Helping to help even legends need business strategies: the reputation of New York Harlem's Hale house sank when its president was indicted for financial mismanagement Dr. Lawrence T. Davenport, a veteran financial executive, has stepped in to apply his business acumen and administrative talents to steer the organization back to its former glory.

• Author: Vallario, Cynthia Waller
• Position: Non-profits

Over 30 years ago, Mother Clara Hale opened the doors at Hale House Center in Harlem in New York City. Her goal: to sustain babies and children in need and their families in crisis who couldn't support them. President Reagan called the legendary founder "a saint and an American hero." When she died in 1992, her daughter, Dr. Lorraine Hale, succeeded her as president, but she resigned two years ago amid a financial mismanagement scandal and subsequent indictments. Her husband, who worked with her at the facility, was also indicted.

Her successor, Dr. Lawrence F. Davenport, Hale House's current Executive Director and CEO since June 2002, is a former educator and college administrator, high-ranking federal government official and Vice President and CFO of the Milton Hershey School. As a young boy, he wanted to be a social worker, making that his first job out of college. "Coming to Hale House is, for me, coming full-circle professionally," says the tall and soft-spoken Davenport.

When he accepted the post, he knew he faced formidable challenges to repair the center's tarnished reputation and win back public confidence for the center. Any misgivings he had revolved around the uncertainty and risk of relying on donor contributions in a tough economy, with individuals and corporations cutting back on charitable giving.

But Davenport is very mindful, and somewhat in awe, of how Mother Clara Hale continually found ways to address new problems and needs while performing her mission of building better lives for disadvantaged children.

Since his arrival, Davenport and his staff have implemented systemic changes to the organization, aiming to perform some minor miracles of their own by developing and implementing basic management models. Can coordinated strategic planning, program evaluations, and performance measures help to carry on the legacy?

Pennies Don't Come from Heaven

When Dr. Lorraine Hale stepped down, the New York Attorney General's office took over the organization, dismanted the board of directors and appointed a new board. This new board then hired an interim director, who served for one year prior to Davenport's arrival.

During this transition period, fundraising and public relations were in crisis mode, or worse; the usual support of notables and celebrities eroded, direct mail solicitations for donations ceased and the frequent donor contribution list dwindled from 200,000 contributors to 12,000.

"The public simply didn't know Hale...