Abstract
Managing a non-profit organization requires maintaining a cost-efficient strategy that will allow allocating key resources to the benefit of the target group. The organization under analysis, which targets people from impoverished households and disadvantaged backgrounds, seeks to introduce them to the techniques that will allow them to succeed. To minimize the costs for training, the organization will require a change in its approach toward employee motivation and the allocation of costs. Furthermore, staff members must develop empathy to tend to the clients’ needs accordingly and keep the quality of services high.
Costs and Alternative Sources of Funding
Cost-Effectiveness Analysis
Cost-effectiveness analysis can be defined as the assessment of the factors defining the presence of costs in the target setting and selecting the method that leads to the least expensive results (Denhardt et al., 2018). In the case under analysis, the increasing range of factors shaping the organization’s performance may have rendered cost-effectiveness analysis nearly impossible to perform.
To conduct a cost effectiveness analysis for this organization, one will need to take three essential steps. First, the outcomes for each solution must be measured. Afterward, the cost for each result will need to be calculated. Finally, each expense range should be divided by the effects of the proposed option, the highest number indicating the most effective solution available (Denhardt et al., 2018). The proposed technique is simple and effective, which makes it a superior method compared to others for this enterprise.
Costs for Maintaining Free Seminars
To continue offering free services to vulnerable groups, the organization will need to calculate the costs for the seminars carefully and seek opportunities for the funding of the support system. Currently, given the range of experts’ involvement in the performance of the organization, most of its costs are likely to be represented by the salaries for the hired experts. Specifically, since there are currently 15 experts involved, each should receive around $40,000 per month, which constitutes $600,000. Additionally, renting the premises for the organization requires paying $10,000 per month. Purchasing supplies for the seminars, including scholarly materials, as well as the tools such as office paper, markers, and other related office tools, lead to the loss of $1,000 per month. Finally, transportation fees take $1,000 per month for all staff members and participants involved.
Alternative Sources of Funding
In order to ensure that the amount of money received by the organization monthly covers the costs listed above, particularly, the salary for the experts involved, alternative sources of funding must be sought. Currently, private sources of funding represent the most viable option for keeping a non-profit organization sustainable and ensuring that it has the needed resources readily available (Denhardt et al., 2018). Therefore, it will be most reasonable for this organization to invest in a public awareness campaign to attract private funding sources (Zietlow et al., 2018). With an array of options for obtaining financial resources, the organization will continue to thrive even in times that can be characterized as economically challenging.
Public Service Motives
Example 1. Current Motives: Engagement
Currently, the key motives that I pursue as a leader include extending support to as many community members as possible while keeping the expenses low and making a mane of the organization outside of its community. Out of these motives, the ones that are challenged to the greatest extend are the ones associated with maintaining the costs low while continuing to promote free services to vulnerable populations (Knapp et al., 2017). Specifically, it is quite difficult to motivate the members of the organization to follow the set standards for quality of services despite the declining profits and the minimized range of resources available.
For instance, a range of staff members have complained about the lack of materials for seminars. According to the reports provided by the staff members, the absence of the necessary tools may lead to a poor understanding of the lecture materials and, therefore, the failure to develop the required knowledge and skills in attendants. Therefore, the experts must seek additional tools for making the seminar materials more palatable and ensure complete participation, which exhausts them and reduces their motivation (Denhardt et al., 2018).
As a leader, I find the drop in motivation and enthusiasm rates particularly difficult obstacle to manage since it implies problems in the current perceptions and attitudes among staff members and requires the reconsideration of the leadership framework altogether (Knapp et al., 2017). Nevertheless, I believe that with the use of the transformational Leadership framework and an updated cot management technique, the descried issue will be addressed accordingly.
Example 1. Current Motives: Empathy
Another issue that has surfaced while handling the problems with the management o expenses is lined top the extent of emotional support that participants receive. Initially implying that attendants receive both empathy and the necessary knowledge in equal parts, the program currently seems to be lacking the emotional component (O’Loughlin Banks & Raciti, 2018).
As a result, the program has lost a certain amount of emotional rapport that could make the change within the target community possible. Therefore, to improve the situation, motivating the staff members to continue providing emotional support while avoiding burnouts among the experts will be vital (O’Loughlin Banks & Raciti, 2018).
Overcoming the Challenges
Engagement
To address the problem of the lack of enthusiasm in staff members, the use of the Transformational Leadership approach and the incorporation of personal empowerment strategies will need to be considered. Specifically, the current attitudes of the employees will have to be transformed so that their perception of their responsibilities could be changed toward a positive one. Namely, as a transformational leader, one will have to set a shared vision based on the organization’s priority of supporting those in need, encouraging empathy in staff members, and creating a model according to which the employees will have to act (Denhardt et al., 2018). Thus, a positive outcome is expected.
As for the personal empowerment opportunities, one must focus on using the techniques that will foster the development of an enthusiastic attitude toward the assigned tasks in staff members by appealing to their aspirations and needs. Specifically, it will be necessary to conduct a close assessment of the employees’ needs and assign roles and responsibilities according to the identified aspirations. Thus, the job that employees will do will be viewed as desirable and fulfilling, leaving pleasant experiences and inviting the staff members to develop loyalty to the company and engagement with its philosophy.
Empathy
In turn, the empathy issue is more intricate yet also possible to correct. Specifically, the staff members will need to undergo training that will introduce them to the notion of emotional intelligence (O’Loughlin Banks & Raciti, 2018). The specified concept will guide them toward a more empathetic approach to the clients’ needs.
Additionally, the framework for building empathy in staff members will have to be established. Teaching the employees to imagine themselves in the situations that their clients face is one of the most effective tools for developing empathy in staff members (O’Loughlin Banks & Raciti, 2018). Moreover, to ensure that clients’ emotional needs are met, active listening techniques will be taught to staff members so that they could use them in communication with clients. As a result, an improvement in the quality of care is expected.
References
Denhardt, R. B., Denhardt, J. V., Aristigueta, M. P., & Rawlings, K. C. (2018). Managing human behavior in public and nonprofit organizations (5th ed.). CQ Press.
Knapp, J. R., Smith, B. R., & Sprinkle, T. A. (2017). Is it the job or the support? Examining structural and relational predictors of job satisfaction and turnover intention for nonprofit employees. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 46(3), 652-671. Web.
O’Loughlin Banks, J., & Raciti, M. M. (2018). Perceived fear, empathy and financial donations to charitable services. The Service Industries Journal, 38(5-6), 343-359. Web.
Zietlow, J., Hankin, J. A., Seidner, A., & O’Brien, T. (2018). Financial management for nonprofit organizations: policies and practices (3rd ed.). John Wiley & Sons.