Essential Services at Risk: How Can the Corvallis Crisis Line Survive? (B)

This case looks at leadership instability at Corvallis Crisis Line (CCL) and how it has affected the organization’s ability to support and maintain a strong volunteer base. The CCL depends on volunteers to operate the 24/7 crisis intervention phone line and, over the course of the past four years, has experienced a series of weak leadership that caused a deterioration of its organizational culture and an unstable support network for volunteers. During the time frame from 2013–2017, CCL experienced a major change in its Board of Directors and cycled through three different leaders (with coinciding changes in the position title). Currently, CCL is operating without a staff lead and the Board President is, in a volunteer capacity, taking on the responsibilities an Executive Director or Manager would hold.