This multi-case study research, using qualitative and quantitative methods, examines, compares, and validates the traits, behaviors, and formulas for success utilized by four experienced, long-term, exemplary executives who lead nonprofit organizations (NPOs) that serve homeless and "at risk" populations. Service longevity is a measure of success in this study and each leader subject must have served a minimum of five years at their NPO to participate, though most have been leading their respective NPOs far longer. An NPO leader affects not only an organization but individual constituents and the entire community. Each leader subject is considered successful by numerous constituents and the community. Anyone is at risk for homelessness and its effects on the entire community are boundless.

Traits and formulas for success are measured using three surveys: Kouzes & Posner’s 360 LPI and Most Admired Characteristics surveys and Cialdini’s Influence IQ Test. Additional data sources are personal interviews, organizational 990s, annual reports, and other financial and programmatic data. The instruments for data analysis are a Likert 7 Point Importance Scale used for the program and organizational evaluations by NPO professional outside raters and the Strategic Plan. Analytic tools are the Pearson Product Moment Correlations, the organization’s 990s, a 3 year annual report comparison, and participant observation.

This study measures the leaders against the ideal. One common theme among all the leaders is consistency, one of Cialdini’s Six Principles of Influence; however, the use of the other Principles was varied. Three of the four leader subjects identified three of the top four traits of an exemplary leader and each demonstrated use of Kouzes & Posner Practices. There appears to be some statistical relationship between the Cialdini Principles and the Kouzes and Posner Practices; however, due to the small sample size the results are interesting but not generalizable. Triangulation of the data affirms the original premise: the leaders are successful, each in a unique way. Overall, comparing the organizations to the ideal standards identified in the research objectives, all leaders possess verifiable measures of success from a variety of measures, both qualitative and quantitative.