How I got into non-profit work (and a recommended read)

Cass Wheeler was the longtime Chief Executive Officer of the American Heart Association. He was with the AHA for more than 30 years -- 26 of them at the National Center -- and served as CEO for 11 years. He retired early this year.

All of that's on the public record. Less known is that Cass hired me into the American Heart Association in Texas, my first "non-profit" gig. Back in 1980 (which seems like eons ago but is only 28 years) he took a chance on a younger, 20-something kid with a background in marketing and PR. I was responsible for spreading the AHA message in 20 media markets in Texas. I learned lots about how to work with a "jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none" generalist staffing structure and eager volunteers organized in any Texas community large enough to have a Dairy Queen. He paid me peanuts! It was a great job.

Cass is quite a guy: personable and brimming with positive energy, he listens and supports and persuades. He is, in short, a very effective leader. Cass ensured that the American Heart Association saved lives by taking for-profit strategies and adopting them in the not-for-profit setting. That was a fairly radical concept at the time.

Of course, he's written a book. And it's a pretty darn good one. I don't think he had this ghost-written -- it has his voice throughout. And reading it brought back many episodes -- the good, the bad, and the just-plain ugly -- from my AHA stint.

I took that first AHA job thinking I'd be there a couple of years; I stayed with them for 21 years. AHA was always good to me, allowing me to stretch and grow. If there was more to be done than my job called for, they would encourage me to take on additional responsibility. It prepared me for each next step ... the move to California, helping to re-structure 18 separate corporate entities into one affiliate, switching from communications and planning to revenue development, learning to manage all of the programmatic enterprises, discovering how to work with volunteers and boards, and, ultimately, finding and loving major and planned gifts work.

My ability to teach and present to adults ... my understanding of complex systems ... my skill at coaching and mentoring staff -- all of these skills have their roots in the AHA, and I shall never forget that.

Back to Cass' book: In the for-profit world, success first and foremost means ... well, that you turn a profit. For organizations in our community benefit sector, however, the challenge is much different. To be successful, we must make money, yes, but for a larger purpose. So the key becomes finding and keeping your mission and purpose, creating your vision, and making it a reality.

Under his leadership, the AHA went from a pretty dis-organized organization (heading every which way at once) to what could be called the benchmark of a thriving nonprofit. He increased revenue from $400 million to $800 million, sure. But more importantly, he launched some incredibly innovative programs. The narrative in his book describes how they were conceived, planned, and executed.

Not all of the examples are from AHA, but he dwells mostly on some really stellar management and leadership principles that he's professed and lived by through the years. I learned a whole lot from him, both directly and indirectly, while at the AHA. Often, in consulting, a client will pose a question. The answer pops into my head, seemingly without thought or effort. And the client will wonder: "How do you know this stuff??" Well, in truth, I learned much of it right there as part of the heart association.

In You’ve Gotta Have Heart, Cass Wheeler displays how to move beyond theory and intention to actually get results. He riffs on mission, on finding and keeping the best staff, the importance of focus. And on how to stay relevant, and how to apply for-profit best practices in our sector.

Perhaps it's not the most thought-provoking book --there's no single, defining "aha" moment here (though I confess I might be too close to the content to judge this, and others might find it). But the book is filled with honesty that makes it a case study from Cass' fine career. It's practical. There's a lot of good stuff here. Leaders of community benefit organizations -- large and small: put this book on your reading list!