The Case of Bright Star: Accountability and its Effect on the Mission Annotation Christensen, R. & Ebrahim, A. (2006). How does accountability affect mission? The case of a nonprofit serving immigrants and refugees. Nonprofit Management and Leadership, 17(2), 195-209. Summary Historically, the nonprofit sector operated on the perception of benevolence. Currently, Christen and Ebrahim (2006) state that the “nonprofit status no longer places an organization beyond reproach” (p. 195). Therefore, the authors examine Bright Star, a nonprofit serving immigrants and refugees, to explain the systems of accountability ensuring the effectiveness of the mission of the organization (Christen & Ebrahim, 2006). Since the …show more content…
However, we propose an examination into the two fundamental questions: Does the attention onto upward accountability enhance the organization’s mission and how do practitioners comply with the mission in a stringent reporting arena (Christen & Ebrahim, 2006). Moreover, our research into scholar’s studies concludes that intense reporting of upward accountability hinders downward or lateral accountability and the mission (Christen & Ebrahim, 2006). Accordingly, my associate and I wrote this article to investigate those assumptions and provide evidence of accountability pressures on day-to-day organizational life to explain the impact on mission-based activities (Christen & Ebrahim, 2006). Ethical Principles and Values In our article, we present definitions of to demonstrate the measures utilized to interpret nonprofit accountability. In our opinion, the following definitions provide perspective into an organization’s ethics and values, especially in the implementation of upward, lateral, and downward accountability. The multiple systems of accountability are defined below: •Accountability: “being answerable to stakeholders for the actions of the organization, whether by internal or external initiation” (Christen …show more content…
In other words, the reporting demands of the organization lead to concerns of implementing mission activities that were easier to provide rather than the best methods to meet the organization’s goals and mission (Christen & Ebrahim, 2006). Therefore, we suggest the following models as organizational strategy solutions to manage tensions, improve accountability, and effectively adhere to the mission. •Prioritizing Lateral Accountability: Focusing on Staff oFrequent meetings provide a forum of accountability of staff members and ensures focus on the mission through coordinating services, such as medical appointments coordinated with clients’ work schedules (Christen & Ebrahim, 2006). •Staff Empowerment Through Organizational Slack oAlthough rules are important in determining the course of action, we suggest an organization build slack to allow flexibility of staff to best serve the clients and achieve the mission beyond regulations (Christen & Ebrahim, 2006). •Tight Coupling of Evaluation with Job
Worth, M. (2014). Nonprofit management: Principles and Practice. 3rd Ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc.
The nonprofit sector in America is a reflection some of the foundational values that brought our nation into existence. Fundamentals, such as the idea that people can govern themselves and the belief that people should have the opportunity to make a difference by joining a like-minded group, have made America and its nonprofit sector what it is today. The American "civil society" is one that has been produced through generations of experiments with government policy, nonprofit organizations, private partnerships, and individuals who have asserted ideas and values. The future of the nonprofit sector will continue to be experimental in many ways. However, the increase of professional studies in nonprofit management and the greater expectation of its role in society is causing executives to look to more scientific methods of management.
Along such time, the budget has grown over $2000,000, fact that paradoxically left Youth Haven with a deficit of$20,000. Marcel is in the process to upgrade her mindset of for-profit sector molded to the nonprofit sector environment. In addition, an executive director must consider some other factor, even when a nonprofit departs from the way any for-profit business is. In the textbook, Nonprofit Management Principles and Practices, Worth pointed out, “nonprofit managers are confronted with sorting through an array of options and selecting the measures and methods that meet both their own need for useful management information as well as the expectations of funders, watchdogs, and regulators.” (Wroth, P. 161). It is important to understand that administrators of non profits not only have to handle the management side of things but also to make sure that whatever service they are providing to the community is still running
Worth, M. (2014). Nonprofit management: Principles and Practice. 3rd Ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc.
Throughout Dan Pallotta’s TED Talk he argues that the discrimination against nonprofits is limiting their ability to change the world. He believes that nonprofits operate under one rule book, while for-profits operate under another. And the book for-profits are encouraged to operate under, allows them to attract the best talent, spend money to make money, take risks, pay dividends, and take their time returning profits to investors.
This is discussion, I will explain a personal experience of a nonprofit organization’s board. Secondly, I will provide an analysis of what I foresee for the future of a nonprofit governing board of a nonprofit organization. I will explain if I anticipate greater demands for boards and the board members to be more accountable. Finally, I will explain my perspective and defend it with evidence from the field.
A nonprofit should have a well thought out strategic plan in order to ensure organizational sustainability. An important component of the strategic plan should include financial initiatives. Currently the Salvation Army is considered one of the most effective organizations in the U.S. “No one even comes close to it in respect to clarity of mission, ability to innovate, measurable results, deduction and putting money to maximum use.” They administer financial policies and ethical reasoning behind the organization’s decisions that provide human services which results in sustainability of the mission.
There are three different sectors in our economy, (1) the government, (2) the for-profit sector, and (3) the nonprofit sector. Each one plays a vital role in helping our economy grow, however, nonprofits are being perceived by the public as organizations who are off in their own little corner and who are out to serve only one purpose; bettering the world while zeroing out their books. To many, it doesn’t occur how integral these organizations can be to the overall function of the economy, mainly due to the stereotypes that come with them. There are a lot of questions out there pondering what’s true and false regarding the nonprofit sector, questions about the relationships nonprofits have with the government, how nonprofits should be studied,
This study is related to a case conducted at Faith Community Hospital to assess the problems due to issues with their mission statement and how it is being interpreted. According to the CEO of Faith Community Hospital, very few of the members and partners seem to be following the mission statement. There are issues with organizational processes, ethics issues, and communication systems. Many staff members are operating as individuals and not as a collective unit based on their values. A moment's distraction can result in a tragic outcome.
Sometimes, the levels of transparency and accountability are compromised, especially when the founding runs out and the agency struggles with sustaining itself. In the context of ethical leadership, I found conducting ethic audit in social service agency especially interesting and potentially useful, particularly the steps dedicated to assigning oversight responsibility and identifying areas of risk (Golensky,
Accountability defined as the responsibility of an individual in a position of an employee or student. In this section, I am going further to mention some situations and how does this situation demonstrate the responsibility that reflected from the dimensions of my personality, including conditions from communication, diversity awareness, decision-making and problem solving. First am going to point at some of my situation that I experienced as a student and then build it up to the situation that I faced in the work placement program as an employee.
Worth, Michael J. Nonprofit Management: Principles and Practice. 3rd Ed. Copyright 2014 by SAGE Publications, Inc.
Over the last 20 years, there has been a significant increase in nonprofit and nongovernment organizations (NGOs) in the United States. With the increase in organizations, also came an increase in scandals and in the 1990’s multiple nonprofit and nongovernment organizations lost the public’s trust due to misuse of funds, lavish spending, and improper advances to protected populations. These charity scandals not only hurt direct organization’s reputation, but also led to the mistrust of nonprofit and nongovernmental organizations as a whole (Sidel, 2005). To combat these reputations, NGOs and nonprofit organizations began to self-regulate through employing morally obligated and altruistic employees, accountability practices, and lastly through
... “The Nonprofit Sector: For What and for Whom?” Working Papers of the Johns Hopkins Comparative Nonprofit Sector Project, no. 37. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins Center for Civil Society Studies, 2000
important aspects of an organisation. The world contains many different people all with different values, ideas and beliefs. These differences create a diverse range of cultures within organisations, some having bigger influences than others. Strategies within organisations are highly dynamic and complex, and can have positive and negative effects on an organisation. Vision and mission are concepts that many believe are vital for an organisation to operate effectively and to the best of its abilities. Andrew Campbell (1991) , a prominent writer on vision and mission, believes that both the culture and the strategy of a firm come together side by side to build an overall definition of mission for a firm. The paper will be based around Campbell’s perception and whether either culture or strategy has a greater part to play in an organisation’s mission.