A cautionary tale of power and corruption: CEO autonomy and board oversight at the Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence

Abstract

The Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence (FCADV) was a nationally recognized nonprofit until 2019 when scandalous newspaper headlines such as “$7.5 million payday for the head of this Florida nonprofit” alerted the public that something was amiss. The nonprofit was sued by the state and disbanded. In this teaching case, we describe the history of the nonprofit coalition and the crisis that emerged. This case is appropriate for undergraduate and graduate students. Students put themselves in the position of learning from the lessons of FCADV and designing a new and improved nonprofit coalition. The teaching tools address learning objectives in board governance, leadership, human resources, ethics, finance, public policy, and public management courses.