March 2025
Case
HBS Case Collection

No One Left Behind (D)

By: Lynn S. Paine, Herman B. "Dutch" Leonard, Max Hancock and David Lane

Format:Print
| Language:English
| Pages:9

Abstract

In September 2021, the board of directors for the nonprofit No One Left Behind (NOLB) faced a crucial decision. Since its 2013 founding, NOLB had helped resettle in the United States thousands of Afghans and Iraqis who had assisted U.S. forces as combat translators; its directors also had forged strong relationships with key members of Congress and government officials through advocacy for the U.S. Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program. As the organization expanded, the board had sought to professionalize NOLB’s governance, systematize its fundraising, and strengthen the accountability and reporting mechanisms that many donors expected. That effort was interrupted in August 2021 when the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan led to a surge in donations to—and requests for assistance from—NOLB. The heightened pressures created tensions and disagreements among NOLB board members over the scope of the organization’s mission and uses of funds. The result: a schism in the board and efforts to unseat five of its 13 members. This four-part case series examines how NOLB addressed this crisis, secured its future, and matured as a professionalized nonprofit.