Spokes | Resources for Nonprofits

Find Us On Social Media:

Nonprofit Leadership During Crisis

by

A crisis can tell you a lot about your organization. If your nonprofit is functioning at healthy levels, you are able to build upon these strong foundations to weather storms and continue to further the mission. On the other hand, a crisis can often bring up fundamental issues within an organization that need to be dealt with. Here are some areas to take a closer look into to ensure that your organization is set up to withstand and come out of a crisis situation thriving.

It is a Team Effort 

When determining the health of an organization, one needs to look no further than the leadership of the Executive Director or CEO and the Board of Directors. These individuals should be cultivating a productive culture centered around the nonprofit’s core values and mission. Each individual must have a clear understanding of the mission and display commitment through making unique contributions to its success. 

When crises emerge, these individuals must remember why they are here. Their actions always need to take into account the good of the whole. It is vital to be able to do the right thing even when it is hard. When there is this kind of leadership at the top of the organization, the rest of the staff and volunteers will organically follow their example.

Focused and organized

As a board member or Executive Director/CEO, if you are committed to this type of leadership, you will be able to carry out your mission in a focused and organized way. This will allow you to be able to move through any potential fear surrounding a crisis, see challenges as opportunities, be creative and collaborative and continue serving your mission.

Executive Director/CEO relationship with the Board of Directors:

It is essential as an Executive Director to be able to facilitate discussions that are organized and clear to ensure that a nonprofit is always moving toward mission based action. Everyone must be rowing in the same direction. Miscommunications and disagreements must be handled swiftly and moved past in a safe space where the leaders can work collaboratively. Here are some key focuses for an Executive Director when fostering this relationship with the board of directors. 

  1. Accountability. As the Executive Director, you must be clear about your own commitments and accomplishments and how they further the mission. This will give you the ability to follow up on board commitments and accountability. 
  2. Communication. You are the one who is in the day to day operations and will be able to have a clear insight into what is happening within the organization. It is important to understand the best way to communicate with each board member to keep them informed and on the same track and avoid miscommunications.
  3. Appreciation. Board members are volunteers who make efforts to support the mission and you. Showing appreciation goes a long way to build these relationships and continue to move productively forward together. 
  4. Outreach Efforts. Effective communication about your organization’s impact needs to reach your community to garner continuous support. Know your board and understand how each person can individually support these efforts. 

The Board President

As a Board President, or Chair, you must be one of the most dedicated individuals to the mission of a nonprofit. You must be able to provide clarity if the leadership team ever veers off mission and hold them accountable to doing what they have committed to doing. Here are some focuses that will lead to effectiveness as a Board President.

  1. Culture. You need to be able to partner with the Executive Director to always guide the leadership team with the core values and mission. Part of your role is to hold each individual on the team accountable to operate with these in mind. 
  2. Responsibility. You have a huge impact on the health of your board. It is important to understand the different capacities and capabilities of the board and how they can best serve the organization. Don’t let board members waste energy on efforts that don’t make sense. When issues arise, ask the right questions in order to be able to deal with the issues and move on. Board members should be able to depend on your consistency, honesty, communication and organization.
  3. Productivity. Make sure that efforts are always moving forward and that the team is being proactive and adjusting efforts when it makes sense. If something seems to be stuck, deal with it as quickly as possible so it won’t get in the way of the nonprofit’s momentum. 
  4. Strategic.  We cannot stress enough how important it is that efforts are always supporting the mission. You need to continually be able to take a step back and see how each effort fits into the big picture of accomplishing and growing the mission.

Understanding the Basics of Board Roles

by

It is probably fair to say that nonprofit board members desire to do a good job supporting their nonprofit and its leader. That includes board members who only attend a meeting periodically as well as the ones that try to assist in every way possible including guiding staff in their tasks (which is the job of the Executive Director!).  It’s easy to feel upset with board members who fail to carry out their roles properly as this can cause frustration to nonprofit leaders who don’t feel properly supported.

Certainly new and even returning board members are doing what they believe is best to assist the nonprofit organization. Community volunteers who join a board bring their own areas of expertise to the board table in hopes they can make a valuable contribution; however, the majority have never received formal training in board governance. And what a board member doesn’t know can be hurtful to relationships with staff and possibly even harmful to the nonprofit in some situations.

Listed below are fundamental areas where board members may need training so they can fully understand their responsibilities in guiding the nonprofit as well as its working relationship with the staff.   

  • Boards Govern: One of the most important keys for meaningful direction is to remember that the role of the board of directors is to govern, not manage, the nonprofit. Managing is the role of the nonprofit Executive Director (ED) or Chief Operating Officer (CEO). To govern means to carry out responsibilities as the legal guardian of the nonprofit organization. Each board member is accountable for the financial and organizational well-being of the nonprofit. They work with the nonprofit leader to adapt a strategic plan, budget, and other ruling policies and procedures. Once these guidelines are established, it is the role of the ED/CEO to put the plans into action by developing specific programs and activities needed to meet the stated goals.  
  • Boards Function as a Collective: Many board members do not realize that a board functions as one collective body to govern the nonprofit. No individual board member, including board officers, has the authority to act alone on behalf of the nonprofit. Board committees are a part of the team as well, and should not take action on behalf of the nonprofit without specific board approval. To maintain accountability, a board of directors should develop clear policies pertaining to the actions of board members which (1) define their scope of authority, and (2) offer a comprehensive guide for making board decisions. Providing structure to address routine as well as unexpected issues and concerns helps the board to function more cohesively.
  • Boards Determine Why: The board clearly defines the nonprofit’s mission and provides guidance as to what the nonprofit needs to do to best serve their clients. The ED/CEO and staff then develop procedures and initiate activities, programs or other methods to reach the client base. All board actions and activities should focus on promoting and supporting these specific mission goals.
  • Boards Determine Outcome: Determining outcomes that give the nonprofit credibility and success in the community is a crucial concern for the board. Every nonprofit needs to show some type of outcome in how effectively it communicates its mission and principles to the public. Outputs are the way the organization measures what it accomplishes within a given period of time. For instance, how many people are housed, how many vaccinations are provided, and so on. Results from the nonprofit’s programs and activities are evaluated by the board to assess how well these outputs measure characteristics such as attitudes, behaviors, or circumstances, as well as the effectiveness of the current programs and activities in general.
  • Boards Set Policy: Policies supplement the nonprofit’s articles of incorporation and bylaws by establishing a set of rules and procedures, such as the Board Member Agreement, Code of Conduct, Conflict of Interest, Document Retention and Destruction, Gift Acceptance, Nondiscrimination, and Whistleblower policies. Some nonprofits might need additional policies depending on their mission. Once in place, the ED/CEO and staff initiate procedures to ensure these policies are followed by the board and in all areas of the nonprofit organization.

Training a nonprofit’s board members is time and effort well spent. The more they understand the complexities of board and staff roles, and the more insight and governing expertise they acquire, the better prepared they will be to act skillfully as guardians of the nonprofit and supporters of its leaders. Spokes offers its full-day Board Academy as well as individual trainings for specific boards upon request. Give us a call to discuss your board training needs.  

Additional Resources:

What is the Meaning of Board Governance?

https://boardmanagement.com/blog/meaning-board-governance/

The Difference Between Governance and Management

The Difference Between Governance and Management

Sexual Harassment Training: What Do You Need to Know?

by

In recent years, the issue of sexual harassment has received more media attention than any other ethics and compliance issue. New mandatory training requirements on preventing sexual harassment in the workplace have also recently been implemented by the State of California. Nonprofit leaders and staff need to make sure they learn what these updated policies are, and that the organization has adequate safeguards and responsive reporting tools in place so employees can feel protected and supported in the workplace.

What Constitutes Sexual Harassment in the Workplace?

Overall, sexual harassment is unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that is persistent or offensive and interferes with an employee’s job performance or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment. Sexual harassment is defined by the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission as:

“unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature when, for example: (a) submission to such conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of an individual’s employment,

(b) submission to or rejection of such conduct by an individual is used as the basis for employment decisions affecting such individual, or (c) such conduct has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual’s work performance or creating an intimidating, hostile or offensive working environment.”

The above is a general summary of the more detailed definition; however, the different types and degrees of sexual harassment behaviors need to be understood as well. For instance, sexual harassment can be physical, psychological, or a combination of both. And while any one incident may not be considered harassment on its own, when several incidents occur or the offensive behavior becomes persistent, that can result in sexual harassment. The expanded training requirements for sexual harassment prevention likely will result in a longer list of actions that a nonprofit leader needs to become fully informed about and prepared to execute.

Who Must Understand this Issue?

Everyone in the workplace needs to understand the issue of sexual harassment and other types of discrimination and harassment. The #MeToo Movement has brought much-needed attention to this issue by empowering people suffering from sexual harassment to speak out and report these behaviors. It is crucial that employers recognize their responsibility to protect their employees (as well as the organization’s good standing in the community) by implementing a set of procedures that allows employees to report sexual harassment with confidence and without fear of retribution or recrimination.

Employees should report any concerns about sexual harassment or inappropriate sexual conduct to the Human Resources (HR) director or a supervisor or manager as soon as possible. It is the responsibility of the HR director, manager or supervisor to take immediate and fair action when they have any knowledge of sexual harassment whether or not there has been a written or formal complaint.

After an investigation of a complaint, employees who are found to have violated the sexual harassment policy are subject to appropriate discipline. This can range from the mandatory minimum discipline of a written reprimand to termination of employment. In some cases, the person may also be subject to civil damages or criminal penalties.

Who Needs to Be Trained? 

In prior years, only supervisors in an organization with 50 or more staff were legally required to take sexual harassment training. However, in 2018, California’s legislature passed SB 1343, which expanded the classification of employees who are required to receive training on sexual harassment. By January 1, 2020, employers with at least five employees must provide: (1) at least two hours of sexual harassment prevention training to all supervisory employees, and (2) at least one hour of sexual harassment prevention training to all non-supervisory employees in California within six months of their hire. The training must be provided once every two years.

Employers must provide sexual harassment prevention training to temporary or seasonal employees within 30 calendar days after their hire date or within 100 hours worked if the employee is contracted to work for less than six months. In the case of a temporary employee employed by a temporary services employer (as defined by the California Labor Code) to perform services for clients, the training must be provided by the temporary services employer, not the client.

Employers who provide the required trainings after January 1, 2019, are not required to comply with the January 1, 2020 deadline.

As a nonprofit employer, it’s imperative to understand the significance and scope of this ruling. Now more than ever it’s essential for employers to create a workplace culture where everyone feels safe and respected. Employers need to become aware of contemporary and emerging issues faced by people of all backgrounds, and seek the training necessary for themselves and their staff to prevent, recognize or address any potential sexual harassment issues that may arise.

Spokes Sexual Harassment Training Workshop

Spokes is presenting a Preventing Sexual Harassment and Discrimination workshop on Tuesday, September 17, at the Spokes office in San Luis Obispo. Find out how to prevent abusive conduct, sexual harassment and discrimination with this high-energy and interactive course. Fully compliant with California AB 1825, proof of attendance and a certification of completion will be provided at the end of successful completion of the course. Click here to sign up online.

Additional Resources:

Sexual Harassment in the Nonprofit Workplace

U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission: Facts about Sexual Harassment 

Sexual Orientation Discrimination: Your Rights

Four More Models for Nonprofit Collaboration

by

This article is the third in our series on nonprofit collaboration models. The first (click here) was on getting your nonprofit ready for collaboration and the second (click here) introduced collaborative models 1 through 4 to consider. Today we look at models 5 through 8 that offer some unique ideas for bringing projects or ideas together without having to merge entire organizations. If you have a reaction, comments or additional information to share on any of the eight models of collaboration or mergers for nonprofits, we’d love to hear from you in the comments area.

5. Joint Partnership for Issue Advocacy

This collaboration allows two or more nonprofits with similar missions to speak with one voice on a particular issue without having to form a new organization. With both nonprofits working together, they can combine their resources to deliver a stronger, more far-reaching message—especially if the issue faces any type of opposition. Since the nonprofits are advocating together to address only a short-term or sporadic issue, forming a new, permanent organization is not necessary.

This model works best when nonprofits have a shared long-term mission but want to concentrate on achieving short-term goals around one particular issue and want to expand efforts to deal with that issue. Partnerships can mobilize a larger audience for more impact. Challenges can include coming to terms with how each organization feels about the issue, and then determining the content and delivery method for their message so a united front can be presented. There will need to be clear guidelines on which nonprofit will be responsible for costs, workload distribution, and other obligations of the campaign.

6. Joint Partnership with the Birth of a New Formal Organization

Sometimes several nonprofits confronted with a mutual concern can benefit by developing a new,  independent organization whose goal is to address this issue on a long-term, more in-depth basis. This is an ideal scenario when two or more organizations identify a common issue that isn’t exactly in their present wheelhouse to manage, but needs to be resolved to advance the overall mission of each nonprofit.

Significant benefits of creating a new formal organization by combining one or more nonprofits can include: (1) eliminating competition for funding, (2) strengthening avenues of communication, and (3) allowing the nonprofits to consolidate their efforts in working with the new organization to support it. Challenges can include continuing to generate sustained funding for the new organization, and the willingness of the original nonprofits to give up ownership of the issue to the newly formed nonprofit.

7. Joint Administrative Office and Back Office Operations

This form of collaboration allows multiple nonprofits to streamline aspects of their programs by sharing a joint administrative office, i.e., sharing professional services such as human resources, information technology, financial assistance, legal advice, and so on. Another option would be to create a separate organization whose sole purpose would be to provide this type of support for nonprofit organizations on a contract basis.

The model would allow nonprofits to share administrative expenses and operational tasks. Small nonprofits, in particular, would be able to function more efficiently without having to carry the entire expense of hiring staff and outside contractors for these services. Spending less time on administrative duties also means the nonprofit Executive Director/CEO can concentrate more fully on program and service delivery. One of the toughest challenges can be finding a way to keep service delivery balanced fairly for all nonprofit partners. Additionally, it might be difficult for a nonprofit partner to transition to independent services when it becomes too large to comfortably utilize the joint office services.

8. Confederation Model

The best example of the nonprofit confederation model collaborative is the United States of America. Individual states operate separately but are an integral part of a federal whole. The umbrella organization exists to provide services, coordination, and other support to each member.

A large group of nonprofits often exist as a confederation of nonprofits that come together under an umbrella organization that exists to provide services, coordination, and other support to each member nonprofit.  Each member nonprofit operates independently to provide programs and services in its own location. Examples of this model are the United Way, The National Association of Free & Charitable Clinics, Boys and Girls Clubs, and the YMCA. While some of these are huge national or international organizations, groups of smaller nonprofits can also form a confederate model of collaboration.

This model brings similar organizations together to form a network of service delivery in different communities while drawing support from a centralized umbrella organization. Having the umbrella organization provides more branding and exposure to issues. It also helps the individual nonprofits to increase its programs and services through the sharing of resources. A few challenges of the model are making sure that the interests of the individual nonprofits are sufficiently represented in the top-level organization and balancing the autonomy of individual nonprofits while being under the authority of the umbrella organization.

Summary

Working collaboratively can be one of the most important concepts for nonprofit leaders to consider as competition for nonprofit funding, visibility and resources intensifies.  This series of articles on collaboration models for nonprofits are meant to get you thinking about how you might expand the services of your nonprofit by working with others to meet your goals. Feel free to comment below if you have any thoughts or questions about nonprofit collaborations.

Additional Resources:

Information in this article was taken from Models of Collaboration: Nonprofit Organizations Working Together. The Collaboration Prize, ASU Lodestar Center, 2009. h

George N. Root, III. Advantages and Disadvantages of Collaboration Between Businesses.  

Joan Garry Consulting Blog (Podcast) Ep 89: Nonprofit Partnerships, Mergers, and Acquisitions (with Wendy Foster).

Nonprofit Collaboration Models: One Size Doesn’t Fit All

by

This the second in a series of articles on building collaborations in the nonprofit community. See Article 1 here.

Managing your nonprofit in an era where there seems to be increased competition for charitable giving can be challenging, to say the least. For some nonprofits, working in a nonprofit collaboration model with other organizations may provide much-needed inspiration and support to unite their common business purposes and advance them to the next level. Whether the idea of working with another nonprofit starts with the board, staff members, stakeholders or donors, the options listed below provide some nonprofit collaboration models to possibly make that happen.

Some research studies have shown eight different models of nonprofit collaboration. This article describes the four of those methods. As you read through the pros and cons of each model, you may recognize a scenario that will fit your nonprofit strategy — the advantage being that nonprofit collaboration is not a one-size-fits-all concept, but can be uniquely tailored to the specific characteristics of organizations that want to work together.

Fully Integrated Merger

Emerging as the most widely-used option, this nonprofit collaboration model fully integrates the operations and missions of two or more organizations. One organization typically merges with another, allowing the corporate status and charitable exemption of one of the partners to remain intact. Or the partner nonprofits can agree to create a newly formed single organization as well.

This model works when there’s a true overlap in the missions of both organizations as well as similarities in programs and services. It’s an effective model to limit the duplication of services in the community. The benefits include increased efficiency in program delivery and greater access to resources. Challenges can include problems with bringing together two or more organizations with different histories and cultures along with the task of creating a new leadership and board structure.

Partially Integrated Merger

This model allows for a merger of two organizations while allowing each to retain their individual brand. The defining characteristics of each nonprofit are maintained, allowing the strategic advantages of both organizations to stay in place.

This nonprofit collaboration model works when a stronger or larger organization provides support to a less developed or smaller organization with the same or similar customer base and services. The smaller partner will see increased resources, stability and capacity, and in exchange they can help augment the amount and range of services that the larger partner currently offers. The biggest advantage of this model is that the community will see less competition and overlapping of services, but there’s a risk that the larger partner could overshadow the identity of the smaller organization and the merger could appear to be a takeover rather than a partnership.

Joint Program Office

A merger may not fit the needs of two organizations that have similar missions. However, if there’s an overlap in some programs or services, creating a joint program office model could combine one or more similar programs offered by each nonprofit. The goal would be to strengthen the efforts of that particular program for both organizations.

This model works when the organizations have programs and services that are similar but not exactly the same. It can result in a more efficient use of resources while allowing the collaborators to retain their independence. A challenge could be figuring out how to share program staff from each nonprofit and developing clear rules about program fundraising, strategic direction, and operating expenses.  

Joint Partnership with Affiliated Programing

In this model, nonprofit collaboration results when multiple nonprofits establish a partnership to share programs or delivery of services, allowing them to maximize their complementary strengths.

This model works when two or more organizations have a shared mission but don’t provide the same services. This can result in a more efficient use of community resources, less fragmentation of services, and the ability to provide more services to a broader group of clients. However, it can be quite a challenge to determine the degree of credit each partner can claim for the outcomes when reporting to their separate and shared stakeholders.

Wrap-Up

Did you find some new ideas in these four nonprofit collaboration models? What about a combination of models? Next time we’ll explore four additional models of collaboration for nonprofit organizations.

Additional resources:

Information in this article was taken from Models of Collaboration: Nonprofit Organizations Working Together. The Collaboration Prize.

Nonprofit Collaboration 2.0

Why and How do Nonprofits Work Together? 

Guiding nonprofits to achieve their goals through support and expert resources.

How Can We Make A Difference Together?

Spokes welcomes local professionals who would like to share their expertise in support of the nonprofit sector.

Get Started Contributing

Recent Articles