For Executive Directors Archives - Page 4 of 15 - Spokes

Two Important New Employment Laws

December 17, 2022 by Michael Simkins

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

March 28, 2022 by Spokes For Nonprofits

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.

Practice good interpersonal communication.
Operate with a strategic plan.
Clarify roles and responsibilities.
Help develop a skilled chairperson.
Learn about conflict resolutions processes.
Establish a code of conduct for directors.
Encourage performance evaluation.
Implement a grievance procedure.
Celebrate agreements and new understandings.
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

5 or More Employees? Read this!

September 5, 2021 by Michael Simkins

California employers — including nonprofits — are required by state law to facilitate enrollment in the CalSavers program if they don’t offer an employer-sponsored retirement plan and have five or more employees. All eligible employers can register at any time prior to their registration deadline. The deadline for employers with more than 50 employees was June 30, 2021. The deadline for those with 5 or more is June 30, 2022.

Don’t get caught behind on this one! If you are not in compliance, you face a fine of $250 to $500 per employee. Click the the link below for full information.

Black History Month 2021: Black-Led and Founded Nonprofits

February 22, 2021 by Grace Nielsen

We often hear the phrase “Black-owned businesses” but what about Black-founded or Black-led nonprofits? In order to continue supporting Black organizations and to honor Black History Month, we have highlighted several with a variety of missions.

R.A.C.E. Matters SLO

R.A.C.E. Matters is a grassroots organization dedicated to center the lived experiences of Black and other People of Color through anti-racism education and cultural projects. R.A.C.E. Matters fulfills their mission through workshops, special events, cultural projects, and rapid response to racial and social injustice.

Outdoor Afro

Outdoor Afro ensures that Black people have access, representation, meaningful participation, and quality experiences in nature with an emphasis on conservation and re-imagination of Blackness in the outdoors.

Black Girls Code

Black Girls Code aims to increase the number of women of color in the digital space by empowering girls of color ages 7 to 17 to participate in STEM fields and become leaders in their communities through exposure to computer science and technology.

Audre Lorde Project

The Audre Lorde Project is a center for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Two Spirit, Transgender, and Gender Non-Conforming People of Color that works for community wellness and social and economic justice through mobilization, education, and capacity-building.

Sister Love

Sister Love is a Black-founded nonprofit which aims to eradicate the adverse impact of HIV and promote sexual and reproductive health rights for women and families through education, prevention, support, research, and human rights advocacy.

Common Ground Foundation

Founded by rapper Common, the Common Ground Foundation empowers high school students from underserved communities to become future leaders through programs on healthy living, social impact, technology, creative arts, and more.

Trayvon Martin Foundation

Founded by Trayvon Martin’s parents Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin, the Trayvon Martin Foundation aims to end senseless gun violence through education and awareness.

For more diversity, equity, and inclusion resources for nonprofits, visit our Resources and Useful Websites page.

Researching Local Nonprofits

February 6, 2021 by Michael Simkins

Looking for nonprofits near you? Perhaps you are thinking of starting a new nonprofit but, before you do, you want to see if there’s already one with a similar mission. Maybe you are a staff member or volunteer of an existing nonprofit and you are looking for nonprofits that complement what you do or with whom you could collaborate or share resources. Here are three online databases that can help you research nonprofits in your area—or elsewhere!

GuideStar has been around for years and provides a database of charities and nonprofits classified in the following nine groups: Arts, Culture and Humanities, Education and Research, Environment and Animals, Health, Human Services, International, Public, Societal Benefit, Religion, and that old faithful, “Other.” Each main category is broken down into various subcategories. You can search by state and city, but not by county without purchasing a subscription.

GreatNonprofits bills itself as “the leading platform for community-sourced stories about nonprofits.” Like GuideStar, you can search by geography (state and city). You can also search on a long list of issue areas from AIDS to Zika Virus. What sets GreatNonprofits apart are the individual reviews and ratings submitted by individuals who have experienced services or volunteered for various organizations.

Cause IQ provides the most sophisticated queries of these three services. Create a free account and you can search using many filters. For example, the first filter I applied was to limit organizations to those in the “San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles metro area.” That yielded 1, 845 nonprofits. Then I applied the additional filter “501(c)3.” That brought my total down to 1,465. I limited that set to “Animal organizations” which reduced my group to 53. Finally, I excluded organizations that filed a 990-N tax form (i.e. those with gross annual receipts of $50,000 or less). The result: a list of 28 animal organizations in the San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles area with 501(c)3 status and annual income of over $50,000.

Whether you’re searching nearby or afar, add these tools to your research kit.