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Ask Rita: When Is Work Time Too Small To Count?
Dear Rita: I hear the devil is in the details, but I’m wondering just how mired in minutia our nonprofit needs to get. We operate a few thrift stores in different locations and all our employees record their time on a computerized payroll system. When …
Ask Rita: Employees Who Cross Jurisdictions: Which Law Applies?
Dear Rita: Our Northern California nonprofit provides job coaches to clients in the community. Our job coaches work in different cities during the course of a week and potentially in the same day. I know some of these cities have their own minimum wage …
Ask Rita: Sound answers to human resource questions
Dear Ask Rita in HR: In order to foster a culture of giving, my nonprofit organization requires employees to give an annual gift each year. While I agree that we should support the work of our organization, I object to the idea that I am forced to dona …
Point-Counterpoint: Too Much Influence or Not Enough – Should Nonprofits Be Allowed to Support Political Candidates
After signalling his intentions to do so at the National Prayer Breakfast in February, on May 4, President Trump signed an executive order aimed at weakening the Johnson Amendment, an act that has received mixed reaction from the nonprofit world …
Robert Egger: “Our Sector Is About To Be Hit, And Hit Hard” A Blue Avocado Interview
For 24 years, Robert Egger served as president of the DC Central Kitchen, which has created more than 30 million meals and helped 1,500 men and women gain full-time employment. Today he runs the astoundingly successful L.A. Kitchen on the same m …
Ask Rita in HR: What About Marijuana Decriminalization?
Dear Ask Rita in HR: Since Proposition 64 was approved in the recent California election, I have been receiving a number of questions from employees who are asking how these changes in the marijuana law will affect our nonprofit’s drug policy. W …
Ask Rita in HR: How Do I Stay ADA Compliant When an Employee Has a Disability?
Dear Rita in HR: One of our employees recently disclosed a medical condition that limits his ability to perform some of his duties. His manager wanted to fire him because he can no longer perform his job, but I don’t think we can do that. I handle acco …
Ask Rita: Can I Just Hire Independent Contractors?
Dear Rita in HR: I am executive director of a very small nonprofit. Recently, I had to fire an employee for the first time. In retrospect, I probably made a bad hiring decision, but it was a real nightmare to go through. I would like to just hire indep …
Outdated Job Description May be Getting Us in Trouble
Dear Rita: Help! I’m the executive director of a nonprofit with 35 employees. Recently, one of our employees said he can’t drive anymore due to vision problems. It’s his job to drive to different client sites to provide training . . . we serve a rural …
A Board Member’s Guide to Nonprofit Overhead
Calculating overhead rates and managing overhead expense are important staff roles. Board members are not required to know how do staff accounting work, but we do need to bring an informed perspective to our oversight: Harvard’s indirect cost ra …
