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Facebook + Employees = Yikes!
Dear Rita in HR: I’m hearing horror stories from other executive directors about employees posting confidential information at Facebook, for instance, and lawsuits against nonprofits that looked at these sites as part of reference checks. I …
What to Do When You Really, Really Disagree with a Board Decision
Most of the time, nonprofit boards work through consensus. But what if you think a serious mistake is being made? Sometimes knowing what to do in advance if such a situation arises can help you understand the situation more clearly as it unfolds: …
Diversity & the Nonprofit Ecosystem: Part 2 in the 3-Part Diversity Series
In the last issue of Blue Avocado, we discussed four key arguments for diversity on nonprofit boards — reasons of mission, business, corporate responsibility and definition. This article — Part 2 of 3 on nonprofit diversity — looks more broadl …
A Fresh Look at Diversity and Boards
Part One in a series of three on nonprofits and diversity: Just last week a new report showed that while 57% of California’s population is comprised of people of color, just 28% of nonprofit board members reflect that demographic reality. Wh …
Amaze Your Friends with these Nonprofit Factoids
When we believe something to be true but don’t have the data to support that idea, what happens when we do find the hard evidence? Two things: either we find out we were wrong after all or . . . we were right and now we have the facts to put into a gra …
Six Ways to Know If It’s Time to Leave
Are you tired, a bit listless? Maybe the demands of the job seem ever more burdensome, or the board seems increasingly dissatisfied, or your retirement clock is ticking. Do you need more than a megavitamin? Even better is this advice from Tim Wolfred, …
Switching Careers at the Worst Possible Time
Edie Boatman left a for-profit career for fundraising just as the economy crashed. With irony and humor her First Person Nonprofit essay reflects on her sense of timing and what she’s learned so far. August of 2008: Just one month before th …
Model Dress Code for Nonprofits
Following is sample language to use in your organization’s dress code: While work attire is casual at our organization, all employees should maintain appropriate standards of neat and professional dress and grooming. The key point in determining …
Tattoos and Piercings . . . and a Model Dress Code
Dear Rita: Our younger employees are increasingly decorated with ink and metal. Most of them conceal their “body art” while at work but in summer it’s become more visible. We don’t care about tattoos and piercing but we don’t want to look at them …
Alcoholics Anonymous vs. Best Practices
This article about Alcoholics Anonymous is not about how they help alcoholics, but reviews their unusual management and organizational practices, which fly in the face of much conventional wisdom about what good nonprofit management looks like. As part …
