The agency interviewed for this paper is Tracy Palmer Ministries and the N.G.O.’s C.E.O., Tracy Palmer. Tracy, the company’s C.E.O., is a mother of four, Nana of 7, and the wife to James Palmer (Tracy Palmer Ministries, 2020). The C.E.O. holds a Bachelor’s in Administration from Strayer University and an Associate’s Degree in Early Childhood Education from Delaware Technical Community College. Tracy was ordained and licensed under Overseer Mark D. Harmon of Father’s Kingdom/Victory Church in Dover, DE, and Brian D. Moore, a Presiding Prelate Bishop and the leader of Life Center Fellowship Church in Charleston, S.C. after she completed her M.I.T. She is the C.E.O. and founder of the N.G.O., Tracy Palmer Ministries, Inc., that won the 2018 Community Difference Maker Award among other accolades. The pastor mentors females through her church and empowers them with her wisdom and advice. She has been described as courageous, tenacious, truthful, and transparent.
Upon attending a Board meeting and interviewing the C.E.O., I learned and observed the different roles the Board plays in the church. I noted that, apart from her ministry, Pastor Tracy combines her Godly calling with serving the people. She was very passionate about her Tracy Palmer Ministries Food Pantry and Clothing Closet, which helps and feeds the homeless. The pastor cooks and distributes foods during holidays like Thanksgiving ceremonies. However, I noticed that she needs help to do all these things. She has a Board of Directors of her church that helps the leader with almost every ministry activity. The Board is responsible for facilitating food drives hosted by the N.G.O. and other community events. As a result, the ministry has become a significant resource for the community of Delaware. Most of the board members were women, which informed me about one of the books she co-authored in Amazon displays. The bestselling books Girl, Get Up and Win, and Prayer, Changes Everything are representations of her ministries and work in the community. Thus, the C.E.O. and the Board seek to inspire and motivate more women to become active members of society.
The Board members are expected to keep the organization’s activities running, even if the C.E.O. is away. For example, on their Facebook account, the C.E.O. posted a message thanking the ministry’s Board of Directors and Community Outreach Team for their continued excellence in her absence. This indicated that, although the C.E.O. was away, the Board has typically ensured the N.G.O. continues with its operations. Thus, it is important to note how the Board facilitates partnerships with other organizations to benefit the ministry. These partnerships have helped the organization garner more resources to distribute to the community several times a month. Ideally, the mission statement of the N.G.O. is to empower, enlighten, and encourage people in different stages of their lives to seek professional, personal, and spiritual growth via venues offering awareness, spiritual guidance, motivation, and mentoring. For such a mission to be accomplished, the board members have ensured they partnered with various professionals, enabling the organization to prosper. Such achievements indicate that the Board of Directors is not selected only to monitor the organizational performance but to ensure the firm is sustainable and stays within its original objectives.
The activities of the Tracy Palmer Ministries and how they make their roles seem simple, fulfilling, and educative have inspired me to become a Board member in the future. My passion and idea of enriching other people’s lives can be fulfilled if I become a Board member of an N.G.O. like Tracy Palmer Ministries. I observed that the ministry and Board members, in particular, encourage community members to fulfill their servant leadership, stewardship, and discipleship through teaching, workshops, community outreach, conferences, networking, and mentoring. Since I intend to have a successful career in the human service field, my observations in the board meeting encouraged me to adopt more skills that can make me an influential Board member like those of Tracy Palmer Ministries. I also learned how much the Board members believe and value the dignity of each individual they serve after listening to their contributions in the meeting. For example, although the Board had earlier informed people willing to volunteer that there were no vacancies, they were the individuals of other avenues to try and welcomed them to attend the subsequent ceremonies for free meals and clothes.
My ideas and perspectives about an N.G.O., especially a gospel ministry, changed when I attended the Board meeting. For example, I learned that the N.G.O. promotes one of the community’s best organizational cultures and structures. Despite being a church, the ministry comprised a C.E.O. and Board of Directors who had a communication protocol that each one of them understood and duties were delegated accordingly. Official communication on any major events and delegation of duties is communicated to all the Board members and other stakeholders to eliminate miscommunication or other inconveniences. For example, before November 28, 2023, the C.E.O. communicated the plan to celebrate the Giving Tuesday event that is held globally as a generosity movement dedicated to giving back to the society. Such communication also informed me of the value of generosity as a professional in human service field. Throughout the month, Pastor Tracy is either organizing events to give back to the society or discussing about the goodness of Jesus and what He has done to her and her family. Her generosity and kindness are something that should be emulated.
Apart from valuing dignity, the human service field involves helping everyone in the community. This is something I learned from my observations at Tracy Palmer Ministries, as the organization conducts outreach activities to help different members of the community. One effort that caught my attention was the outreach service for babies, where kids are given food when they are in their after-school studies. Since the organization posts pictures of their activities on social media sites and website, the pastor issued a statement that the consent of the parents was requested before such publications were made. It shows that the organization values community members as well as guidelines and legal protocols. In the same posts, the pastor thanked Board members who facilitated the event, an indication of the coordination exhibited in the N.G.O.
When I attended the Board meeting, I requested for an opportunity to read the reviews of community members about the organization. One of the reviews by community members showed the value of being courteous, friendly, and polite when dealing with members of the society. The review stated that they were served according to their expectations, an indication of customer satisfaction if it was a case of a for-profit venture. Such a gesture illustrated that N.G.O.s consider certain soft skills before employing Board members. As such, in future, before launching my career in human services, I will evaluate and ensure I have learned the necessary skills such as effective communication, being courteous, among others.
Reference
Tracy Palmer Ministries. (2020). Biography. https://www.tracypalmerministries.com/biography.
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