Can a nonprofit have standards that are different than its leaders? My guess: probably not. Big decisions like mission and particularly values and/or policies will likely come from the "top" and for most nonprofits "top" refers to the board or, if that board is selected by the Chair or Founder, then, the Founder.
Ok, this is a hypothesis with some evidence I've observed over the years. So why the question? Well, Wycleff Jean is one of the latest candidates for President of Haiti. You may recall that not-so-long ago, Mr. Jean's foundation, an entity raising money to benefit Haitians, was under some serious challenges for not-so-proper use of its monies, including some very questionable payments to Mr. Jean and those who work with or for him. My simple analysis: Mr. Jean has street-cred in Haiti and there are cultural nuances we straight-laced westerners just might not understand.
For his part, Mr. Jean says no one except the Haitian people really understand or have all the facts straight. But the bigger question: let's say the press and all the judging westerners are correct, Mr. Jean just hasn't been that honest or just hasn't been the kind of grantmaker we think is preferred. Does that mean he really can't be a good president of a country really needing someone to believe in?