nonprofit management

When a volunteer behaves badly

I manage volunteers and organize large fundraising events. Recently I had a volunteer, Al, get in to multiple conflicts at a one (very long) day event. The behavior came as a surprise since this particular volunteer was a team leaders and actually help write the policies manual for public events! To make the situation more complex, I did not witness any of the behaviors but received over ten complaints from individuals who either were the target of his ire or witnesses to it. The stories were so similar I believe all of them. The morning began with unprovoked arguments with staff. AL felt things were not as they should have been. Arguments escalated to summing security to enforce rules. All that Al felt was wrong could have been soothed and calmly explained if he had just called me before escalating matters into a confrontation. Al repeated the argumentative behavior until I caught up with him two hours later at a location he was not scheduled to be at.

I am fortunate that my volunteers are so dedicated. They called me an offered to work longer if I would just find a reasons to send Angry Al home, which I did.

Within 48 hours of the event, I called Angry Al to hear his side of the story. Al was not owning up to anything. He acknowledged the conflict but does not see that his behavior did not fix any of the “problems” he identified. He seems oblivious to the fact the other volunteers don’t want him at the next event. For the next month, the volunteers complained to me about Al each time I ran into them.

Al is a critical part of the team but obviously not very good as a front-facing people person. I really need his expertise and there is no one else to fill Al’s role.
My efforts to get Angry Al to own his bad behavior failed but I plan on working on it in small steps. All of these volunteers have to work together again in a few months and this problem needs to be rectified. Al’s behavior needs to change and the other volunteers need to hear that their concerns are followed up on.
What’s a volunteer coordinator to do in this situation?

I hope to give Al a second chance but not in such a high profile, stressful event
Al may be fired if he cannot see the error of his ways
The above does not make Al’s behavior excusable or acceptable
Al may be fired anyhow. I cannot lose the other volunteers because of Al, they matter just as much. This is a team effort and I need my team

I will continue to talk to Al over the next few months to get him to the point where he can see how his behavior hurt our event and the effect it has on the other volunteers. It is a delicate situation.

50 Shades of Credibility

by Admin

50 Shades of Credibility

Recently, a donor asked a director at a nonprofit I am involved in, for some information about another stakeholder. The director politely declined citing that the information was confidential. It did not end there. The donor insisted that the questions be answered justifying it by mentioned there were rumors circulating. The director reiterated that the information was indeed privileged. The donor was reminded that this matter did not involve or affect the donor in any way. It was something that was already been resolved.

The donor tried again to rationalize and explain why the need for the information. It was clear this was a trust issue. The prying continued with trying to convince the director the information could be told, “just this once, in total confidence!”

The irony of this situation is laughable. First pressing for confidential or otherwise private information is bad manners. Second, if the director were to divulge the information, how credible would it be? This would negatively affect the director’s credibility and trust within the organization. Would anyone have faith in a colleague or friend who broke another’s trust to appease someone else? Would the information even be accepted? Like integrity, there are not 50 shades of credibility. You either are credible, or not.

Leaders often find themselves in situations where they have few or no one to confide in. It is part of the job. This can lead to stress, but an insistent coworker can make it more stressful than it needs to be.

This conversation ended with the director having to break off communication, telling the donor the topic was off limits.

Does Your Nonprofit Suffer from Founder’s Syndrome?

by Admin

Founder’s syndrome is when the founding member(s) of a for-profit or nonprofit organization maintain authoritarian power and control within the organization. Also called, founderitis, the controlling member does not feel the need to collaborate on executive decisions or any decision for that matter.

Board members in a founderitis afflicted organization have no real decision-making ability or independence. They often find that if they are consulted on a decision, the founder overrules their choices.

Meetings are held to assign tasks or to get status updates. Board members may also be underqualified because they were chosen for loyalty to the founder and friendship rather than expertise.

Founder’s syndrome leads to issues within a nonprofit. Directors find that they cannot contribute in an effective manner. This may lead to them resigning due to a lack of professional development or dissatisfaction.

Five Signs Your Nonprofit Suffers from Founder’s Syndrome

The Founder does not consult the board members during the decision making process. In fact, there is no process.
If the founder does seek advice, it never changes his decision
Differences in opinion are disregarded, seen as hostile or undermined
The Founder operates outside her area of expertise even when there is an executive team member with relevant skills and experience
There is no succession plan

A board needed to file paperwork with the Internal Revenue Service. Even though there were two directors who were accountants, a director who had previously filed this paperwork for another organization, and a fourth board member who was an actual lawyer, the founder decided they needed to hire a an outside law firm.

After checking costs and presenting the names of familiar, local lawyers, the founder chose someone else. In addition to contracting with a lawyer on his own, he wrote a check to prepay all government and legal fees.

After six months of excuses and unreturned phone call to this lawyer, a director completed the paperwork with one of the accountants, and filed it herself. Turns out the founder had hired a random attorney he found in the phone book!

Founders can turn into the nonprofit’s worst enemy when they refuse to believe the organization needs delegation, diversity or additional skills. They fail to allow the organization to prosper and thrive independently. Without meaningful strategic development the nonprofit stagnates or worse yet, fails.

Check Out Your Charity

by Admin

Each month many of us give money, time or other donations to charitable causes without ever second-guessing their intentions or bothering to investigate a charity. How many times have you tossed in money in to the holiday cash collection buckets outside a store? During the holidays, do you drop off toys to big collection boxes to be shipped off the waiting hands of kids? Have you ever read their financial information, board of director bios or even their mission statement? If you are like most people, the answer is ‘no.’

Sometime ago I became involved in a training organization in an effort to get out of the house more often, socialize and learn something new. I joined by paying a membership fee and became a student in a ten-week training program. At our first organizational meeting, we paid a small sum to purchase some required training equipment. This was not a huge amount of money, under $100. There we learned that our organization is a nonprofit. As a community based nonprofit, part the organization’s mission is to donate to other nonprofits in the area. We are asked to nominate a charity to be the recipient of our monetary donations. Cool, right? Except that I signed for classes not fundraising duty.

At our first class, we are told an upcoming event for the organization needs sponsors and the personal goal for each of our class’ 21 students should be to secure a $250 sponsor. The trainers announced the name of our class charity. The training nonprofit will be donating to this other nonprofit. How much will the second charity receive? Questions about this training organization’s overhead expenses come to mind.
At our second session, the teachers announce a fundraiser at a local restaurant. We are to donate a bottle of wine to add to a large gift basket that will be raffled off at the event. In addition, tickets are on sale, for those that wish to attend. The event will be open to all classes this organization teaches. My ticket gets me into crowded and fun event

The next week after the fundraiser, we are asked to give another $20 for additional classes. I wonder why there is a charge for the classes since the instructors are volunteers and the facilities are paid for. Time to dig up the financials on this organization!

During the next class, the teachers announce an end-of-the year party. It will feature open bar and “free” food. Tickets are $25. Hmmm! Okay, officially red alert and time to take some time to check out this charity’s financials, including IRS 990 filings, mission statement and expenses ratios. Before I even get to do that, 48 hours later, another donation request comes in from them via email for an online cash donation!

I head over to the Charity Navigator website to check them out. If you have not used their service, Charity Navigator is a convenient way to see a nonprofit’s financial history, board members and mission statement. The charity has no record filed. Next, I go to the IRS website to look up their record to see if they are filed under a DBA or variation. No luck, no IRS record. Last, I check out the online corporation record of the state they operate in and find that they are in incorporated with their state.

I head to their website to look for the correct spelling of their name and whatever else I can find out about this organization. I do see the announcement that they are officially a 501(c)(3). According to their own website post announcement, they became a 501(c)(3) only two weeks ago.
I have faith that this group is indeed a nonprofit recognized by the IRS. My gut feeling tells me they are legit but just need to learn to tone down all the donation requests. Considering how long it takes the simplest of nonprofit structures to get paperwork through the IRS, it is no surprise that the IRS website is not up to date either.

Nonprofits are good at heart. This one should have stated up front, that they are more than a training organization but also have a fundraising arm. In addition, hitting up the same contributors week after week is never a good idea as it leads to disengaged donors. Hopefully, over time, this organization will improve its leadership.

Nonprofit Management: Five Ways to Show Volunteers You Value Them

by Admin

Nonprofit Management: Five Ways to Show Volunteers You Value Them

Expressing gratitude is an important part of your nonprofit’s foundation. Most nonprofits cannot function without the help and hard work of their volunteers. It is important for nonprofit leaders to recognize their contribution.

Expressing gratitude is critical to retaining volunteers. Part of your budget, which includes administrative expenses, should include volunteer appreciation. There are few who will stay with an organization if their efforts go unnoticed or unused. Here are five ways to show your gratitude for your volunteers’ hard work.

Let them eat cake!
A post event or end of the year party is a nice way to recognize volunteers. One caveat, build this party into the budget and avoid asking the volunteers to contribute to it. Volunteers work hard, let them simply show up and enjoy themselves without having to contribute to raffle baskets, admission fees, or organizing duties. Put your frugal leader hat on and plan an event that is free of charge. Many communities rent out their public facilities at a nominal or no cost. If you can afford it, allow volunteers to bring a guest or their families.

Take care of them while they are working
Your volunteers are your workhorses. Some give their time and work every day at desk jobs answering phones or teaching and some volunteer from home.

I work with nonprofits at the founder level, getting them through their incorporation and 501(c)(3) filings. In addition, I like to run festivals, galas and other large-scale fundraising events. As a coordinator, I manage people, sponsors, and facilities and sales to make sure the event runs smoothly. These single or multi-day or weekend events can be exhausting. I make the best effort I can to make sure my volunteers are working on something they enjoy. Volunteers are supplied with snacks or meals whether the event covers that expense or not. If not, I pay for it or seek additional donations to defray the cost.

Ensuring volunteers feel cared for and respected for their time and talent is the most important part of managing.

SWAG!
My kids volunteer at many events with me. They have done everything from being t-shirt salespeople, to short-order cooks to door greeters. I asked my son, “What’s the best thing that makes you feel appreciated?” He said, “I like to get SWAG.” That is SWAG (Stuff We All Get). He likes getting stuff from sponsors. Half of this is that he likes to get gifts. The other part is he is proud to donate his time!

Ask sponsors ahead of time if they want extra shirts, water bottles and other leftover swag returned. Most do not mind if you hand out their branded items. The best part is the gift of SWAG won’t cost you a penny!

Compliment Liberally
These are easy and free! Be sure they are genuine. There is a lot of writing and opinion about delivering “strategic compliments.” I prefer compliments that are natural, genuine, spontaneous, and not planned. When checking up on your volunteers, pick out something they have done well and let them know how helpful it was. If you are coordinating an event, make the effort to visit the various sites or areas where pick out something that is right and tell them about it.

Wrap-Up Dinners
The goal of a wrap-up dinner is gather feedback about an event. For 13 years, I worked as a coordinator at a large four-day annual fundraiser with a nonprofit sports organization in central New Jersey. Within a month of the fundraiser, we would have a dinner at a local restaurant for the volunteer event staff. This gave everyone a chance to review the event with everyone taking a turn at what went well, not so well and in general a chance to share and laugh at the sheer madness at working our tails off! The round-robin format over dinner made us feel appreciated and that our input and opinion mattered. Most importantly, our comments were usually incorporated into next year’s plans.

Thank You Notes
Can’t afford any of the above? A thank you note is an inexpensive way to show you value your volunteers. Handwritten thank you note are better simply because they make it more personal. Be sure to mention the role they filled, why it was important and how it helped the organization. ? Even if a party is within your budget, a thank you note is a nice way to show appreciation.

Use the Blackbaud Index to Compare Giving by Sector

by Admin

Here is a handy online tool to help nonprofit directors and those tasked with soliciting donations. The Blackbaud Index is an interactive online tool that anyone can use to chart and compare trends in overall giving, online giving and giving by sector. The data graphs data represent a three-month rolling average of year-over-year performance.

The sectors represented in the chart are:

Arts and Culture
Environment and Animal Welfare
Faith-based giving
Healthcare
Higher Education
Human Services
International Affairs
K-12 Education
Medical Research
Public and Society Benefit

Use the tool to show one or two giving sectors at a time. Users can also select small medium or large