John W. Gardners statement, "The first and last task of a leader is to keep hope alive," contains two assumptions: (a) leaders are somehow responsible for the hope of other people, and (b) leaders are capable of keeping hope alive or allowing it to die. If true, in what way and to what extent are leaders responsible for the hope of others? Three leaders of nonprofit organizations were studied to understand how hope functions in the performance of leadership under challenging circumstances. Eight themes emerged: (a) values, (b) education, (c) justice/social justice, (d) fear/faith/courage, (e)...