Organizational Analysis: The Binghampton Development

Corporation

Organizational Analysis of
The Binghampton Development Corporation
Priyanka Chatterjee, Gloria Harris, Iqtidar ul Hassan, and Laura Vaughn
The University of Memphis

Organizational Analysis: The Binghampton Development

Corporation

A Brief History of the Organization

In the late 1800s to early 1900s, Binghampton was a thriving neighborhood
within the city of Memphis. Due to the citys changing growth patterns, residents
increasingly moved out of Binghampton in effect causing increased poverty and blight.
The poverty and blight lent itself to Binghampton becoming a neighborhood that was
greatly avoided and abandoned by the city of Memphis.
The Binghampton Development Corporation (BDC) was established in 2004 by
Christ United Methodist Church. The idea for the BDC stemmed from the wellestablished organization Service Over Self (SOS) with the intention of changing the
socio-economic structure of the area and reviving it without subjecting the community to
gentrification. Between 1970 and 2000, the population of Binghampton decreased thirtyone percent leading to nineteen percent of housing units being empty or abandoned;
however, the community saw a thirty-five percent increase in rental properties. The BDC
has renovated abandoned and vacant homes and housing units in order to make the
neighborhood safer and homes more affordable. The average household income in the
BDC is $20,000 per year. As a result, seventy percent of Binghampton residents live at or
below the poverty level, have no household income, have households led predominantly
by women, and contain twenty three to sixty percent of residents fifty-five or older.
The Binghampton Development Corporation provides a wide range of support to
the community such as property redevelopment, job training, and empowerment
programs to help residents that are economically oppressed. BDC has invested in vacant
and blight property throughout the Binghampton community. The organization renovated
the severely distressed apartment now called the Hope Community exclusively for

Organizational Analysis: The Binghampton Development

Corporation

seniors and the Tillman Crossing that are now low income apartments. The organization
has partnerships with the City of Memphis Housing Division, the Shelby County Court,
the Tennessee Housing Agency, and the Christ United Methodist Church that help fund
the BDCs projects. Furthermore, residents attend community meetings where they are
empowered to become involved in building their community. As a result, the BDC has
done much to restore confidence, prosperity and self-sufficiency to the area.

The Organizations Current Life Cycle Stage

Once the BDC achieved their initial mission to save the housing situation within
Binghampton, they revisited their mission statement in 2011 in order to bring a more
holistic approach to the organization and aid residents in the community to have more
pride in their neighborhood.
Currently, the BDC is taking steps to make the community more self-sufficient.
After revisiting their mission statement, the BDC realized that along with improving the
housing conditions of the residents, the next step was to ensure self-sufficiency and an
increased sense of pride in the neighborhood with the following items in mind:
1. Job training
2. Community building
3. Student outreach
4. Economic development
Given the re-visitation of the mission and establishing broader, more far-reaching
goals, the BDC is a maturing organization that is coming out of adolescence and

Organizational Analysis: The Binghampton Development

Corporation

continuing to grow in order to adapt to the needs of the community and solidifying the
organizations purpose and importance within the Binghampton community.

The Organizations Political Activity

According to the Executive Director, there is no active involvement with political
advocacy or lobbying. The BDC is solely a grassroots movement, and the ED indicated
that in order for bigger changes to take place policies would effectively have to change.
At the moment, the BDC is beneficial to their target area (Binghampton) and has not yet
been expanded to other communities or organizations.

The Organizations Use of Technology

As far as technology is concerned, the BDC was silent on their use of technology.
Their facilities had basic technology equipment such as computers, printers, phones, etc.
The BDC tries to stay within the community and focus on the residents of the
community; therefore, there is no social media presence. The ED explained that the
organization does not want the wrong type of attention to fall upon the Binghampton
area. The ED further explained that the BDC has fought long and hard to ensure that they
are not perceived as a saving grace or savior (i.e. white knight), so there is a fear that
becoming more present on social media will change that perception and ultimately the
way Memphis accepts Binghampton. The strong emphasis on the community helping
itself is effectively preventing gentrification from taking place and the residents losing
their sense of self and identity.

Organizational Analysis: The Binghampton Development

Corporation

To further comment on the technological aspects of the BDC, the website for the
organization has a few flaws. The website is designed in a manner that is solely
informative. There are not many opportunities for Memphians to become involved
because the residents are encouraged to improve the community for their selves;
however, the website does provide contact information for various individuals who work
for and with the BDC.

Three Interesting Aspects of the Organization

1.

The Binghampton Development Corporation aims at a holistic development of the

Binghampton community. The community was assessed as a comprehensively

underdeveloped one, which needed intervention on multiple dimensions. The BDC
serves in these areas:
i. Housing
ii. Job Training (Construction, Workforce Development, Training for Jobs)
iii. Community development (Health Education, Entrepreneurship)
iv. Housing Counseling
v. Student Outreach
vi. Economic Development
2. The BDC does not have a scientifically prepared written strategic plan. The organization
is still accomplishing a lot in service of the community. On one hand the absence of a
written plan is a sign of an unordered, unorganized work style, which is a weakness of the
organization, but on the other hand it shows that the BDC has a different approach toward
planning. They plan through a Trans-active Planning approach, which is more pragmatic.
3. As an organization founded by a church, religion is the prime motivator of the individuals
working in the BDC. The church does not have radical intentions, but the influence of
faith contributes to motivating the residents of the community to continue to thrive.

Organizational Analysis: The Binghampton Development

Corporation

Challenges Facing the Organization and Suggestions for Solutions

1.

Resistance from the community is the first problem observed to be a challenge for the
BDC. The residents in the community were very apprehensive of the BDC and how it
would ultimately impact the community. A few words that kept surfacing were the
white knight and gentrification. In order to eliminate this kind of image and ensure
the community that there was no racially fueled reason for wanting to help, the BDC is
very strict about maintaining its integrity by promoting self-sufficiency and having the

2.

residents help themselves to better Binghampton.

Although the BDC does have access to computers, printers, phones and other forms of
necessary technology, the organization is lacking in a proper donor database and there is
no plan to guide their public relation efforts. The BDC does not keep track of donors and
does not have a prominent social media presence. In order to have better track funds that
come into the organization, it is important for the BDC to have a more organized record
of past and present donations. Additionally, have a social media presence would help in
garnering attention or support from other donors who are maybe not aware of the needs
of the BDC in its efforts to aid the residents in improving the neighborhood and quality of

3.

life.
The BDC is unusually performance-oriented. We observed that the BDC has ignored
administrative elements to the extent that there is no strategic plan put in place to guide a
more systematic implementation of projects. Subsequently, the BDC has no mechanism
for program evaluation. By implementing a strategic plan and readily evaluating
programs or projects, the BDC could optimize its positive influences on the community
by determining the success of a program and the allocation of time and funds to different

4.

areas of the community.

The BDCs Board of Directors is not involved in policy design, fund raising

Organizational Analysis: The Binghampton Development

Corporation

or advocacy. Determining the organizations mission is one of the boards most

important responsibilities (Axelrod, 1994). According to Axelrod (1994), changing
social, demographic, and environmental conditions can alter an organizations original
reasons for existence; if the mid-course adjustments are needed, the board needs to be
engaged in redrawing and approving a new mission statement that reflect these changes.
BDCs board is able to discuss and change the mission of the organization, but the board
is less interested in initiating such changes.
Furthermore, the Board does not meet very often during the year and has given
the Executive Director free-range to make a lot of decisions concerning what programs
are implemented and where funds are allocated. As a result, it seems that there is an
inefficient usage of time and money within the BDC. By monitoring the budget, meeting
more often, and having a greater presence within the formation and implementation of
programs, we believe the BDC would gain from more involvement by its Board of
5.

Directors.
An interesting fact about the BDC is that there is no active volunteerism. This approach
is in line with the BDCs focus on making the community more self-sufficient. However,
volunteers would be essential in helping community members complete tasks more
efficiently and even allow Memphis residents to be more involved in the Binghampton
neighborhood and foster the creation of new relationships.

Organizational Analysis: The Binghampton Development

Corporation

References:
Casey, W. (3/31/2016), Skype Interview
Axelrod, N. R. (1994). Board leadership and board development. The Jossey-Bass
handbook of nonprofit leadership and management, 119-136.
Nason, J. W. (2013). Board assessment of the chief executive: A responsibility essential to
good governance. Washington, DC: National Center for Nonprofit Boards, 1992..
Fitzpatrick, J. L. (1992). The Board's Role in Public Relations and Communications.
National Center for Nonprofit Boards.
Howe, F. (1989). Fund Raising and the Nonprofit. Board Washington, DC: National
Center for Nonprofit Boards

Organizational Analysis: The Binghampton Development

Corporation