Date

12-3-2025

ESRP 9000 Professor

Sandy Underhill, Ed.D.

ESRP 9001 Professor

Sandy Underhill, Ed.D.

Executive Summary

The Role of Mentorship for Mid-Management Leadership Development in a Nonprofit Organization: A Strategic Research Project. Lesley-Ann Guy, 2025: Strategic Research Project, Nova Southeastern University, Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice. Keywords: decision-making, leadership behavior, leadership development, mentorship, middle-management, strategic planning, organizational culture.

This strategic research project was a mixed methods research study aimed to identify a key gap/problem by utilizing an evidence-based framework. The strategic process uncovered mid-management leadership development as a critical gap to address in order to increase quality business outcomes for nonprofit organization success. The project highlighted the importance of valuing and prioritizing professional development to improve employee engagement, increase retention and foster a sustained culture of learning and growth. This mixed-method research approach incorporated a strengths-weaknesses-opportunities-threats analysis and a comprehensive review of scholarly, peer-reviewed literature to identify potential solutions for Jewish Adoption and Family Care Options. Among the four solutions examined, implementing a structured mentorship program emerged as the most effective. Using quantitative assessment tools, including the Internal Factor Evaluation Matrix, External Factor Evaluation Matrix, and the Quantitative Strategic Planning Matrix, the analysis indicated that establishing a formal mentor–mentee pairing model would offer the strongest strategic impact. An action plan was developed to implement the strategy and serve as a framework for similar organizations seeking to develop a mentorship program. The five action steps highlighted the need for proactively generating executive level support and buy-in for the program to be implemented, intentional design on the mentor/mentee pairing scheme, utilizing an engagement plan, providing training and development and offer continuous support and evaluation. The peer review process and oral defense were valuable in highlighting possible limitations of the study.

Lastly, the research findings highlighted the importance of leadership development practices to be embedded in an organization’s culture by effectively utilizing mentorship as a strategic management tool to ensure organizational successes that are powered by knowledge, competencies and the skills of employees and that mid-management. This plays a crucial role in impacting employee perception, engagement, retention and productivity. The research findings in this strategic research project also serve as a valuable resource for strategic leadership teams seeking to improve competencies for mid-management teams and enhance nonprofit organizational success. Recommendations include capitalizing on mentoring as a valuable management tool, improving access to leadership development and addressing the agency’s bench strength to navigate current and future threats to sustainability.

Document Type

Strategic Research Project-NSU Access Only

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

College

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education

Concentration

Organizational Leadership

Language

English

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