Lance brought his youngest son to Maryland Leadership Workshops at Washington College on Sunday for the same week-long workshop experience that was so pivotal in his formative teenage years some 43 years ago. But his secondary interest, and why he stayed three days being ignored by his son (no one wants their DAD on site...) was to recapture the culture, curriculum and spirit of the present day staff in preparation for assuming the Presidency of the new Board of Directors they were building in the Fall. Three days wandering around a college campus attending classes, morning sing, eating in the cafeteria and sleeping in the dorms was like boot camp for a 60 year old. But it did exactly what lance wanted it to do. It brought back the WHY of this remarkable enterprise and rekindled a passion, not just an appreciation, of what MLW does and how unique it is. The leader of this leadership staff is a dedicated young lawyer who has made this his life for the past 15 years and he needs help. From one of many discussions with him, Lance tripped over this question.
Who owns a non-profit? The textbook answer is the Board of Directors, not the staff. But those who have served on Boards know the President, CEO or Executive Director are both the public face and daily leader of the enterprise. The President or Chair of the Board of Directors generally serves 1-3 years and must (at least) exemplify the commitment the institution asks of all Board Members, but these duties are limited to fiduciary and mission oversight and sometimes, annual fundraising activities. Boards can be weak or strong, and the enterprise will still go on if staff leadership is talented. All of this is classic textbook material.
But who owns the soul of a non-profit? Lance is becoming convinced that every non-profit needs a vested group of individuals (The Guardians) who have the deepest passion and conviction to see the institution survive. They may or may not be elected. They may or may not have ever been staff members, Board members or donors. They must have no conflict of interest whereby their primary motivation is self-interest or profit. They must be in love with the mission and honor the impact it has on society. They must have a long-term point of view regarding the sustainability of the mission and be willing to bring whatever appropriate resources they command to the table without expecting anything more than timely and modest recognition. Above all, they do not require visibility nor office to support their beloved institution. The best are rarely seen or heard, but they are always watching and available.
Lance had never heard about the existence of such a body of enablers. Yet, when he stopped to think "Who owns the soul of a non-profit" he could name a discreet set of individuals who protect the legacy, the heart, the essence of almost every non-profit of which he had ever been part. Never identified, rarely elected or appointed, but quietly at the center of critical decisions made in the shadows of the formal structure, they seemed to be the unspoken key to managing change, long-term sustainability and the organizations arc of growth over decades. And when there was no such set of Guardians, the non-profit lurched from growth to stagnancy, from profit to debt and from program to program like a storm tossed ship, eventually crashing on the rocks.
Who are these Guardians? Lance could name them at his church. He could name them at work. He could name them at MLW. He could name them at Leadership Maryland. In several of the County leadership programs with whom he worked, he could name them. Yet strangely, none of these people ever applied, were elected, or lobbied to be Guardians. All they did was perform consistently, self-lessly and with conviction on behalf of the non-profit when they most needed it. In profile, they tend to be the ones who stick around longer than most, who accept an invitation to step up when forthcoming, and whose advice is unfailingly constructive, absent any whiff of private agendas. When the organization hit a crisis, they were ready, aware, and concerned. They stand up, if needed, to speak to the problem at hand, always urging unity and forward motion. They are independent, professionally secure, experienced, wise and remarkably humble. Who wouldn't want such a group of protectors as the wind beneath their non-profit's wings?
Guardians. Lance believed he had tripped over a distinct and invisible layer of organizational reality, one which needed to stay in the background, but if identified, nurtured and targeted could contribute mightily to the success of any enterprise. Never in control, but always a productive influence, perhaps they are the ones who own the soul of the non-profit they love. Someone has to or it will grow weak and rudderless over time and under many masters. Non-profits are nothing more than their impact on the people they empower. And those who realize the value of that empowerment in their own lives, make the best Guardians.
Lance knew it was time to get on the road again because he had found what he came for. Another purpose in his life. Be a Guardian.
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Awesome insight. It is as clear as a bell now that you have given it form. I wonder what happens to a Guardian if the non-profit told him/her that this is what they have become. Does it spoil this special, organic relationship. Or enhance it.
ReplyDeleteJeff - Good question. Dale Carnegie once said we should "give people a reputation to live up to." I wonder if the Guardians were identified as such, if they would rise to even higher levels of "Guardianship" or if, as you suggested, it would spoil the relationship by putting a label on something that was created and nutured out of one's passion.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Eliot!