Date of Conferral

8-17-2026

Date of Award

August 2026

Degree

Doctor of Human Services (D.H.S.)

School

Human Services

Advisor

Sarah Matthey

Abstract

Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) operate in increasingly volatile environments characterized by financial uncertainty, political pressures, and climate-related disruptions; however, many lack formalized crisis management systems. The absence of structured crisis governance exposes organizations to operational instability, financial risk, and reputational damage. The purpose of this qualitative force field analysis study was to explore a local farming sustainability NGO’s perceived driving and restraining forces for developing a formal crisis management plan. Guided by Burnett’s crisis management model and Lewin’s force field analysis framework, data were collected from nine organizational leaders involved in governance and operational decision making. Round 1 included open-ended online questionnaires analyzed using thematic analysis. Round 2 required participants to rank the identified themes based on their influence. Seven themes emerged: (a) structured crisis management and formalization; (b) financial sustainability as crisis resilience; (c) capacity strengthening for crisis preparedness; (d) strategic communication and coordination; (e) context-driven crisis vulnerability and community accountability; (f) shift from reactive to proactive management; and (g) organizational learning and strategic evolution. Ranking results identified structured crisis management, financial sustainability, and capacity strengthening as the strongest drivers for institutional reform. Findings indicated that structural governance gaps and financial vulnerability outweigh any resistance to change. Implications for positive social change include strengthened nonprofit governance, improved service continuity for vulnerable communities and enhanced organizational resilience within human services

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