The Pillar Nonprofit Network: Brand Activism and Nonprofit Governance
Colleen Sharen (Western University)
Abstract
The Pillar Nonprofit Network (Pillar) board had unexpectedly terminated the employment of Mojdeh Cox, a woman of colour and Pillar's president and chief executive officer, in July 2022, with little public comment about the rationale for this controversial decision. Some people believed that implicit racism was a factor in this decision. After multiple unmet requests to the Pillar board for greater transparency by community members, Johnny Fansher, Samanta Krishnapillai, Louise Pitre, and others formed a stakeholder group to discuss their concerns about the board's decision making. On September 23, 2022, the group published an open letter that made the unprecedented request that the entire board resign. By early October, the board had responded; they would not resign, nor would they call a general meeting to discuss members' concerns. Fansher wondered how the group should respond to the board.
How to cite
Colleen Sharen (2025). The Pillar Nonprofit Network: Brand Activism and Nonprofit Governance. Open Access Teaching Case Journal, 3(2). The Case Centre, reference 210737.