07/16/2021

Putting Participants at the Center of Managing and Leading Nonprofits

They shouldn't be simply the intended beneficiaries of nonprofit programs

Nonprofit organizations are motivated to make a difference for their participants, those individuals, families and the communities who are central to their mission and the intended beneficiaries of their social change strategies. Whether they are referred to as “clients” or “constituents” in a social service setting, “emerging leaders” in grassroots groups, “residents” or “community” in a neighborhood development organization, “customers” in a social enterprise or “members” in more collectivist settings, the motivation to serve participants drives a nonprofit’s strategies, informs its advocacy positions, is used to recruit volunteers, staff and donors, and, ultimately, is the basis for evaluating a nonprofit’s success.

However, being motivated to make a difference for participants is not the same thing as placing participants at the center of managing and leading. This distinction is critical because placing participants at the center requires rethinking how they are affected by the management of these organizations, not simply by the social change strategies adopted or the programs delivered. Unfortunately, we do not seem to be calling attention to this distinction and, more importantly, we are not supporting nonprofit leaders to align their management strategies to ensure participants and their experiences guide the overall operation and governance of these organizations.

This distinction became clearer to me when I started a research project that involved in-depth interviews with frontline staff in several nonprofits. It was here that I started to notice a difference between what I was teaching about managing nonprofits and what I was learning in these organizations. Participants are important actors in these organizations, playing a variety of roles that shape the work of staff, their managers and, ultimately, the experience of participants themselves.

Please select this link to read the complete article from SSIR.