Best of Boards, 2nd Edition

Chapter 11 Integration for Action

The preceding chapters of this text have introduced an array of concepts and strategies for good governance. This chapter brings those ideas and models together and applies them to complex cases, examining the ways that nonprofit organizations (NPOs) can utilize sound practices to prevent and address difficult situations and advance beyond them. Through the cases presented and the associated discussions, readers can employ tools presented throughout the book and learn new strategies and resources for ensuring continued success.

Case One: A Woman Scorned

Kayla was the business manager at Alpha Camps, an NPO delivering recreation programs to children with severe medical problems. Last year, Irene was hired to replace the longtime CEO. Almost immediately, Kayla began to experience concerns about Irene’s decisions, such as hiring a close friend at a high fee to conduct a strategic plan and inappropriately allocating charges to restricted accounts. Kayla also discovered suspicious charges to the Medicaid program, which is intended to cover health care delivery while the youngsters are at camp.

When the concerns first arose, Kayla raised questions and offered corrections to Irene, presuming that the errors were unintentional. Irene’s responses appeared to confirm Kayla’s assumptions that the mistakes were innocent oversights (“Oh, yes! Right! Thanks for clarifying.”) Recently, however, Irene has become perturbed by Kayla’s queries and scrutiny, ...