Organizational

Analysis of Hospice
Friends
PERFORMED BY:
ALEXIS GROON & SEAN LEEK

Groon & Leek 1

Table of Content
Purpose.......................................................................................................................................2
Organization Overview..............................................................................................................2
Interviews...................................................................................................................................2
Four Frames...............................................................................................................................2
SWOT Analysis.........................................................................................................................4
Recommended Areas of Opportunities......................................................................................5
Recommended Area of Focus for Change Plan.........................................................................5
Conclusion.................................................................................................................................6

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Purpose
The purpose of this document is to conclude the overall findings by Alexis Groon and Sean Leek
regarding Hospice Friends. Theses conclusions are based on enivorment observations, interviews
and general knowledge from the public.
Organizational Overview
Hospice Friends is a non-profit company that gives back to their community in many ways. They
will help any age group, any medical issue, any diagnosis during any stage of life. This program
has been in Ellensburg since the 1980s. It is ran by key employees such as a director,
administrator, and Chaplin but not without any help from many volunteers and a board of
directors. The program has lasted so long on donations from the community, yearly fundraisers
and public grants.
Interviews
Interviews were conducted with four members of the Hospice Friends organization, including
Executive Director Jerry Findley, Volunteer/Program coordinator Janel Malella, Chaplain Janine
Yoder, and volunteer and ex-board member Tish Siegel. The focus of these interviews was to
gather information about the organization, focusing on public perceptions, organizational
strengths and weaknesses, staff engagement and culture, and possible opportunities or threats for
the organization.
There are some strong trends between the four conducted interviews. Most of the interviewees
mentioned money as a threat to the organization. There was a lot of discussion on positive
interactions with clients and families, and how Hospice Friends often has a strong impact on all
involved, including the staff. Another main trend was the discussion of creating an identity
around Hospice Friends, and making the community more aware of the organization and what
they stood for. Jerry talked specifically about separating Hospice Friends from Hospice and
creating a distinction there, whereas Tish talked more about incorporating individuals stories
and making more of an emotional connection with people and business in the community.
Several of the interviewees talked about the impact of the bereavement work of the Chaplain,
and discussed expanding that and bringing that more to the forefront of the organization. All four
of the interviewees either hinted at or blatantly discussed having issues in the culture of the
organization as well, including between the staff, on the Board of Directors, and between Home
Health & Hospice and Hospice Friends.
Four Frames
Structural
Hospice Friends organization structure is not exceedingly complex. There is a Board of
Directors that governs the organization, Jerry Findley as the Executive Director, Janine Yoder as
the Chaplain, and Janel Malella as Volunteer and Program Coordinator. Under this group reside

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the volunteers for the organization. Currently, Hospice Friends does not have a large office
space, with equipment and storage taking up much of the space. This minimizes space, typically
keeping staff to their desks or the conference room and reducing flexibility in working space. It
also does not allow for personal staff space where individuals can have personal work time
without interruption and separate from coworkers. The space is small, but it is well utilized as it
currently is, functioning as office space, storage, and library. The lease of the space will be
expiring soon, so this may be an opportunity to expand the office space, though the connection to
Home Health and Hospice has been and should continue to be of importance.
Some staff in the organization currently have more assigned roles than their position allows them
to comfortably complete. Staff members are completing these requirements well, but it may do
well to separate these roles and potentially adjust the organizational structure through
reassignment or appointment of a new staff. For example, the part-time Chaplain currently is
responsible for both bereavement and spiritual needs, which often brings the role into a full-time
job.
HR
Hospice Friends has created good working relationships between staff members. The staff are
very committed to the mission and work of the organization and truly cares about the impact that
is felt by patients and families. Efforts could be made to further improve communication efforts
between staff, as well as Home Health & Hospice in order to improve relationships and create
more of a family atmosphere. Andre will be stepping in as the new director, so many of these
aspects will need to be reformed and will adjust accordingly with the change. Some staff are not
in the office as often as well, which impacts the environment and culture of the office space.
Short one-on-one meetings or discussions could help to create a stronger familial and
understanding environment, as well as reduce stresses of the job and allow for more
communication regarding frustrations and successes.
Political
There is an upcoming political shift for Hospice Friends within the coming months, as Andre
transitions into the position of Executive Director. This will redefine the current political status
for the organization. Currently, there are some political aspects that are working towards the nonprofits success, such as allowing volunteers to facilitate fundraisers and other community
efforts. This provides more volunteer engagement and involvement, and could be used as a
similar tactic to bring more involvement from staff in allowing them to discuss ideas for growth
or improvement with their position or overall organization efforts.
There is currently a sort of power struggle between Hospice Friends and Home Health &
Hospice, as the latter has also transitioned through its own political changes. Home Health is
dictating the relationship of the organizations and should be rebalanced to provide equal

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engagement and to recreate an important working relationship. Relationships between workers in
each of the groups should be strong as well to promote cohesion.
Symbolic
There is a lot going into symbolic meaning in the Hospice Friends organization. When an
individual enters the complex, they must fully enter Home Health & Hospice before going
through an additional door to the left that brings them to Hospice Friends. Symbolically this
could imply that Hospice Friends is a division of Home Health & Hospice, which is not accurate.
It also serves to put a wall between the two organizations, and this barrier may be a cause for
lessened collaboration as well. However, the close proximity allows convenience for patients
who are working with both organizations. The executive director currently works in the same
office space as both of the other staff members as well as the storage space, which may signify
that the position is on the same level as the other positions and serve to equalize power in the
organization. This is great for developing working relationships with supervisors, however may
reduce functional power in the position.
Hospice Friends is doing well in regards to administration, but this can reduce the community
presence of the organization, symbolically representing less person-to-person interaction and
awareness. In effect, the community identity mimics the symbolic state of the organization, and
should be strengthened by more of an organizational focus on community members stories and
interactions with Hospice Friends.
SWOT Analysis
Strengths

The ability to help anyone, at any stage of life or diagnosises

Has two great fundraisers that are supported by the Kitittas Community
The mission of Peace, Care and Comfort is fully supported by all members of the
operations
Good working relationships between office employees

Weakness

Lack of identity (community does not know what Hospice Friends does, mission only
supports the elderly and anyone facing a life-threatening illness)
Website is in need of updating and organization (dead end links, old job opening, no
updates of bi-annual newsletters)
Discontent with current situation
Change in director and board members

Opportunities

Another fundraiser

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Andre, the new director, being a fresh mind with good interpersonal skills
Another office person to help with work load
Potential change in office space

Threats

Decrease in donations which is the main supply of income

Kitittas Valley Hospital having their own change in directors relative to home health
Medicaid/Medicare and Social Security policy changes
The community is in a transition phase that could jeopodize the supportive aspect of
Hospice Friends
Recommended Areas of Opportunities

Establish an Identity
Hospice Friends would benefit from having a strong community identity and engagement. This
would include many aspects, including organizational culture, outreach, and focus of fundraisers.
This would help to redefine what Hospice Friends means to members of the community, raise
awareness for the organizations efforts, possibly improve financial aspects, and help to provide
an even stronger focus.
Fundraiser and Commission Expansion
This change area would involve a look at fundraiser effects and ways to bring in more
community engagement to these events. It would include possible ways to expand commissions
and discuss these opportunities with families, as well as ideas for volunteer work and outreach.
This would help to possibly improve financial aspects of the organization, as well as some
community outreach.
Structural Rearrangement
Rearrangement would involve a reorganization of the office space in order to improve working
environments and support the culture of the office. It would also include solidified position
expectations and the possible expansion of staff to include a new position, breaking the Chaplain
duties into bereavement and religious support efforts, which would allow for more staff presence
and stronger focus in duties. This would set up for the shift once Andre joins the Hospice
Friends, and would also involve establishing clear lines of communication between staff and the
partner organization Home Health & Hospice.
Recommended Area of Focus for Change Plan
Establishment of Identity
We recommend this change area, as it would likely provide the most impact of positive growth
for the organization. It would increase the public image of the corporation, could help to provide

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more financial income through fundraising and indirectly through commissions, and would help
to improve the overall office culture and dynamics of Hospice Friends. It is also to have the most
lasting impact on perceptions of the organization, both from staff and volunteers already
involved as well as the community at large. Possible considerations could be collaboration with
local businesses, testimonials and experiences with Hospice Friends or hospice in general,
website growth, staff culture cohesion, and so on.
Conclusion
Hospice Friends is an extremely beneficical organization within Ellensburg. As they change their
director and deal with the every changing public support it is important to define what Hospice
Friends can do for the community. Through interviews, assesments and common knowledge we
have decided that to cement this organization in the Ellensburg community it is important to
come up with a identity. The change is relatively easy, but will be worth it in the long run.