After reading the course materials, including Case Study 1: Caroline's Charity, and watching the video under Module 4 Non-Profit Organizations, please select several theories and concepts in Ch. 2 and explain how these theories/ concepts can explain the organizational dynamics of this domestic violence non-profit organization, Caroline's Charity. Tips: you may look into the concepts of organizational life cycle, bureaucracy, formal and informal rationality and structure, leadership, environment, organizational culture, feminist theories etc. Many alternative explanations/ paradigms can shed light on this case study. Be creative in your theory application!!

Case Study: Caroline's charity

Caroline Horsbrough had run a successful haulage company for more than 30 years. At the age of 55 she decided to sell her business and take life a little easier. But, having worked her entire life, she found retirement and all the free time difficult to cope with. One day, chatting to a friend over coffee they began talking about a terrible case of domestic violence that they had read about in the local newspaper. Over the next couple of months Caroline could not shake the story and decided that instead of sitting around trying to find things to occupy her time she would start her own charity to help women and families like the one in the newspaper.

Over the next 3 years Caroline turned her charity idea into a reality:

Year 1 - Caroline and Beverly start fundraising projects using Caroline's business contacts and reputation in the community. They help their first family in March and by November they have more than 40 women wanting their help.

Year 2 - Waiting list for help is growing. They have lots of volunteers out fundraising but they can't seem to raise quite enough money to make a difference. Bev approaches Caroline about employing a specialist fundraising manager. June - Bob Carter is employed to oversee fundraising activities.

Year 3 - A growing army of willing volunteers are becoming disillusioned. They have received conflicting instructions from Caroline, Bev, and Bob. Bev asks Caroline to consider implementing a more formal chain of command, and designating volunteers into departments. Caroline is resistant to this change as she wants volunteers to remain committed to the organization and feels that dividing labour in this traditional way will have a negative effect on engagement and passion.

Year 4 - Caroline has conceded and there are some moves towards a more formal organizational structure. Volunteers are asked which tasks they would like to undertake and are encouraged to give feedback and request a change in role or responsibility if they feel inclined. Transfers and requests are administered through a system of forms which have to be signed by the manager of the team you want to leave and the manager of the team you want to join. The processing of the forms can often take some time as the nature of volunteer work means that you may not see individual people for months at a time.

Year 5 - The charity is very successful with outreach centres across the county. At Caroline's 60^thbirthday celebration which they are celebrating jointly with the charity's 5^thanniversary, she makes a rousing emotional speech in which she announces that she will be begin the process of stepping down as leader of the charity. She reassures everyone that this will not happen immediately but slowly through a process of re-structuring. Caroline wants her legacy to be enshrined in a teamwork structure.

Teaching Notes

Topics to consider in relation to the case study:

Greiner's organizational lifecycles model

Not for profit organization

Leadership

Bureaucracy

Feminist bureaucracy

Centralization

Video link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4naJN7au1lE