ACORN: A Lesson For All to Learn
posted on: Monday, September 21, 2009
Gary Snyder
The media, the public and government decision-makers have become consumed with the conduct at the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, commonly known as ACORN.
Many have found it hard to believe the allegations. They think that they are mere distortions, because ACORN has been the pillar of moving democracy forward for the economically disenfranchised. Others believe that a few misdeeds have led to a piling on of assertions that bare no merit.
But there are an overwhelming number of incidences that would lead one to think that there are significant problems. Many have chronicled the charges of voter fraud, silencing internal fraud, failing to pay workers overtime, advisers giving imprudent advise on tax, banking and immigration issues, to name a few.
Throughout its history ACORN has had a mixed reputation. Many think that it espoused, and acted on, a vision that would make this country more inclusive. On the other hand, others judged ACORN not only on its mission but also on its methods. Neither considered that the failure of its leadership was in tragic contrast to obtaining its mission.
As the bad news surfaced to the top, ACORN true believers refused to believe that their candle was starting to dim. Insiders, as well as avid supports, refused to subordinate it mission to its methods.
These matters have given the public a template for how not to run an agency. ACORN attacked the attackers rather than addressing the fundamentals as to why they are in trouble. They didn’t address a compromised culture with change. As a result, those with rose-colored viewpoint of an organization that is on the precipice of extinction is a wonderful example what the charitable community is facing: denial.
We see similar idealistic, and often-blind support, at countless nonprofits. Most people who join nonprofit boards or staff do so because they subscribe to the mission of the agency. Being wed to the mission of an agency is one of the most important reasons to be come involved or contribute. But it should be only one of the motivations.
We see the rainbow of board and staff responsibilities at agencies being overlooked. Boards typically love to be involved in programming at the expense of monitoring the finances and oversight. Avoidance of conflict, even deference, toward the executive, is omnipresent; conflict of interest continues to mount; and developing, following, and updating agency policies has fallen by the wayside. In many instances, it seems as though agency survival has taken a step back to personal social or financial betterment.
While some may suggest that I have overstated the shortcomings of agency leadership, I would suggest that the public is subscribing to my view. Contributions are down (this started when the economy was booming); confidence is down (this has been diminishing for almost five years) and insider malfeasance has reached new heights. The latter is a function of little oversight, financial illiteracy, and little guidelines from which to lead, coupled with an increasing culture of poorly grounded ethics.
The ACORN story is not only about a few employees using incredibly bad judgment. It is about a sanctimonious belief in the agency’s mission and a tonal denial of the merits of its critic’s allegations. All nonprofits make mistakes and many make big ones. What makes an agency vulnerable is how they address them, despite how politically well connected they are.
Whether the ACORN affair is a management fiasco or not, it is a board governance disaster. The ultimate authority of any organization is the board. From all appearances, the ACORN board had a hands-off approach to governance. Some would say it was driven by arrogance. If that is true or not, the ACORN case study is an extraordinary example for other charities on which to reflect---its good as well as its bad---and learn from it.
The charity sector candle is starting to flicker, but it is certainly not out. Now is the time for all of us to join in the rekindling of the flame before all of the other opportunities are foreclosed.
Gary Snyder, the managing director of Nonprofit Imperative in West Bloomfield, Mich., is author of Nonprofits On the Brink and publisher of a monthly e-newsletter—Nonprofit Imperative, which focuses on the major issues affecting the philanthropic community. He can be reached at gary.r.snyder@gmail.com or at 248.324.3700.
The media, the public and government decision-makers have become consumed with the conduct at the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, commonly known as ACORN.
Many have found it hard to believe the allegations. They think that they are mere distortions, because ACORN has been the pillar of moving democracy forward for the economically disenfranchised. Others believe that a few misdeeds have led to a piling on of assertions that bare no merit.
But there are an overwhelming number of incidences that would lead one to think that there are significant problems. Many have chronicled the charges of voter fraud, silencing internal fraud, failing to pay workers overtime, advisers giving imprudent advise on tax, banking and immigration issues, to name a few.
Throughout its history ACORN has had a mixed reputation. Many think that it espoused, and acted on, a vision that would make this country more inclusive. On the other hand, others judged ACORN not only on its mission but also on its methods. Neither considered that the failure of its leadership was in tragic contrast to obtaining its mission.
As the bad news surfaced to the top, ACORN true believers refused to believe that their candle was starting to dim. Insiders, as well as avid supports, refused to subordinate it mission to its methods.
These matters have given the public a template for how not to run an agency. ACORN attacked the attackers rather than addressing the fundamentals as to why they are in trouble. They didn’t address a compromised culture with change. As a result, those with rose-colored viewpoint of an organization that is on the precipice of extinction is a wonderful example what the charitable community is facing: denial.
We see similar idealistic, and often-blind support, at countless nonprofits. Most people who join nonprofit boards or staff do so because they subscribe to the mission of the agency. Being wed to the mission of an agency is one of the most important reasons to be come involved or contribute. But it should be only one of the motivations.
We see the rainbow of board and staff responsibilities at agencies being overlooked. Boards typically love to be involved in programming at the expense of monitoring the finances and oversight. Avoidance of conflict, even deference, toward the executive, is omnipresent; conflict of interest continues to mount; and developing, following, and updating agency policies has fallen by the wayside. In many instances, it seems as though agency survival has taken a step back to personal social or financial betterment.
While some may suggest that I have overstated the shortcomings of agency leadership, I would suggest that the public is subscribing to my view. Contributions are down (this started when the economy was booming); confidence is down (this has been diminishing for almost five years) and insider malfeasance has reached new heights. The latter is a function of little oversight, financial illiteracy, and little guidelines from which to lead, coupled with an increasing culture of poorly grounded ethics.
The ACORN story is not only about a few employees using incredibly bad judgment. It is about a sanctimonious belief in the agency’s mission and a tonal denial of the merits of its critic’s allegations. All nonprofits make mistakes and many make big ones. What makes an agency vulnerable is how they address them, despite how politically well connected they are.
Whether the ACORN affair is a management fiasco or not, it is a board governance disaster. The ultimate authority of any organization is the board. From all appearances, the ACORN board had a hands-off approach to governance. Some would say it was driven by arrogance. If that is true or not, the ACORN case study is an extraordinary example for other charities on which to reflect---its good as well as its bad---and learn from it.
The charity sector candle is starting to flicker, but it is certainly not out. Now is the time for all of us to join in the rekindling of the flame before all of the other opportunities are foreclosed.
Gary Snyder, the managing director of Nonprofit Imperative in West Bloomfield, Mich., is author of Nonprofits On the Brink and publisher of a monthly e-newsletter—Nonprofit Imperative, which focuses on the major issues affecting the philanthropic community. He can be reached at gary.r.snyder@gmail.com or at 248.324.3700.
posted by Gary at
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