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Ask Rita: How Do We Stop Bullying Behavior?
Dear Rita: Help! Our workplace is becoming populated by a group of bullies. People are becoming more aggressive—to the point of being abusive—in their language and communication style. We’ve received a number of complaints that include rudeness, yellin …
Developing a Successful Intern Program
Interns can be a godsend to any nonprofit. Depending on their background, they may be as valuable as paid staff and their main goals are typically finding an opportunity to learn and grow. How can you determine if interns are right for your nonprofit a …
Ask Rita: Are My Independent Contractors Actually Employees?
Dear Rita: I’m the HR manager of a nonprofit that provides music education and therapy services to underprivileged and disabled young people. We have 15 people who provide our services, all of whom are professional musicians and teachers in our local c …
Reducing Unconscious Bias in Recruiting
Ideally, the decision to hire someone is based on how well someone’s skill set aligns with your needs. But in the real world, hiring processes are often subjective and affected by some degree of bias…whether you know it or not. Bias—prejudice in …
Ask Rita: What Are My Obligations to an Employee Receiving Infertility Treatments?
Dear Rita: We have an employee who has been trying to start a family for a long time. We have recently been advised that the female employee may be starting treatment for infertility and may need to take time off for those treatments. We are wondering …
How to Hire Great Nonprofit Leaders
We’re all familiar with great leaders. From popular culture to UN council meetings, to articles about CEO’s, images are emblazoned in our minds. They are great champions on the big screen, in the boardroom, and in the oval o …
Ask Rita: How Do We Handle A Whistleblower?
Dear Rita: I have some concerns about a report I just received from one of the employees in our accounting department, which indicates that our Chief Financial Officer may be engaged in some “accounting tricks.” While not a CPA, the repor …
Sample Whistleblower Policy
Below is a sample nonprofit whistleblower policy. You can also download it here: Sample Whistleblower Policy [Nonprofit] encourages its employees to report improper activities in the workplace and will protect employees from retali …
Ask Rita: How Do We Handle Harassment by an Outsider?
Dear Rita: Yesterday, our front office receptionist reported to me that one of our vendors—the person who stocks the vending machines in our break room—made several sexually charged comments to her, came very close to her face, and touched her hair. Cl …
Ask Rita: Health Benefits for Employees on FMLA Leave?
Dear Rita; With our last series of hires, our growing nonprofit topped 50 staff and became a Family and Medical Leave Act (“FMLA”)-covered employer. We think we know how to properly designate leave as FMLA and navigate the required procedures when an e …
