The social change model of leadership and the 7C’s are intended to work in conjunction with the understanding it is a working framework subject to revision and modification to fit the needs of those who use it. Organizations can use this model to help them make positive changes that will enhance the work they do more effectively (Bright, 2023). Children’s Home Society (CHS) can benefit from using this model if the leadership believes in the process of identifying strengths and areas of growth using the 7C’s. Change can be effective in this organization if they have a culture that embraces individual, group, and societal values. The following evaluates CHS by using the 7C’s in the social change model.

Consciousness of Self: At Children’s Home Society they truly pride themselves in creating a customer-friendly environment. They not only push for the personnel to value one another they put it into practice. They hold positive affirmation donations that help those in the organization support the families they serve by practicing among all the volunteers. They hold every month a positive affirmation activity. This is where everyone is asked to write a positive message to put in a jar and distribute to the families. It will encourage those who are struggling to feel they are worthy. The groups share how this brings them a joy to work with an organization that values their opinions and actions. I used this to distribute to some of my colleagues and they were so grateful that they had someone think of them as a valuable asset to the team. They see the importance of creating a change for the greater good of creating positive social change. I think the only area of growth I can see in this organization is to have a bigger platform to share these great ideas and have the volunteers bring them back to their schools or universities and market the value to others. Reaching more people to share this great way of valuing others and at the same time spreading their mission and vision.

Congruence: To understand as an organization the value of the parts is just as important as the whole requires a deep understanding of the individuals they serve and of those who work for them. I found that CHS has several partnerships and committees they work with and while this can be a great asset it can also be an area that can go astray if there are too many partnerships and not enough employees to manage them all. One of the ways I see this is the willingness to get constant feedback from their volunteers to find ways they can improve their practices, which is always a plus in any organization. They seem to value the versatility of the group’s opinion and continue to find new ways to connect with the group as a whole to work towards a shared purpose.

Commitment: They say true commitment requires discipline, a belief that there is worth to the goals at hand, and passion to see it succeed. While it is true that this may vary for every individual there is an underlying importance to have an internal motivation to see it through the end of a committed goal or action. This can be seen in CHS in the way they advertise for the organization as well as for individual families. They will set a schedule calendar for each branch located in Florida and then place all events on a group calendar which is shared on various social media accounts. They strive to reach as many people as possible but their commitment to the events and keeping all up to date is evidence of their value in understanding their targeted groups. They have a passion for the cause, and it shows through all the hard work the team makes to see it succeed. The only setback of this is when someone in the team is not as committed as the rest of the team and it can hinder the effectiveness of the commitment to stay on target. It is also something that can be seen in the delay of email responses when there is a deadline to meet. It can create stress and anxiety in some team members and affect the commitment of others. So, it is important to not only do it for the organization but for the success of the people they serve. Commitment can be a big issue if someone is not managing it, but it can also be such an inspiring attribute when it’s seen in various team members. So, the outliers are seen as the exception and not the usual in the individual.

Collaboration: The word collaboration seems to be used everywhere you look, and this is because it is one of the most vital components of any well-organized program. It is what brings new ideas to light, shared values and beliefs are respected, and reflective discussions are welcomed. This is one leadership skill that is imperative to running a competent organization because it requires one to understand one can’t do it alone. Children’s Home Society continues to stress in everything they do that they cannot do it alone and ninety percent of the work goes into collaborative endeavors. They seek to work with people from all backgrounds and experiences from students to politicians. They advertise the work they do with various groups and push for volunteers to share the work they do with others. They truly value the collaborations they have because it’s what their company is driven by. The success of teamwork is what keeps the doors open for families in need. Children in foster care are helped by providing families with the resources they need to bring back the child into a safe and healthy environment. The partnerships they maintain mean the families benefit from the collaboration process. The drawback for CHS is just the amount of time it takes to do collaborative work with the leadership as volunteers are just with the community service leader and therefore it’s hard to see the collaborative work with leadership. This may be the case because of the sheer size of the organization and therefore volunteers are only working with a group of other volunteers, and it would be nice to meet the leadership team.

Common Purpose: Children’s Home Society is an organization that supports its mission and purpose by finding people who share in the goal of supporting healthy and safe families. They work with groups interested in providing more exposure to the goal and mission of the programs they support. There is a message of togetherness and family throughout the organization which bridges the purpose and potential of the work being done. They share the impact of the common purpose changes the lives of others as well as those who serve. So, this is a brilliant way to keep the mission and vision in the forefront of the organization. The only setback is when others do not buy into the purpose and are merely doing it for hours needed and ready to move on. It has to be something they feel invested in and want to make because otherwise you end up with a mixed team group and it can be challenging. The ability to work with others is key and CHS does that well for the size of the program.

Controversy with Civility: The ability to have everyone’s opinion and viewpoints matter is an integral part of working well with others. The understanding is that diversity is an advantageous factor that reinforces collaboration and inclusive practice. A positive and encouraging leader can find commonality among their group team members. The practice of patience and respect is what will help improve communication. CHS has a wide range of ways to improve communication among the groups. They require volunteer groups to send out ways to share how they want to conduct information distribution and inform the public they serve better. They allow for respectful discussions among those involved in collecting donations. They request feedback from the group and frequently send out emails to keep everyone focused on the goal. They understand how many of the volunteers’ schedules are different and that the needs of the person are diverse. They allow volunteers to set up their schedules and find their own way to bring the donations in for the families in need. One thing that can be improved is finding different ways volunteers can communicate better than just emails. It would be nice to have a social media account where open discussions can take place among the different activities one is interested in. They have such a wide range of activities that it can be difficult to meet other people before the activity happens and eliminate the first meeting differences. I think that CHS is an organization that values diversity and differing viewpoints because of all the partnerships they are involved with. The support of politicians is evident in how they translate the message of diversity.

Citizenship is a leadership skill that is essential to making teamwork around issues that are surrounding your community. The understanding that it is a common concern that others need to get involved with to improve the lives of those in need is a way to bring unity and justice. The commitment to advocacy and awareness is seen in almost everything CHS stands for. The amount of publicity and advertisements regarding the social issues around the lives of children is so impressive that it reaches out of area attention. The nutritional, social, and emotional factors that affect this population are evident around the world and this nonprofit organization focuses on communities around the state of Florida. The amount of advocacy they do on services and solutions speaks volumes for what they stand for. Children’s Home Society strives to also make early childhood programs that support the positive environments they need to have a healthy future. The donations they collect are to encourage volunteers to see the value of the work they do that will impact future generations. The value of citizens becoming involved in a cause for change is a powerful tool that leaders need to lean into and bring about positive change. CHS does find unique programs like the new baby kits designed to bring expecting mothers in areas of need some of the items that they may not be able to afford. They focus on volunteers bringing in the donations and bonding the groups by creating these special kits. It was such a pleasure bringing awareness to this cause and it was so rewarding. The only growth I see in this area is how they could let volunteers know the impact of their service and donations to help them feel more connected to the cause and entice them to do it again. I recommend posting pictures of the families receiving the items and maybe a message about what it meant for them and their families. Commitment to believing one is making a difference is hard to see if they don’t know the impact of the fruits of their labor.

Finally, leaders in any organization need to be reflective and evaluate the need to pivot when things do not go as planned. The ability to be self-reflective and open to feedback will only enhance the collaborative relationships needed for projects to succeed. If everyone shares a common vision or goal, then the group can bring about change that makes a real difference. The Children’s Home Society has so much going on to support its community that they need to know how to adapt and work with the things that may disrupt a perfect plan or schedule.

Three takeaways on organization leadership:

1. Leadership is a collaborative effort that requires patience and understanding.
2. Social Change happens when a collective of individuals sees the potential to improve the quality of life for others and their communities.
3. Just as one drop of water slowly fills a bucket eventually, imagine what it could do if it rained. One volunteer leads to another and eventually, you make a difference in what matters.

Bright, J. (2023, August 2). The Seven C’s of Leadership Development and Community Change | Rural Prosperity Nebraska. Ruralprosperityne.unl.edu. https://ruralprosperityne.unl.edu/seven-cs-leadership-development-and-community-change