Wendy Lewis only

3 days ago

William Walker

DB 4

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The nonprofit organization that I chose for this weeks discussion was Livestrong. This is an organization founded in 1996 and their mission is to serve people affected by cancer by any means possible. They do this through funding advanced research, starting support programs, holding events to raise awareness, and supporting patients with their medical needs. 

I believe one of the most vital concepts that Livestrong needs to get a hold of would be advocacy and lobbying. Most people would agree that cancer is the most widespread and harmful disease that is still very prevalent around the globe. Although this fact is true there are not that many people consistently involved in being part of the solution to this disease epidemic. One of the key reasons for this is that not everyone seeing, reading, or hearing about it enough consistently to be moved to become part of the change. The text shows how crucial the nonprofits, like Livestrong, play a key role in this change when it states, "In most instances, nonprofit organizations have played an essential role by bringing the issue to the public's attention, influencing attitudes and building support for change, and lobbying for new laws" (Worth, p.285). Livestrong needs to take this truth and put it into practice through methods like creating more advocacy groups, doing repeated awareness events around the globe, and even mainstreaming it through social media sharing.

Another important aspect that Livestrong needs to consider would be to make sure to be sustaining innovation. Innovation is not just an important concept to implement externally, but even internally as well. Our text talks about the importance of innovative success and how it looks when implemented internally when it states, "The organizations that we worked with...have in common one apparently simple practice: They pay a great deal of attention to the inner experiences of the people who work with them" (Worth, p.420). The importance here is that to be a successful company, especially an innovative one, the organization needs to get involved and care about the lives of their employees. The experiences the workers have during their job may determine their level of work, company morale, and eventually lead to successfully continuing the organizations mission. 

The third concept I would give to Livestrong would be that they need to establish strong global funding. Livestrong is an organization based in the United States and focused primarily on United states residents as well. Livestrong was one one of the most well known cancer fighting nonprofits around the country, but as of recent years they have become a little stagnant. To help push them forward I think it would be wise to begin going into other countries and seek out international donors to help push their cause further. There is no shortage of cancer suffering around the globe. This new fundraising would not only bring in increased capital for Livestrong to utlize, but also take advantage of the fact that "fundraising has grown in nations around the world" (Worth, p.434). If they want to increase funding and continue on their path to a cancer free world, they need to be willing to go international in search for increased resources. 

References:

Worth, M. J. (2017). Nonprofit Management: Principles and Practices, 4th Edition. SAGE Publications, Inc.

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