Rebounding After Loss: A Nonprofit Organization’s Recovery After the Untimely Death of Its Founder

Students pursuing degrees at Molloy University’s School of Business are required to complete a Capstone course in their final semester or year. This signature course uses a mixed methods approach that combines the flipped classroom with community engagement to provide students with an experiential learning opportunity. This paper presents the results of student efforts in an undergraduate Capstone in Fall 2022. During the 14-week semester, students worked in small teams to address challenges presented by the Executive Director of the Learning Institute of Tennis, Life Skills, and Sportsmanship (LITLSS), a young nonprofit organization based in Freeport (Long Island), New York. The challenges were aggregated into three projects for the class to solve: (1) fundraising ideas and opportunities; (2) winter programs focused on life skills and enrichment; and, (3) social media strategy with tactics. Teams delivered their recommendations in a business report and presentation at the end of the semester. Recommendations were grounded in research and supported with implementation plans, projected outcomes, potential risks and mitigation efforts, and more. The untimely death of the organization’s founder led students to also learn about the importance of documentation and succession planning to prepare for possible, predictable, and untimely “bad” situations.