Participate in Doctoral Student’s Research Regarding Nonprofit Executive Leadership, Employee Wellness & Organizational Success

Posted by Marymount University on January 6, 2026

A doctoral candidate in the Educational Leadership and Organizational Innovation program at Marymount University, Dawn L. McCray, is currently conducting research for her dissertation, which explores nonprofit executive leadership, employee wellness, and organizational success. This research study seeks to examine the link between nonprofit leadership styles and determine their impact on employee wellness and organizational success.

Dawn is currently seeking individuals who meet the following criteria to complete an online survey:

• Participants must be age 18 or older
• Participants must be currently employed as a nonprofit executive leader in the most senior staff role (i.e., Executive Director, President, CEO)
• Nonprofit executive leaders must have at least one direct report, who will also be asked to anonymously complete the survey

The survey is confidential and anonymous; individual names will not be connected to the results. The full survey will take approximately 18 minutes to complete. Your participation is entirely voluntary, and you may choose to skip questions and/or withdraw at any time without any consequences. Your participation will help researchers understand executive leadership styles and their impact on nonprofit organizations’ success and employee wellness, which may benefit nonprofits by enabling them to develop impactful training programs. Your time and thoughtful responses are appreciated. Every survey participant will have the opportunity to enter into a gift card raffle as a small token of appreciation.

If you have questions about the study, contact Dawn at 484.846.2212 or dlm88036@marymount.edu.

Directions for completing the Nonprofit Executive Leaders Survey:

Please create a unique 6 digit leader study code to protect your anonymity and ensure that your employees’ responses can be linked to you anonymously as the data is analyzed collectively. Please use the following format: First two letters of one of your parents’ first names, add the last two digits of your high school graduation year, and add the last two letters of your favorite vacation spot.

Example:

• Name of Parent (John) = JO
• High School Graduation Year (1987) = 87
• Favorite vacation spot (Home) = ME
• Using the example guidance, the nonprofit executive leader code would be – JO87ME (Please use capital letters in the code you generate and share with your direct reports).

Write your code down immediately after creating it. You will have to enter the code into your survey and also share the code with your direct report employees.

Please click here to complete the NONPROFIT EXECUTIVE LEADER SURVEY and:

• Read and accept the online consent and verification.
• Enter the Leader code you created.
• Follow the instructions to complete the entire survey.
• After you submit your survey, please share the email below with your direct report employees. You must remember to enter the 6 digit leader code that you created BEFORE sharing the email message with your direct employee reports.
• You must click on the survey raffle link to submit your results, exit the survey, and be redirected to the raffle link. Your results for this survey will remain anonymous and are not linked to the raffle entry form.
• After completing the nonprofit executive leader survey, please copy and paste the email message below to those employees who report directly to you.

Directions for completing the Employee Survey:

Hello, I completed the nonprofit executive leader survey to support a doctoral candidate’s research. I am sharing this message and survey link below for you to complete the survey. To successfully participate in the research, the doctoral candidate must receive my completed survey and a completed survey from you, my direct report. The survey is confidential and anonymous; individual names will not be connected to the results. You should feel confident responding to the survey honestly. The full survey will take approximately 18 minutes to complete. I appreciate your participation. Please review the message from the doctoral candidate, Dawn L. McCray:

Greetings,

I hope this message finds you experiencing an impactful day.

My name is Dawn L. McCray; I am a doctoral candidate in the Educational Leadership and Organizational Innovation program at Marymount University. I am currently conducting research for my dissertation, which explores nonprofit executive leadership, employee wellness, and organizational success. This research study examines the link between nonprofit leadership styles and their impact on employee wellness and organizational success.

I am currently seeking individuals who meet the following criteria to complete an online survey:

• Participants must be age 18 or older
• Participants must be a direct report employee of a nonprofit executive leader in the most senior staff role (i.e., Executive Director, President, CEO)

The survey is confidential and anonymous; individual names will not be connected to the results. The full survey will take approximately 18 minutes to complete. Your participation is entirely voluntary, and you may choose to skip questions and/or withdraw at any time without any consequences. Your participation will help researchers understand executive leadership styles and their impact on nonprofit organizations’ success and employee wellness, which may benefit nonprofits by enabling them to develop impactful training programs. Your time and thoughtful responses are appreciated. Every survey participant will have the opportunity to enter into a gift card raffle as a small token of appreciation.

If you have questions about the study, I can be reached at 484.846.2212 or dlm88036@marymount.edu. Thank you in advance for considering this request and supporting my doctoral research.

My warmest regards and appreciation,

Dawn L. McCray
Doctoral Candidate, Educational Leadership & Organizational Innovation
Marymount University

Please click here for the EMPLOYEE SURVEY LINK and:

• Read and accept the online consent and verification.
• Enter this 6 digit leader code: (nonprofit leaders, please remember to add the code you created before sending the survey to your staff)
• Follow the instructions to complete the entire survey.