Hearts for the Homeless Orlando has a very clear and organized structure for how they run things. The Orlando chapter is connected to and governed by the international non-profit. Although the chapter is given a lot of freedom for how they choose to go about their responsibilities, in the end, they are subject to the discretion of the international non-profit’s executive board. These individuals connect with the executive board of the chapters if they want to enact procedural changes. The Orlando chapter executive board is composed of a president and vice-president, secretary, treasurer, medical informations officer, community outreach officer, and a recruitment officer. These individuals are UCF students and they oversee donation drives, advocacy, socials and the organization newsletter, fundraising, medical information, volunteering and screenings, and networking respectively. Each executive board member oversees a group of UCF student volunteers called directors that aid them in accomplishing the goals for their area of specialization. There are 27 positions for becoming a director which means there are 34 opportunities for leadership within the Orlando chapter. The organization also has a very consistent schedule for screenings, occurring four times a week. In addition to screenings, H4H Orlando also has other service opportunities not related to the non-profit and monthly general body meetings to update their volunteers about procedural changes/upcoming opportunities.

The four frames developed by Bolman and Deal allow us to analyze the dynamics of an organization through the realms of structure, human resources, politics, and symbolism. Viewing an organization through these lenses allows a person to observe areas of strength that should be commended and areas of weakness that need to be improved upon. I decided to relate the human resource lens to Hearts for the Homeless Orlando, the non-profit to which I have dedicated 40 hours of service this semester. Human resources focuses on what the organization does for its volunteers and how they offer opportunities and room for growth. I chose this aspect of the organization because it is something that I believe they do very well. They’ve taken many actions to reward the students who are contributing to the mission and therefore bettering the local community.

One tangible action that Hearts for the Homeless Orlando have taken is making leadership opportunities available for students of all backgrounds. Taking on a position on the executive board or as a director allows these students to gain many new experiences and hone many skills that are important in the workforce and the medical field. Additionally, having one of these positions would make students a more competitive applicant for any position or internship that they may apply for in the future. The organization also offers workshops and informational panels for its student volunteers. Many of the members servicing H4H have the desire to work in the medical field, so these panels can help them to learn more about specific professions and their qualifications. From what I’ve learned from the directors, student volunteers are also able to host workshops once they become consistently involved in the organization which is also a great learning experience.

Although the organization is very strong in the human resources department, I have some suggestions for how they could improve. They host information panels but I feel that holding more (about 2 each month) could be very helpful. Having these more frequently would aid the aspiring physicians to constantly be working towards building up their resume and experiences for the medical school application cycle. I also think that reaching out to UCF College of Medicine faculty to speak during these panels could be useful to many of the students who plan to apply to medical school. Having a public list of the presenters and their contact information would allow members even greater opportunities for learning about a specific profession and possibly finding an internship or mentor.