Nonprofit organisations generally have communication and social media policies to guide their spokespeople and staff on acceptable practices. Despite this, mis-communications and other communication problems occur, especially where social media is involved. Most of the tensions within our communities are fuelled by words. Words used to label, blame, shame, or cancel people. Legitimate protests can… Continue reading Ethical Communications
Tag: compliance
Counting What Matters: using non-financial accounting
Einstein’s observation that “Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted” rings true for most nonprofit leaders. This is not to dismiss the importance of responsible financial management, but rather to acknowledge that there is more to governing a nonprofit than staying ‘in the black’. Key non-financial metrics… Continue reading Counting What Matters: using non-financial accounting
Are you a ‘responsible person’?
‘In loco parentis’ In a previous life, I was a teacher. Fairly early in my career, a boy in my Year 8 class was reported to have left the room. “Sir!! Kim’s outside having a fit!” With no idea as to the severity of the seizure, I had to choose instantly between my responsibility to… Continue reading Are you a ‘responsible person’?
The ‘Helpful Pedant’
Pedantry has a bad name. When we are nitpicking, finicky, or fussy, especially about trifling matters, we may be very annoying to our colleagues (and others). And yet … When we need attention to detail, precision, accuracy, or compliance with legal or best practice standards, a certain level of thoroughness is actually a prerequisite. Focal… Continue reading The ‘Helpful Pedant’
Are We Managing Human Resources or Human Beings?
Some of the fatalistic and dystopian predictions of recent years about robotic futures and the elimination of the need for human workers were overblown. On the other hand, there remains a strong imperative in some quarters to push forward with workforce substitution using a range of technologies. It would be hyperbolic to call this a… Continue reading Are We Managing Human Resources or Human Beings?
Aspirational Governance – Inspiring Great Outcomes
We sometimes refer to aspirational goals as ones we might hope to achieve, while suspecting that they are beyond our reach. Yet, without aspiring to achieve great things, no great things can actually happen. So it is with nonprofit governance aspirations. Aspiring to be compliant doesn’t offer much inspiration to your stakeholders, or your team.… Continue reading Aspirational Governance – Inspiring Great Outcomes
How effective is your board? – Part 5
Board Effectiveness Diagnostics Notwithstanding the shortcomings of simple surveys (e.g. one size does not fit all, tick-the-box mentality, etc.), boards can use checklists as mechanisms to ‘take the pulse’ or to perform basic compliance checks. The most fundamental diagnostics your board could use relate to legal and governance compliance – both as regards board effectiveness,… Continue reading How effective is your board? – Part 5
How long is your governance ‘year’?
Need for a key dates calendar Some of the smaller associations and community groups I have worked with have no staff, so volunteer directors and committee members are charged with doing all the work involved in running the organisation. I recently assisted one such group with the establishment of a Governance Committee, and part of… Continue reading How long is your governance ‘year’?
Organisational ‘Archy’-tecture
We have referenced ‘enterprise architecture‘ previously when describing the system ‘layers’ which make up a nonprofit’s ‘system of systems’. The whimsical title of this post seeks to broaden the lens to consider the relationship between organisational structure and functions (including products and services). The term ‘architecture‘ shares linguistic roots with numerous terms used to describe… Continue reading Organisational ‘Archy’-tecture
Rely-ability, Re-liability, and Reliability
‘Reliability’, like ‘validity’, is a term with multiple meanings. In non-profit settings (amongst others) there are several contexts in which the concept of ‘reliability’ is expressed differently. This post reflects only some of these. A dictionary definition sounds straightforward enough – ‘that which can be relied upon, fit to be depended upon, trustworthy‘. When we… Continue reading Rely-ability, Re-liability, and Reliability