Darian Rodriguez Heyman's Blog, page 10

Tip of the Week: Go straight to the source to identify and address employee burnout

By Caroline Poland



As Kim Hendler and Shelly Cryer discuss in Chapter 4 of Nonprofit Management 101,
?Taking Charge of Your Nonprofit Career,? employee burnout is a major
issue for the sector, and it?s something we all see and experience at
some point in our careers. However, it doesn?t have to be debilitating.




Burnout can be symptomatic of larger issues affecting staff morale, but
there are simple ways to alleviate these realities that are
cost-effective and sustainable. Keep in mind that there is no magic
wand here, and that material solutions are not always the best approach
to addressing employee burnout.



Identify the cause

The first step to alleviating employee burnout is to identify what?s
causing it. Go immediately to the source and ask your staff. Don?t
undervalue the capability of employees to identify and strategize
solutions. What they bring to the table - their talents, skills,
experience, and expertise are the building blocks and answers to the
needs of your company.



Sometimes the cause of employee burnout may just be the reality that
staff are overworked and potentially under compensated. Resources are
often limited in social sector organizations, but remember that you can
reward your employees with more than raises and promotions. For
example, if your staff tells you that they are feeling burnt-out
because of the long hours they have been putting into a particular
project, offer them a Friday or two off. 



Implement a solution

There may be several causes for employee burnout at your organization,
and it may not be possible to address them all at once.  Pick one
cause, and one solution and be sure to implement that solution in a
timely manner.  This will show your employees that you appreciate them,
are aware of the problem and are taking steps to address it.



Maybe it?s telecommuting to work one day a week, or perhaps its
engaging volunteers to support staff. And never forget how important it
is to recognizing what individual staff members bring to the
organization, and sharing their accomplishments and contributions with
the company.



An effective leader will find solutions to employee burnout by
communicating with their team, finding solutions, and implementing them
quickly. They consider their team as their brain trust, and will
empower them to change their current reality by acknowledging their
voices in finding solutions. Because sometimes, burnout is just be
about needing to being heard.

Tip of the Week: Don?t assign an intern or volunteer to manage your social media presence

Social media such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter have become
powerful fundraising, marketing, and online community building tools
for nonprofits. But look before you leap, and make sure you?re up for
the related commitment?social media must be given proper weight and
consideration in your marketing strategy and efforts, and its oversight
must be assigned to an actual staff member.



As 350.org?s Jon Warnow and Joe Solomon say in Chapter 16 of Nonprofit Management 101,
?Online Community Building: How to Wire a Network to Support Your
Nonprofit?s Mission,? ?By encouraging a staff member to take on the
community building role, you?ll provide a deeper understanding of your
mission, as well as develop a consistent presence and voice on your
networks.? Assigning a staff person to role of monitoring and updating
these sites will also facilitate consistent, mission-focused messaging
and ensure the accountability you need to ensure your store isn?t left
untended.



Read more and discover related resources in Chapter 16 of Nonprofit Management 101.

Tip of the Week: Consider Creating a Nonprofit Center with Other Organizations or Joining a Like-minded Co-working Space

This week's tip comes to us from China Brotsky, Senior Vice-President at Tides.



One of the most significant costs for any organization is the price
of office space and back-end services. Collaboration through shared
space can help maximize your operating budget while at the same time
providing unexpected benefits.

Nonprofit centers are physical facilities that intentionally
house more than one nonprofit organization. These centers take shape
around different themes, which can help an organization find a location
where it?s surrounded with synergistic relationships and potential
collaborators.

Nonprofit centers provide rents to organizations at below market
lease rates starting at less than half the going rate. In a recent
study by Tides? Nonprofit Centers Network,
the average annual cost savings among participating organizations from
sharing space and the additional shared services is about 7 percent of
annual operating costs.

Co-location also allows for better locale
and higher quality facilities, enhanced staff morale and ultimately ?
collaboration. These aspects of centers translate to increased
efficiency and effectiveness for resident groups, which is helpful to
organizations at any stage, newer or more established. According to
Tides? study, 86% of participating nonprofit tenants reported moderate
to significant efficiency improvements as a result of co-location.

One
way to elevate visibility to funders and those you?re trying to serve
while doing what you already do everyday is to join a nonprofit center.
For resident organizations, being located in a highly recognizable
location within the community gives them greater visibility to
potential funders, accessibility to their constituents, and the ability
to attract staff and volunteers.

Nonprofit centers also
tend to become ?hubs? around the particular issue or constituency they
aim to serve, resulting in the benefits of the center spilling out into
the community. For example, nonprofit centers focused on the arts
contribute to vibrant cultural districts through shared experiences and
fostering local artists through performance and exhibition space. When
it comes to issues like the environment or the needs of seniors, these
building hubs can become advocates that have the power to encourage
positive policy changes and facilitate greater civic participation.

Existing
nonprofit centers tend to be in high-demand and have low vacancy rates.
Thus, developing extra space into such a center is an opportunity for
established organizations to generate additional income and benefit
from increased efficiency.
Smaller organizations that are just
getting started will experience similar benefits via co-working spaces
that welcome nonprofits such as The Hub in Atlanta and the San Francisco area, Makom Hadash in New York and the Centre for Social Innovation in Toronto.

Renting
space to multi-tenant groups has also become more acceptable and
appealing to landlords over the past several years because of the
economic downturn. Rents are starting to rise and occupancy rates in
office spaces are picking back up, but it will be several years before
the market returns to pre-2009 conditions. Now is still an optimal time
to find more affordable, well-located space for developing a nonprofit
center.

To learn more about creating a nonprofit center or to find one in your area, visit the The Nonprofit Centers Network.

Tip of the Week: Use user stories to design or re-design your website

Are you creating or re-doing your website? TechSoup Global?s Elliot Harmon, author of Chapter 15 or ?A Cooperative Approach to Web Design? in Nonprofit Management 101,
has some words of wisdom for you. He shares that it is critical ?to define
clear goals for your site, conceptualize a site based on how real users
will interact with it, and measure your site?s performance.? 



Your website is the first place many of your potential donors,
volunteers, and other supporters will come into contact with you. It is
important to design your site with them in mind, so imagine individuals with different needs and backgrounds, and how they?ll interact with your website before building it.
Think through what they?ll want to actually do on your site (known as
in the tech world as user actions), such as donating, signing a
petition, signing up for a newsletter or to volunteer, or requesting
information.



Think about what steps they need to take through the process, what your
goals are for each interaction, and how to streamline these to as few
clicks as possible. All of this will help your designer immensely.



Read more and discover related resources in Chapter 15 of Nonprofit Management 101.

Tip of the Week: Ask your board for recommendations of diverse candidates

When Michael Watson tackles ?The Importance of Diversity? in Chapter 9 of Nonprofit Management 101, he speaks to the need for organizations to represent and therefore understand the community they serve:



?If nonprofits are to effectively serve their clients, and maintain
their impact and ongoing relevance, they must demonstrate continued
leadership in all aspects of managing diversity.



When you effectively integrate diversity into your nonprofit?s service
delivery strategy, more individuals will benefit from the services you
offer. The diversity-enabled nonprofit will promote greater opportunity
for a broader swath of clients, employees, and volunteers.?



Ensuring a diverse candidate pool for volunteer and paid nonprofit positions can be difficult. A simple tactic to increase your reach is to ask your board members and advisors to suggest diverse candidates. If they can?t provide any suggestions, ask them to reach out to their networks.



Read more and discover related resources in Chapter 9 of Nonprofit Management 101.

Tip of the Week: Make sure your website tells your story!

As Elliot Harmon of TechSoup Global says in Chapter 15 of Nonprofit Management 101,
?A Cooperative Approach to Web Design,? ?Your nonprofit?s website is
your first line of interaction with many people; as such, its primary
job is to be an inviting place that draws people in and connects them
to your cause and organization.?



Check today to make sure your website includes all of the following:

?    Mission statement

?    Staff and board roster, with contact information

?    Previously filed IRS Form 990s

?    Archived copies of all your newsletters

?    Information on how donated funds are put to use, ideally with photos of those served



Your website is the main source of information for your donors and
constituents, so make sure that you are transparent, informative, and
compelling. 



Read more and discover related resources in Chapter 15 of Nonprofit Management 101.

Tip of the Week: Back-up all organizational files

Holly Ross does a great job of sharing practical insights in ?The
Technology Foundation: Hardware and Software,? in which appears as
Chapter 14 in Nonprofit Management 101.
She shares, ?Most people view backing up as insurance for extreme
situations like natural disasters, but backing up is most important in
many day-to-day situations.



What would you do if you left your laptop in the back of a cab? You can
back up your data and files via hardware in your own office using CDs,
DVDs, tapes, or you can choose an online backup service that will
automatically store your files online for you like Dropbox. Whichever option you choose, it?s essential that you set each computer in your network to back up automatically and test regularly to ensure that files are easily accessible.? 



Learn about different options and providers in the learning center at TechSoup Global, and read more and discover related resources in Chapter 14 of Nonprofit Management 101.

Tip of the Week: Take another look at your donor management system

This week's post comes to us from Laura Quinn at Idealware



Without an effective system to track donors and other constituents, you
can spend too much time just trying to figure out who to contact and
miss out on many fundraising opportunities. Most organizations have some kind of constituent database, but is it the right one?



Donor management systems need to be capable of supporting your current
fundraising processes as well as those you?ll develop as your
organization grows and adds new strategies. Maybe you?ve had doubts
about your current system for a while, but were reluctant to change.
Don?t be! Just because your organization has been using it for years
doesn?t mean it?s right for you.



Switching to a new system can be a difficult choice. Often, you?ve come
to know the weaknesses and quirks of your current system so well that
the other systems seem shiny and full-featured in comparison. It can
also be time-consuming, and sometimes costly, to evaluate new systems,
to move data from one system to another, and to allow staff time to
learn the new system. It?s not something to do on a whim, or in an
effort to find a mythical ?perfect system.?



So how do you know if you should switch, or stick with what you have? Ask yourself the following questions:

Are you tracking your donation data in Excel?Are you tracking donations in FileMaker or Access, but don?t know how to modify them?Has your current donor management system been discontinued by the vendor?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you definitely need a
new system. But for the majority of organizations, the answer won?t be
that clear.

Are you happy with your system, but want to make sure it?s the perfect one for you?Do you want to make sure you?re staying on top of new technologies?

If you?re relatively happy, it almost certainly makes sense to stay
with the system you have. A new donor management system is a big
commitment. There?s no such thing as a perfect system?it?s usually a
mistake to change systems in pursuit of something only slightly better
than you have now.



If you answered no to most of the questions posed here, you likely have
lingering doubts about your current system. Maybe you?re paying too
much, or getting too little from it. Maybe it doesn?t effectively
support the tasks you need to accomplish. You?re an excellent candidate
for a new system.



Idealware created a workbook to help organizations make this decision
by walking them through the process of determining what features they
need, which ones they already have, and other factors like ease of use,
the types of constituents they need to track, and more. It?s available free here.



Laura Quinn is the executive director of Idealware,
a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides thoroughly researched, impartial
and accessible resources about software to help other nonprofits make
smart software decisions.

Tip of the Week: Create a Professional Development Policy

In Chapter 4 of Nonprofit Management 101,
?Taking Charge of Your Nonprofit Sector Career,? Kimberly Hendler and
Shelly Cryer note that professional development plays a critical role
in maximizing your effectiveness as a social sector leader.



Leaders should constantly be developing themselves, their skills, and
their knowledge. Organizations can play a critical role in this process
by ensuring that professional development is a serious part of the
culture and practices.



Create a professional development policy that encourages and
allows for employees to do things like assume additional
responsibilities outside of their departments or functional areas,
pursue volunteer and ongoing education opportunities, and join
leadership development or peer support groups. Be specific about what
professional development resources benefits you offer.



By putting this policy in your employee or human resources policy
handbook, you are not only demonstrating that your organization values
its employees, but are also increasing your chances of recruiting and
retaining quality staff.

Still not sure where to start? Check out what other organizations have put together. Read more and discover related resources in Chapter 4 of Nonprofit Management 101.

Tip of the Week: Consider Fiscal Sponsorship

This week's post comes from Sharon Smith, author of The Young Activist?s Guide to Building a Green Movement and Changing the World

In
my years working with Earth Island Institute?s Brower Youth Awards, I
met dozens of young people that had founded their own organizations for
sustainability and social change.  Many of those entrepreneurs had even
founded a group before they were old enough to vote! 

Starting
your own 501(c)(3) is a substantial undertaking; you will need to file
formal paperwork, apply for federal and state tax exemptions, create
corporate bylaws, set up a board of directors, and obtain any necessary
licenses and permits.  This approach is right for some projects,
particularly those that are growing and around for the long haul.

However,
another option is especially well suited to new projects, where the
focus needs to be on the work vs. the cost and administrative
challenges of incorporating as your own entity: fiscal sponsorship.  A
fiscal sponsor is a nonprofit that assumes the legal and financial
responsibility for others, essentially providing you an umbrella
underneath which you can operate and take donations.

Earth Island Institute
is one of these?a fiscal sponsor that has helped birth and support more
than one hundred projects since its inception as a nonprofit - but it's
important to note that any nonprofit can be your fiscal sponsor, so
alignment with your mission is a crucial consideration.

Groups that specialize in fiscal sponsorship offer specific
benefits?these might include website hosting and
maintenance, accounting and payroll services, and office space. Joining
a fiscal sponsor with a strong track record also helps you gain
credibility in the public?s eye.  Perhaps the most valuable benefit
besides allowing you to focus on the programmatic tasks is access to
experienced staff members who have worked with a number of new
organizations and can help advise you in all aspects of growing your
group.

 

Fiscal sponsors generally charge a fee for their
services, which usually ranges from about 7 to 15 percent of incoming
funds.  Determine what services and support you need from a sponsor,
and then see which sponsors offer that suite of services for a
reasonable fee. 

 

To find a great fit, peruse the Fiscal Sponsor Directory

,
a resource designed to connect community projects with the appropriate
fiscal sponsor.  You can also reach out to local groups working in a
similar field to your focus and ask them to sponsor you.  Happy hunting!