Non-profit leadership strategy Analysis

1. Non-profit Strategy Leadership
Project
MGMT 321: Leadership and
Motivation
James Thomas Joseph

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About the Red Cross
Mission: The American Red Cross prevents
and alleviates human suffering in the face of
emergencies by mobilizing the power of
volunteers and the generosity of donors.

3. Volunteer Opportunities:
(relevant to understand associated leadership roles)
• Disaster Response- help people affected by disasters
ranging from house fire to hurricanes by providing food,
shelter, essential relief supplies, comfort and hope
• Community Outreach and Education- teach families,
people in classrooms, organizations and corporations how to
be Red Cross ready by taking simple steps to get prepared
• Blood Services- coordinate blood drives or serve as a blood
drive volunteer to register blood donors
• Fundraising- make it financially possible for the Red Cross to
perform its lifesaving services
• Chapter Support- help your chapter by providing general
support
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4. Fundament Principles of the Red
Cross
Volunteers and leaders are expected to adhere to the
Fundamental Principles of the International Red Cross
Movement: humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence,
voluntary service, unity, and universality.
This is something that I believe the American Red Cross is spot
on by providing clear, concise, fundamental principles of what
their volunteers, associates, and leaders should strive to
represent
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5. Fundamental Principles Cont’d
• Humanity: The Red Cross, born of a desire to bring assistance without discrimination
to the wounded on the battlefield, endeavors – in its international and national
capacity – to prevent and alleviate human suffering wherever it may be found. Its
purpose is to protect life and health and to ensure respect for the human being. It
promotes mutual understanding, friendship cooperation and lasting, friendship,
cooperation and lasting peace amongst all peoples
• Impartiality: it makes no discrimination as to nationality, race, religious beliefs, class
or political opinions. It endeavors to relieve the suffering of individuals, being guided
solely by their needs, and to give priority to the most urgent cases of distress
• Neutrality: In order to continue to enjoy the confidence of all, the Red Cross may not
take sides in hostilities or engage at any time in controversies of a political, racial ,
religious or ideological nature.
• Independence: The Red Cross is independent. The national societies, while
auxiliaries in the humanitarian services of their governments and subject to the laws
of their respective countries, must always maintain their autonomy so that they may
be able at all times to act in accordance with Red Cross Principles
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6. Fundamental Principles Cont’d
• Voluntary Service: The Red Cross is a voluntary relief movement not prompted in
any manner by desire for gain
• Unity: there can be only one Red Cross or Red Crescent Society in any one country.
It must be open to all. It must carry on its humanitarian work throughout its territory.
• Universality: The Red Cross is a worldwide institution in which all societies have
equal status and share equal responsibilities and duties in helping each other
Importance: It is important to understand the Fundamental Principles that organization
is founded upon. It is these fundamental principles that are upheld within all
members, volunteers, and leaders within the American Red Cross.
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7. Values
The American Red Cross established values that are essential to the
continued success: compassionate, collaborative, creative, credible
and committed.
•Compassionate: We are dedicated to improving the lives of those we serve and to
treating each other with care and respect.
•Collaborative: We work together as One Red Cross family, in partnership with other
organizations, and always embrace diversity and inclusiveness
•Creative: We seek new ideas, are open to change and always look for better ways to
serve those in need
•Credible: We act with integrity, are transparent guardians of the public trust and honor
our promises.
•Committed: We hold ourselves accountable for defining and meeting clear objectives,
delivering on our mission and carefully stewarding our donor funds
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8. Values Cont’d
The Values that exemplify the American Red Cross provide a
great basis for all volunteer and the current leadership to
embrace. By providing these clear concise and unambiguous
values leader’s can them implement them into establishing and
maintaining the organizational culture.
It is maintaining these strong values to promote the
organizational culture that is needed in a non-profit with as much
humanitarian responsibility is essential in keeping the publics
and the worlds perception.
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9. Values Cont’d
This again helps foster and build the brand and image. It is so
crucial for non-profit organizations to truly create the culture in
which they purport themselves to have.
I personally really liked the value: committed, which stated, “ we
hold ourselves accountable for defining and meeting clear
objectives, delivering on our mission and carefully stewarding
our donor funds.”
All non-profit organizations should adopt and embrace this value
within their organizational leadership and culture.
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10. Brand and Associated Perception
Red Cross Leadership Analysis Strengths:
•Brand, Image, Associated Perception
The American Red Cross has had the ability to brand itself and
maintain it’s strong associated image since it was founded in 1881 by
Clara Barton.
I would argue this is the American Red Cross’s greatest leadership tool
in that it does not need to work on creating a perception or altering
organizational culture. This gives the American Red Cross a huge
advantage compared to “newer” non-profit organizations without the
extensive historical record and reputation. The image sells itself.
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11. Bureaucracy and Time-lag
With an organization as big as the American Red Cross, there is
bound to be an abundance of bureaucratic procedure and
organizational structure.
These create a time-lag in actually being able to associate with
the organization and may present problems with the leadership
in how to deal with this.
My personal experience was that I could not really obtain any
information until I formally applied to be a volunteer. This could
be a good/bad thing.
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12. Bureaucracy and Time-lag Cont’d
The fact the even becoming a volunteer has to me so much
bureaucratic red tape can deter some potential volunteers from
joining.
This presents the leadership with a tough challenge on how to
recruit individuals you may not be technologically and
electronically savvy as much of the process depends on
electronic submission of information.
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13. Challenges:
There are many challenges faced by the leadership at the
American Red Cross such as:
•Recruiting Volunteers
•Training Volunteers
•Disaster Response
•Fundraising
•Meeting organizational objectives/goals
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14. Recruiting
Recruiting volunteers may be the biggest challenge faced by the
American Red Cross. Volunteers comprise of over 96% of the
workforce. When the current leadership cannot recruit/retain
volunteers the organizational suffers as a whole.
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15. Training
Even if the current leadership is able to attract new volunteers
that still need to be proficiently trained in the organization and
their specific occupation/association with the American Red
Cross
I personally found the electronic training platform used to train
volunteers (SABA) extremely cumbersome and hard to use.
Again this can deter people from continuing through the
volunteer process.
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16. Fundraising
For most non-profits fundraising is a cornerstone of their annual
strategic planning. This then falls upon the leadership to
establish and promote fundraiser in order to raise money for the
organization. I think it is safe to say that overall the American
Red Cross does not have problems with this, having and
estimated budget over 13.5 billion dollars, but it still falls on the
leadership to manage this.
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17. Disaster Response
Whether it is on the national, international or the local level
disaster response and the ability to quickly respond to disasters
is one of the biggest challenges faced by the leadership. The
Western PA region alone consists of 25 counties, 11 community
chapters, and averages over 1,000 disasters per year. The only
way leadership can meet this daunting task is to have an
adequate amount of trained personnel. This then falls back on
being able to properly recruit and train volunteers.
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18. Meeting Organizational Objectives
All leadership must strive to meet organizational strategic
objectives. This is a composite of everything from maintaining
organizational culture, exemplifying the Red Cross values,
recruiting volunteers, retaining volunteers and properly training
volunteers. If the leadership cannot achieve or excel in any one
of these areas the entire organization suffers as a whole.
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19. Personal Suggestions
The Red Cross needs to shorten the time from a potential volunteer
thinking about working for the Red Cross and the time it actually takes
in order to be associated with the organization.
It has been well over four weeks and I am personally still not
adequately trained in order to help my chapter. Again this goes back to
the bureaucracy that exists with extremely large organizations.
It should not be so time-consuming and cumbersome just to become a
volunteer. I am a 24 year old college student and I personally had
difficulty electronically applying to be a volunteer. How would an
older/retired person find the application process? My guess is that they
would find it hard and this may deter them from volunteering?
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20. Personal Suggestions Cont’d
Some ways/recommendations they can improve:
•Have specific events that within one day potential volunteer
applicants can show up, decided they want to volunteer and then
fully become a volunteer that day without having to wait or
compete unnecessary procedures.
•Continue to use social media in order to promote community
based events
•Focus on the youth and the retired as these are the two
demographics with the most potential to help the organization
people that are retired may be more willing to volunteer, and
focusing on the youth plants the seeds that are to be sewn
tomorrow
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21. AAR (After Action Review)
What the Red Cross Leadership Strategy Excelled at?
•Promoting Organizational Culture and Values
•Brand, Image and Associated Perception
What the Red Cross Leadership Assessment Revealed?
•Bureaucratic
•Time-Consuming
•Some what cumbersome
What the Red Cross Leadership can improve on?
•Expediting the volunteer application process
•Focus on specific demographics that can volunteer and benefit the
organization
•Continue to use social media in order to promote community events
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