Executive Leadership in Nonprofit Organizations

Author

Yu-Tsai (Grace) Huang, Fontbonne College

Year of Award

1993

Degree

Master of Business Administration (MBA)

College

College of Business & Professional Studies

Degree Program

Business Administration

Department

Business Administration

Keywords

board, sector, mission, organization, CEO

Abstract

There is a tremendous need for board development in the nonprofit world. Many chief executives devote insufficient time to working with their boards. This may be because they are preoccupied with administrative responsibilities, hindered by common misconceptions about the board/CEO relationship, or simply inexperienced in effective interpersonal communication. This paper tries to give some suggestions to help those leaders in nonprofit organizations develop and work effectively with their governing boards.

Part I gives the reader an overview of nonprofit organization. This part is intended to introduce the nonprofit organizations' theories, mission and its environment which affects the nature of nonprofit organizations and their leadership. Part II introduces the leadership in the nonprofit organization: the governing board and the chief executive. Part III considers the challenge for the executive leadership of nonprofit organizations. These include dealing with the relationship between the board and the chief executive and finding the financial resources. The paper culminates with a discussion of methods of developing effective executive leadership in nonprofit organizations, specifically including guidance for CEOs who wish to improve their effectiveness in engaging and developing the board.

The conclusion is: It is the CEO who provides most of the leadership in a board/CEO relationship characterized by a constantly shifting balance of power; a system of "strange loops and tangled hierarchies."

Document Type

Restricted Thesis

Recommended Citation

Huang, Yu-Tsai (Grace), "Executive Leadership in Nonprofit Organizations" (1993). All Theses, Dissertations, and Capstone Projects. 260.
https://griffinshare.fontbonne.edu/all-etds/260