Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes
By Melanie Lockwood Herman and Alexandra Ricketts
Resource Type: Articles
Topic: HR Risk and Employment Practices, Organizational Culture
One of your best employees just left the organization and you feel a sense of urgency to replace her. But is it simply time to fill the open chair with a warm body? If your expectations for performance are low, then almost any applicant will do. But if your mission is to make a difference in your community or in the world, you’ll want to make wise hiring choices and invest in any new staff to help them succeed. One area that requires special attention anytime the makeup of the workforce is changing, is workplace culture.
Culture is the sum of the values, beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors of a shared group of people. Essentially, it is your nonprofit’s personality. Although culture is something you can’t see, it influences productivity and the willingness of team members to persevere and pull together to overcome the inevitable challenges in a nonprofit workplace. Culture is reflected in:
Have you ever worked for an organization where:
If any of those circumstances sound familiar, you’ve worked for a manager or organization that cared very little about workplace culture. The consequences of inattention to culture are serious. They include:
Changing the culture in a nonprofit is no easy task and you don’t have the option of casting a magic spell to turn bad to good. To reduce the likelihood that an ineffective workplace culture will weaken your mission, consider the five risk tips below.
Leading a nonprofit organization sometimes feels like a walk in a forest inhabited by not-so-friendly bears. But it needn’t be that way. A commitment to growing and sustaining a positive, collaborative workplace culture is within the reach of every nonprofit leadership team. It may require some experimentation and the occasional burnt tongue or uncomfortable night’s sleep. But the rewards are likely to greatly exceed the bumps, bruises and battles along the journey.
Melanie Herman is the Executive Director at the Nonprofit Risk Management Center. She welcomes your questions and thoughts about the intersection of workplace culture and risk management and can be reached by email at Melanie@nonprofitrisk.org. All staff members can be reached at 703.777.3504.
“First let me congratulate you on a conference well done. I had a great time at the Nonprofit Employee Benefits Conference and walked away with some valuable tools and questions that we’ll need to be addressing in both the short and long term. Thanks to you and your staff for all you do to provide us with quality resources in support of our missions.”
“BBYO’s engagement of the Center to conduct a risk assessment was one of the most valuable processes undertaken over the past five years. Numerous programmatic and procedural changes were recommended and have since been implemented. Additionally, dozens (literally) of insurance coverage gaps were identified that would never have been without the work of the Center. This assessment led to a broker bidding process that resulted in BBYO’s selection of a new broker that we have been extremely satisfied with. I unconditionally recommend the Center for their consultative services.
“Melanie Herman has provided expert, insightful, timely and well resourced information to our Executive Team and Board of Directors. Our corporation recently experienced massive growth through merger and the Board has been working to better integrate their expanded set of roles and responsibilities. Melanie presented at our Annual Board of Director’s Retreat and captured the interest of our Board members. As a result of her excellent presentation the Board has engaged in focused review which is having immediate effects on governance.”
“The Nonprofit Risk Management Center has been an outstanding partner for us. They are attentive to our needs, and work hard to successfully meet our requests for information. Being an Affiliate member gave us access to so many time- and money-saving resources that it easily paid for itself! Nonprofit Risk Management Center is truly a valued partner of The Community Foundation of Elkhart County and we are continuously able to optimize staff time with the support given by their team.”
“The board and staff of the Prince George’s Child Resource Center are extremely pleased with the results of the risk assessment conducted by the Nonprofit Risk Management Center. A thorough scan revealed that while we are a well run organization, we had risks that we never imagined. We are grateful to know that we have now minimized our organizational risks and we recommend the Center to other nonprofits.”
Great American Insurance Group’s Specialty Human Services is committed to protecting those who improve your communities. The Center team has committed to delivering dynamic risk management solutions tailored to nonprofit organizations. These organizations have many and varied risk issues, hence the need for specialized coverage and expert knowledge for their protection. We’ve had Melanie speak on several occasions to employees and our agents. She is always on point and delivers such great value. Thank you for the terrific partnership and allowing our nonprofits to focus on their mission!