Abstract
Most non-profit organizations move through a life cycle consisting distinct stages that define the change of organizational activities and processes. Although these stages are well defined in the literature, the manner in which non-profit organizations transition through the life cycle vary greatly. This article will present a case study of the Yee Hong Centre for Geriatric Care, a non-profit senior care organization from Toronto, Canada, to illustrate its development throughout the non-profit organizational life cycle. The Yee Hong Centre's adoption of a continuum of care model will be of particular focus as one of the primary drivers of the organization's development. This article will also discuss the challenges that the Yee Hong Centre continues to face in maintaining its current level of success and provide a conceptual examination of how the continuum of care model can be applied to contribute to the organization's sustainability.
TopBackground
According to Lester, Parnell, and Carraher (2003), most non-profit organizations follow a five-stage life cycle consisting of: existence; survival; success; renewal; and decline. Although the cycle is presented in a seemingly linear fashion, not all non-profit organizations proceed through the five stages in such a manner. In fact, some organizations may regress to an earlier stage or skip to a later stage, while others may remain in one stage for an extended period of time. Still, some organizations, such as the Yee Hong Centre, may transition through multiple stages, but remain far from the final stage of decline (Lester, Parnell & Carraher, 2003).
What accounts for the variance in organizational development? Simon (2012) argues that there are seven distinct factors that influence the development of a non-profit organization. These factors include:
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Governance: the role of the board of directors in driving the long-term planning and development of the organization;
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Leadership: the role of senior executives in translating the organizational mission into reality;
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Financing: the organization’s source of funding and fundraising to sustain its operation;
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Administrative systems: the establishment of formal systems, procedures, and policies within the organization;
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Products and services: the tangible or intangible benefits that customers gain from the use of the organization’s products and services;
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Staffing: the human resources required to sustain the operation of the organization; and
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Marketing: the organization’s promotional and outreach efforts (Simon, 2012; Varga Consulting, 2017).
The importance of each factor and the influence that it exerts on the organization depend largely on the stage of development that the organization is at (Simon, 2012). For example, in early stages where an organization is only beginning to form, leadership is considered to be more important than staffing, as the organization requires strong leaders with the capacity to gather resources and translate their vision into reality. Over time, however, staffing eventually becomes more important as the organization grows in stability and human resources become necessary to maintain daily operation (Simon, 2012).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Strategic Plan: A plan that defines an organization’s direction and how it will be translated into practice.
Sustainability: The ability of an organization to maintain or enhance current operations towards the pursuit of its mission.
Non-Profit Organizational Life Cycle: A developmental cycle for non-profit organizations that defines distinct stages and their associated activities and processes.
Continuum of Care: A model of care that provides a seamless transition of health and social services for clients.
Social Enterprise: A type of organization that uses commercial methods to maximize social impact.
Resourcing Practice: A practice to gather resources that provide support to organizational activities.
Core Resourcing: A type of resourcing practice that funds the primary operations of an organization.