individual members in their abilities and willingness to do a job and assign work roles

accordingly. Effective leaders are sensitive to the natural cycle of commitment to long-

term projects and provide the necessary support to sustain commitment over prolonged

periods (Garkovich, 1984).

 "If we assume that leaders are made, not born, and that most people have within

them the basic skills and abilities to assume leadership positions, then one strategy for

local capacity building is to promote the emergence of such individuals" (Garkovich,

1984, p. 209). This can be done through organized leadership development programs.

 A climate needs to be generated in an organization where the members feel that

they are heard, supported, and have a sense that the organization is open to new ideas.

This generates interest and encourages the members to stay involved (Eisinger, 2002).

Organizations need to retain its volunteers to remain effective and viable into the future.

 Effective leadership combines both altruism and authority. It is respectful of the

need for individual interests and also considerate of the common good (Scott, 2000).

Scott (2000) defines altruism as "caring for the welfare of others; it is the ability to be

concerned about the condition or state of being of another human and to acknowledge

and meet the needs of the other" (p. 23). Authority is the degree of power exercised by

an individual, organization, or group in order to perform important functions to those

over which the authority is exercised. These concepts build into the ideas of social

capital and civic engagement, which will be examined in the next section.

Summary of organizational leadership

 The strength of an organization is a direct result of the organization's leadership.

 The growth of an organization depends on retaining members and recruiting new ones.