset of the planned change fosters opportunities to cultivate social capital within the
community at large.
Personal Leadership Goal Three
Work with board members to define criteria for a healthy non-profit and embed the
criteria throughout the organizational development process. This goal is deeply personal to me,
especially after recently making the decision to leave an unhealthy and toxic organization.
Criterion 6: Description of Various Learning Strategies
Since this marks the first time the founder or any board members, including myself, have
participated in the establishment of an organization, an extensive literature review on board
creation, non-profit establishment processes, intervention programs for at-risk youth, interagency
communication and collaboration, strategic planning, organizational development, enacting
social change with historically marginalized populations, and strategies for cultivating leadership
and civic engagement are a priority. Figure 5 demonstrates the relevant literature found to date.
Author(s) Literature Published Adams Successful change: Paying attention to the intangibles 2003
Balfanz, Bridgeland,
Bruce, & Fox
Building a grade nation: Progress and challenges in ending the
high school dropout epidemic
2013
Battilana, Gilmartin,
Sengue, Pache, &
Alexander
Leadership competencies for implementing planned
organizational change
2010
Brendtro, Brokenleg, &
Van Bockern
Reclaiming youth at risk: Our hope for the future 2002
BOARD CREATION AND PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT IN A NEW NON-PROFIT 17
Brown & Posner Exploring the relationship between learning and leadership 2001
Burke A perspective on the field of organizational development and
change: The Zeigarnik effect
2010
Einspruch, Deck,
Grover, & Hahn
Readiness to learn: School-linked models for integrated family
services
2001
Family Strengthening
Policy Center
Family strengthening writ large: On becoming a nation that
promotes strong families and successful youth
2007
Harvard Family
Research Project
Learning from logic models: An example of a family/school
partnership program
1999
Landorf, Rocco, &
Nevin
Creating permeable boundaries: Teaching and learning for
social justice in a global society
2007
La Piana Associates
Inc.
Tools for assessing startup organizations 2003
Noguera City schools and the American dream: Reclaiming the promise
of public education
2003
Rouda & Kusy Development of human resources – Part 2: Needs assessment 1995
Stillwell & Sable Public school graduates and dropouts from the common core
of data
2013
Trumbull & Pacheco Leading with diversity: Cultural competencies for teacher
preparation and professional development
2005
Ongoing communication with board members will occur at each stage of the process,
establishing an inclusive, reflective, and responsive framework for this planned change.
Additionally, the key organizational change implementation activities of communicating,
mobilizing, and evaluating will be employed throughout the project (Battilana et al., 2010):
Communicating refers to activities leaders undertake to make the case for change, to
share their vision of the need for change with followers. Mobilizing refers to actions
leaders undertake to gain co-workers’ support for and acceptance of the enactment of
new work routines. Evaluating refers to measures leaders employ to monitor and assess
the impact of implementation efforts and institutionalize changes. (p. 424)
BOARD CREATION AND PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT IN A NEW NON-PROFIT 18
Criterion 7: Range of Change Strategies to Develop an Effective Project
Strategy 1: Scholarly and practical engagement with issues of ethical and participatory
leadership
As stated in the Criterion 4, a set of seven organizational change goals were identified
from discussions with the founder of Alliance for Community Empowerment:
1. Completion of a business plan: documenting the need for the organization, clarifying the
mission statement, describe the programs and services to be offered, and developing a
financial plan.
2. Establish board bylaws, articles of incorporation, and other foundational documentation
(e.g., organizational chart, internal controls policy, job descriptions for each position,
personnel policies, and public relations policy).
3. Inventory of current programs and services in High Point, West Seattle, White Center,
Burien, South Park, Kent, SeaTac, Des Moines, Federal Way, Rainier Beach, and
Tukwila neighborhoods (e.g., budget, number of people served, specific services,
populations served).
4. Develop a survey for community members regarding existing agencies and programs:
access to services, strengths/needs assessment, and trust/satisfaction with current services
provided.
5. Identify recruitment strategies to engage community members in the planning,
implementation, and assessment of services to be provided through Alliance for
Community Empowerment, and eventual coalition of agencies.
6. Generate a list of potential grantors and strategic partners for board members to contact.
BOARD CREATION AND PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT IN A NEW NON-PROFIT 19
7. Complete strategic planning – one-, two-, and three-year windows – addressing program
development, staffing, strategic partnerships, board development, and professional
memberships.
These aforementioned goals demonstrate the founder’s personal identification with servant
leadership principles, analogous to person-oriented leadership skills: “behaviors that promote
collaborative interaction among organization members, establish a supportive social climate, and
promote management practices that ensure equitable treatment of organization members”
(Battilana et al., 2010, p. 423). An extensive review of relevant literature, through an ethical and
participatory leadership lens, is outlined in the Criterion 6 section.
Strategy 2: In-depth exploration and reflection on student’s own personal and professional
capabilities for leading a change initiative
For the past five years, as Director of Student Services at a small, independent middle
school, I went through a number of formative leadership experiences. The most recent and most
painful was the recognition that I was caught in an adaptive leadership crisis, launching
intervention after intervention, trying to combat a system that was diametrically opposed to my
vision of a supportive learning environment for students. In the end, I made the excruciating
decision to resign my position and leave the school.
My decision to leave the school created a personal leadership crisis in and of itself. I
went through a period of extreme self-doubt, questioning if I had forfeiting my responsibilities as
a leader, if I truly was a leader, and if I would ever return to education. Fortunately, at the most
discouraging moment of this inner turmoil, I was asked by the founder of Alliance for
Community Empowerment to serve as a consultant and, shortly thereafter, as Program Director
and Vice President, two leadership positions that I never would have sought for myself.
BOARD CREATION AND PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT IN A NEW NON-PROFIT 20
Prior to my tenure as Director of Student Services, I intended to work with at-risk youth.
In fact, I was three weeks into writing my Master’s thesis – fittingly, on community integrated
reclaiming environments for at-risk youth – when I was offered the Student Services position and
shifted my graduate completion project to designing and implementing a Student Services
program. In many ways, I did not completely abandon my former research concentration, as at-
risk youth at the middle school quickly comprised the bulk of my case load.
Unfortunately, Student Services program was greatly under-resourced and I frequently
found myself in a reactive, as opposed to proactive, position. My previous experiences as an
outcomes assessment graduate assistant and as a strategic planning committee member reminded
me that moving from one organizational crisis to the next was unnecessary and
counterproductive. In hindsight, chaos was an organizational value of the middle school and I
made a conscious decision to pursue another path: a systems-based change initiative, grounded in
complexity theory.
Now that I have the opportunity to help build an organization from the ground up, instead
of trying to work through systemic limitations and problematic organizational culture already in
place, I want to do everything in my power to establish a healthy organization. This perspective
is shared by the founder and another board member, both of whom have had similar experiences
working within non-profits.
Strategy 3: An understanding of how the strategies may privilege and/or marginalize
different groups and individuals
The conception of this organizational change project is centered around Alliance for
Community Empowerment successfully completing its foundation process and make a strong
organizational start and achieve its goal: establishing a collaborative, community integrated
support program by actively engaging community members, middle and high school counselors,
BOARD CREATION AND PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT IN A NEW NON-PROFIT 21
and other agencies as active partners in order to assess needs, generate solution steps, and
provide referrals and direct services that are responsive to the High Point, West Seattle, White
Center, Burien, South Park, Kent, SeaTac, Des Moines, Federal Way, Rainier Beach, and
Tukwila communities.
Since at-risk youth and the aforementioned communities represent vulnerable and
historically marginalized populations, change strategies were selected on the basis of mitigating
privilege and/or marginalization of any one stakeholder group. Furthermore, specific research on
change strategies that foster empowerment and generate social capital will be sought during the
literature review phase of this change project.
Criterion 8: Appropriate Documentation of Support for the Planned Change
The founder of Alliance for Community Empowerment authorized me to conduct board,
organizational, and program development activities in March 2013 and a letter of authorization
was drafted in June 2013, which will be submitted to the Antioch University Institutional Review
Board, pending approval for this change project proposal.
Criterion 9: Development and Inclusion of Viable Time Frames and Deadlines
Note: some proposed activities may run concurrently.
PROJECT PLAN FOR ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE PROJECT
Activity Start End Duration
Initial change project proposal submitted to Alliance for
Community Empowerment founder and approved
July 2013 July 2013 1 week
Change project proposal and IRB application submitted
and approved
July 2013 July 2013 1-2
weeks
Review of literature on board creation, non-profit
establishment processes, intervention programs for at-
risk youth, interagency communication and
collaboration, strategic planning, organizational
development, enacting social change with historically
marginalized populations, and strategies for cultivating
leadership and civic engagement
July 2013 August
2013
2 weeks
BOARD CREATION AND PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT IN A NEW NON-PROFIT 22
Inventory of current programs and services in High
Point, West Seattle, White Center, Burien, South Park,
Kent, SeaTac, Des Moines, Federal Way, Rainier
Beach, and Tukwila neighborhoods (e.g., budget,
number of people served, specific services, populations
served).
August
2013
August
2013
1 week
Establish board bylaws, articles of incorporation, and
other foundational documentation (e.g., organizational
chart, internal controls policy, job descriptions for each
position, personnel policies, and public relations
policy).
August
2013
August
2013
2 weeks
Completion of a business plan: documenting the need
for the organization, clarifying the mission statement,
describe the programs and services to be offered, and
developing a financial plan.
August
2013
August
2013
2 weeks
Generate a list of potential grantors and strategic
partners for board members to contact.
August
2013
August
2013
August
2013
Identify recruitment strategies to engage community
members in the planning, implementation, and
assessment of services to be provided through Alliance
for Community Empowerment, and eventual coalition
of agencies.
September
2013
September
2013
1 week
Develop a survey for community members regarding
existing agencies and programs: access to services,
strengths/needs assessment, and trust/satisfaction with
current services provided.
September
2013
September
2013
1 week
Complete strategic planning – one-, two-, and three-year
windows – addressing program development, staffing,
strategic partnerships, board development, and
professional memberships.
September
2013
September
2013
2 weeks
Evaluation and next steps for organization September
2013
September
2013
1 week
BOARD CREATION AND PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT IN A NEW NON-PROFIT 23
References
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for social justice in a global society. Teacher Education Quarterly, Winter, 41-56.
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Grantmakers for Effective Organizations. Retrieved from
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