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In This Edition

This Non-Profit Is Happy To Downsize

Most non-profits want to grow. This one is the exception.

Empathetic Work Environments Won’t Come Easy

If you think your organization’s employees should be empathetic, you have your work cut out for you, because being empathetic is hard.

Need Help With Tech?

If you can’t get ahead with tech, consider this free planning service from CanadaHelps.

Data About Non-Profits and Charities

Statistics Canada has finally published extensive data on the key features of Canada’s non-profits and charities. Learn more about this important sector.

Results of Last Edition’s Survey

In our last edition, we asked if your organization gives employees the opportunity to provide input on the work of their direct supervisor. Here is what BIG Ideas readers told us!

Planning Requires Implementation. Implementation Requires Dedication

in this Blast from the Past, we explain that planning is nothing in the absence of implementation.

THIS NON-PROFIT IS HAPPY TO DOWNSIZE

The Story

In February of last year, I introduced BIG Ideas readers to Haliburton County’s Volunteer Dental Outreach (VDO), after helping its board of directors with governance training.

On its website, dentist Bill Kerr explains why VDO was created: "The cost of even basic dental care is beyond the reach of an alarming number of Haliburton County residents who continue to suffer physically, socially, psychologically and economically because of this. Lisa Stoughton and I decided that we would volunteer our services to help the financially disadvantaged by providing free dental services to those with nowhere else to turn.”

A worthy idea, but one that had to be actualized. Dr. Bill went on to explain: “When word of this spread, a wonderful group of community members rallied around to grow this concept into a free-standing dental clinic where dental professionals could come and treat patients by volunteering their time and skills."

The Skinny

In a recent update, VDO board member Kathy Purc advises that new federal government policy and funding has reduced the need for VDO’s free services: “The Canada-wide dental plan has absorbed most of the senior patients we were seeing through the Ontario Provincial Seniors dental program. So, we ended our commitment to the province and continue to see only those low-income adult patients who are not yet covered by the Canada-wide plan. Some may eventually qualify as the various stages of eligibility roll out. Some may continue to fall through the cracks, so it is a wait and see position that we are taking. If there is a change in government, the Canada-wide plan may be in for a change as well, or not! We have funds in reserve to see us through the next couple of years of the anticipated smaller patient load. And, if VDO is no longer needed at some point, well, that is the best-case scenario!”

The BIG Idea

Here we have a nice example of new government policy taking a leadership role and reducing the need for local communities to fill the gap. We also have a nice example of a non-profit that understands its place in the ecosystem, and is ready to play a different role, or none at all, as circumstances change. But knowing Haliburton County and its myriad non-profit services like Canoe FM, 4C’s Food Bank, Lily Ann Thrift Shop, Fuel for Warmth and Minden Community Food Centre, if VDO is no longer needed at some time in the future, its army of volunteers will find another gap to rally around.

EMPATHETIC WORK ENVIRONMENTS WON't Come EASY

The Story

If you want your organization’s work environment to include being empathetic, it won’t come easy.

The Skinny

That is the message from a recent article in Scientific American titled “The Empathy Incentive”.

Author Elizabeth Svoboda explains that being empathetic can be challenging. It requires putting yourself in someone else’s shoes and “understanding what they are thinking and feeling”. This is not an orientation many people have. And, whereas being empathetic can be taught, it requires active listening, not a skill everyone has or even wants. Moreover, it only thrives in situations where “empathy is the established norm”.

But there is a payoff. Empathy “lays a foundation for acts of cooperation and caring that allow diverse societies to flourish. Higher levels of empathy are tied to both individual well-being and broader social cohesion”.

One approach to enhancing empathy is organizing an “empathy café”. Each participant is given a few minutes to address an issue identified in advance. Then another group member, called a “reflector”, summarizes what the person said, without critiquing it in any way. Then the reflector has a chance to say what is on their mind, while choosing another person to be the reflector. And so it continues within the group. “Everyone gets a chance to speak and be heard”, which seems to be the essence of the process and its greatest strength.

The BIG Idea

If you agree that greater levels of empathy would make your organization better, consider establishing it as a cornerstone value and providing training in skills like active listening. Add empathy to the list of qualities you want in your employees and build it into their performance goals and reviews. And take solace in the fact that ensuring everyone is heard is a worthy goal in and of itself.

NEED HELP WITH TECH?

The Story

Tech is often represented as THE answer for non-profits wanting to be more effective and efficient. But the theory often breaks down with it comes to choosing the right kind of tech, both hardware and software.

The Skinny

If this is your organization’s dilemma, you may find free help in the form of the Charity Growth Academy. An offshoot of the CanadaHelps fundraising organization, the Charity Growth Academy describes its service as follows:

Our self-serve platform is designed by experienced charity and technology professionals who understand the unique needs and challenges of smaller charities. Through our detailed assessment, we’ll build a customized and curated experience for you to help prioritize, plan and understand digital transformation as it applies to your organization — completely free.

The Charity Growth Academy goes on to explain that the assessment will result in an action plan that: “….assesses organizations across dozens of data points to examine the existing technologies being used across a range of key functions such as donations, membership management, program registration and evaluation, and so much more.

More importantly, the tool looks at the support and structures that already exist (or not) in your organization to ensure that using technology becomes part of the operating culture of your team, not just a software subscription gathering dust in the corner.

The platform also helps solve another recurring problem, that of the disconnect between board members and the operating context of the organizations they serve. This may be especially true when board members come from the private sector or from teams that are well-resourced from a technical perspective. They often struggle to appreciate how much investment and effort is required to select, implement and sustain digital tools. The Charity Growth Academy platform provides a window through which board members can see where these efforts are most needed and helps them participate in their prioritization as well as keeping track of where progress is being made.

Leaders, too, can see the full picture of their organization’s digital maturity. One of the best parts of the platform is the ability to cross things off of action plans and to-do lists in a streamlined, more efficient way! But that’s not all. The Charity Growth Academy doubles as a formidable learning hub, offering five free courses for board members and leaders alike to help them learn their support to team operations more effectively. They can additionally access a database of 300 free and paid third-party learning resources to stay up to date with the latest best practices and emerging trends.”

The BIG IDEA

If your organization is struggling with tech and doesn’t know where to go next, this could be worth a try. Start by going to the Charity Growth Academy website.

SURVEY results

In our last edition we asked: Does your organization give employees the opportunity to provide feedback to their direct supervisor on how the supervisor is performing in their job and ways they could improve?

In response, only 7% of BIG IDEAS readers said their organizations provide that option to employees. Is that a surprising number? It is if organizations aspire to a work environment of openness and psychological safety.

Thanks to all BIG IDEAS readers who contributed. You are making non-profits better with the information you share.

DATA ABOUT Canadian non-Profits & Charities

Imagine Canada reported recently on new data from Statistics Canada about the non-profit sector. Its key findings include that one-third of all non-profits and charities are sports and rec organizations, only one percent of non-profits and charities have 100 or more employees and most non-profits and charities serve multiple constituencies. A more detailed list of StatsCan’s findings Include the following:

Types of Non-Profits and Charities

· Sports and recreation organizations – 33%

· Religious organizations - 19%

· Social services – 9%

· Development and housing – 7%

· Business and professional associations – 6%

· The smallest subsector is environmental organizations (0.4%).

· Nonprofits make up a slightly larger proportion of the sector (53%) than registered charities (47%).

People Power

· 55% of organizations have no paid staff and are operated totally by volunteers.

· 21% have fewer than 5 employees.

· 16% have 5 to 19 employees

· 7% have 20 to 99 employees

· 1% have 100 or more employees

· The average organization engages 32 volunteers.

· Environmental and arts and culture organizations engage more volunteers, on average, than other types of organizations. Environmental organizations involve an average of 64 volunteers, while arts and culture organizations involve an average of 61.

People Served

· 55% of the sector serves the general public or all people in a particular area

· 41% serve children and youth

· 39% serve women

· 35% serve seniors

· 34% serve families

At the same time, there was very little specialization in terms of constituencies served:

· Only 14% of organizations say they primarily serve children and youth, 5% primarily serve seniors, and 2% primarily serve women.

Demand for Service

· 21% of all organizations say demand has increased significantly

· 25% say it has increased modestly.

At CMCS Consulting, we found the data interesting because it positioned the majority of our clientele within the 1% of non-profits with 100 plus employees and the 9% of non-profits providing social services.

PLANNING REQUIRES IMPLEMENTATION: IMPLEMENTATION REQUIRES DEDICATIOn

The Story

In last week’s BIG Ideas newsletter, I suggested that now is the time to be planning for the next fiscal year, and described how the process could unfold.

But while planning is important, implementing the plan is even more important. And implementing requires discipline, starting with the Board and the ED/CEO. Both need to put monitoring their plans on their calendars, and ensure they stick to it.

The Skinny

To implement their operating plan, Executive Directors need to set up monthly meetings with each of their direct reports, as well as with the whole senior management team. Some EDs are inclined only to hold a group management meeting to monitor progress, but we believe the one-on-one sessions are critical.

In preparation, the direct reports forward a brief summary of the previous month’s actions and achievements 2 to 3 days in advance of the meeting. Actions for the next period and changes to the plan are also noted. Discussion is a two-way street, and includes ways the Executive Director can support the direct report in completing the actions and achieving the targets.

As long as everything is on track these meetings can be short, usually about an hour. At the same time, if something isn’t going according to plan, it can be discussed and changes made.

Both the Executive Director and the direct reports can also prepare a list of incidental things to talk over at the monthly meetings. This is an effective time saving device, since it avoids the need to catch each other for 5 minutes here and 10 minutes there over the course of the month. The truth is that most issues can wait until that next meeting.

However, one caution is needed. These meetings must be held. So EDs should set up the schedule at the start of the year and everyone should have the dates on their calendar. Dates can be changed as needed, but the meetings should never be missed altogether.

At the end of the year, the direct reports and the Executive Director produce a report containing a list of the actions completed and targets met, along with accomplishments which were not part of the plan, and actions that were not completed and targets that were not met.

Most organizations achieve more than they plan, so this usually results in an opportunity for the management team to give itself a pat on the back. It also provides an important source of information including statistical data that can be used for comparison purposes in subsequent years.

The results can also be used as a key indicator of performance for each direct report and the ED. This takes performance evaluation out of the subjective realm and into the objective.

Boards need their own implementation and review methodology. These include ensuring that the plan is on the agenda for each meeting, that Board members report monthly on progress as the year unfolds, and that they evaluate their performance based on how well they did in meeting the targets.

The BIG Idea

Strategic and yearly action planning are long-term commitments to an important management tool, and warrant investment of time and effort. Strategic and year plans help ensure the organization runs effectively. They bring the added benefit of facilitating the accountability of the Executive Director to the Board of Directors, and of the Board to the organization’s stakeholders, including its membership, funder and the broader community.

But don’t plan if you are not prepared to implement. And remember that implementation requires dedication. So, My BIG Idea is that, in addition to planning, you must embrace implementation as an organizational cornerstone.