risk management

Some evening and weekend work is required.

Some evening and weekend work is required.

When a non-profit employee, especially an executive director, is a salaried position, there is an unwritten expectation that they will get the job done no matter how long it takes. Many new EDs will embrace this work arrangement because they want to prove themselves capable and valuable to...


Frank wants a copy of his personnel file

Frank wants a copy of his personnel file

The official personnel file is one of the most useful collections of information about an employee and often the files with the biggest mess. From time sheets to vacation requests, from letter of employment to annual evaluations, the volume of information a non-profit executive director is...


Don’t get yelled at!

Don’t get yelled at!

Posted in office operations / policy / risk management

My first experience with policies was during the years I worked in a provincial park. How many campers and tents are allowed in one campsite? I was new to the job but experienced enough to know that there were rules. My boss was away, and I didn’t want to make a mistake that would get me, or...


It isn’t personal. It's business.

It isn’t personal. It's business.

When a non-profit is just getting started, or perhaps, when a non-profit is a bit smaller in operations, it might not have all the tools a more established organization has put into place. From computers and printers to credit cards and accounts, it can be tricky to know whether the...


5 weird truths about being a nonprofit ED

5 weird truths about being a nonprofit ED

A non-profit executive director is one of the strangest jobs. One minute you will be writing a major grant application and the next you are cleaning the bathroom. Some days you’ll be a leading force for the sector, speaking with confidence and enthusiasm, next you’re hauling twenty thousand...


A non-profit's guide to online banking

A non-profit's guide to online banking

Non-profits have many reasons to embrace online banking (e-banking). It might start with a desire to make faster payments to independent contractors, to encourage easier donations, or simply avoid the time it takes for in-person banking. When an executive director begins to investigate...


The Challenges of Setting Up a Non-Profit Home Office

The Challenges of Setting Up a Non-Profit Home Office

Posted in office operations / risk management

It’s hard to believe it’s been three years since offices were shut down and we started working from home. At the time, it seemed like a temporary move, kind of like being displaced because of a city street repair… in a couple weeks we’d be right back to normal. Not even close.   As the...


Risk Management is the Umbrella You Didn’t Think You Needed

Risk Management is the Umbrella You Didn’t Think You Needed

Posted in emergency / risk management

Non-profits are complicated organizations. Strategic plans are directly tied to the wants and needs of clients, members, and stakeholders, which creates a big responsibility to protect those needs from something damaging or undesirable. Most non-profits are usually funded through grants,...


The Emergency Red Binder – Peace of Mind for HR Emergencies

The Emergency Red Binder – Peace of Mind for HR Emergencies

Posted in office operations / emergency / risk management

What is the emergency red binder? Let’s imagine you’ve just won the lottery (sigh); 60 million dollars in your name, received the very day after the board chair chewed you out over a trivial matter. Think you’ll give two months’ notice before you leave? I think we’re talking more about a text...


What do you do when a board member goes rogue?

What do you do when a board member goes rogue?

Has there been a time when a board member didn’t follow policy and no one, you or other board members, said anything? Has a board member reported tasks that they’ve handled when they were neither asked, nor given the authority, to handle those tasks? Has a board member been making decisions...