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Before you convene…

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Whether we’re talking about our staff, our board members, our constituents, or the public at large, bringing people together can be a productive way to deal with the challenges we face. But convening people can also waste people’s time or, worse, backfire.

Fortunately, there are steps we can take to help ensure that when we convene, we succeed! The Rockefeller Foundation has a long history of convening groups to grapple with weighty problems. The Foundation follows four core principles:

  • Focus on a single purpose.
  • Design for the experience.
  • Be intentional about participants.
  • Make commitments explicit and deliver.

Learn about each of these as well as additional tactics to make your convening more effective in this article from the Stanford Social Innovation Review.

Retaining Staff

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Finding qualified new staff can be very difficult, so at Spokes June 2023 Symposium we focused on how to retain the staff you already have on board. It’s a national problem! Consider:

  • In 2022, a record 50.6 million U.S. workers quit their jobs, accounting for 70% of total separations. This is the highest level in the history of the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS), which dates back to 2001.
  • While quits are down from the record highs of 2022, in January 2023 dipping below the four million mark for the first time since May 2021, they were back up to above four million this February.
  • This year, 56% of surveyed U.S. workers said they’re likely to seek a new job compared to 51% in 2022.

Here are some resources recommended by our panel of experts:

Applied Wisdom

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Looking for ways to up your leadership game? On a special website, former Applied Materials CEO Jim Morgan shares leadership and management principles proven to be effective in nonprofit, philanthropic and business contexts. Jim is a well-known Silicon Valley high-tech executive and philanthropic leader.

Explore eight simple insights that have consistently delivered great results supporting the nonprofit sector in complex, real-world situations. On the site you can download Jim’s free booklet, watch videos, and sign up for a weekly reminder.

Visit Applied Wisdom for Nonprofits

Two Important New Employment Laws

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Pay Transparency

Among the new employment laws that go into effect January 1, 2023, two deserve special mention. One, referred to as “Pay Transparency,” applies to your nonprofit if you have 15 or more employees. Starting January 1, you’ll need to include pay range information in any job posting. In addition:

  • ALL employers must provide a pay scale to any current employee for their position upon request.
  • Employers must also maintain records of a job title and wage rate history for each employee during employment and for three years after separation from the company
  • All private employers with 100 or more employees must file pay data reports with the State’s Civil Rights Department, regardless of whether they are required to file a federal EEO-1 with the EEOC. (Note: nonprofits are considered “private employers.)

Retirement

The other change has to do with retirement programs. The CalSavers Retirement Savings Program is a state-run retirement program for employees who work for employers not offering a private-market retirement plan, such as a 401(k) plan. Previously, the law only applied to nonprofits with 5 or more employees. As of January 1, it applies even if you have only one employee.

Learn more

Spokes members can view the 60-minute video overview of these and other new HR-related laws for 2023. Sign into your account, click “access member benefits,” and go to the Video Library. You’ll find the recording in the Past Classes showcase. Not a member yet? Check out the member benefits.

Managing Conflict

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Do you have advice about how to manage conflict on our board? We seem to be in two camps and can’t agree on what to do.

Conflict is bound to arise when a group of people is involved in a common endeavor. It’s not a bad thing. In fact, differing opinions can lead to creative solutions. On the other hand, serious and unresolved conflict can cripple an organization. Here are some suggestions for preventing, managing, and resolving conflict gleaned from some expert resources.

Pointers

In her article “Moving From Dissonance to Harmony: Managing Conflict on the Board,” Jill Sarah Moscowitz offers these basic pointers:

  • Start by reminding yourselves of your common interest in furthering the mission of organization
  • Identify the key issues. Even if they seem obvious, take the time to label them and write them down.
  • Begin with facts rather than assertions.
  • Avoid taking about “my position” versus “your position.” Instead, seek out your common interests. What do you all want to see accomplished.
  • Be truly curious. Focus more on listening than having the answer.

Face-to-Face Communication

Writing in “Managing Conflict: A Guide for Volunteer Boards,” E. Grant MacDonald emphasizes that “Confronting a conflict situation almost always can benefit from face-to-face communication.” He suggests holding a series of meetings and offers these recommendations:

  • Involve a trusted third party to facilitate the meetings.
  • Insist on confidentiality.
  • These are private meetings, not board meetings, but they are not secret meetings.
  • Make sure everyone knows that no decisions will be made in these meetings that bind the organization. The goal is for the parties to agree on recommendations that they will make to the board at large.

Avoiding Conflict

MacDonald also offers these ten practices to help avoid unnecessary conflicts in the first place. Many of them can be part of your board development activities.

  1. Practice good interpersonal communication.
  2. Operate with a strategic plan.
  3. Clarify roles and responsibilities.
  4. Help develop a skilled chairperson.
  5. Learn about conflict resolutions processes.
  6. Establish a code of conduct for directors.
  7. Encourage performance evaluation.
  8. Implement a grievance procedure.
  9. Celebrate agreements and new understandings.
  10. Look to gender and cultural differences as a way out of a mess.

References:

Moving From Dissonance to Harmony: Managing Conflict on the Board

Managing Conflict: A Guide for Volunteer Boards

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