How to Stop Non-Profit Policies from Becoming Mind-Numbingly Boring

Non-profits have sooo many policies. Policies that define the work of the board. Policies that define what an executive director is and isn’t allowed to do. Policies that tell the staff team what they can and cannot do. A non-profit’s policies, from governing to operational, are the rules that set the organization up for effective management success.

If you’ve experienced a customer complaint, or an angry supporter, you will likely remember that moment of panic when you wondered if the matter was handled correctly. Being able to reference back to what happened and have it supported by a clear policy will take a world of stress off a non-profit executive director’s shoulders.

Schedule policy review.

Governing policies are the major work of the board. The board must thoroughly understand its policies to do its job well. Policies guide the way the board operates, the way the board supervises, and the way the board plans. Governing policies are incredibly important but also incredibly dull. They simply are not like reading the latest mystery.

To mitigate what might, for some board members, feel like a mind-numbingly boring review process, a non-profit board of directors will develop a schedule for regular policy review that doesn’t take too much time away from the work of a board meeting. The method will be different for every board. Some might want an annual review meeting, where governing policies are reviewed all at once, in a sort of retreat-style setting. Other boards might want to review a few governing policies at each board meeting, spreading out the work over 1-2 years.

Operating policies are no more exciting for the staff team than governing policies are for the board. The big difference is that the staff team will be much more familiar with the policies because they work within them daily. Staff teams can usually handle a policy review at each monthly staff meeting and can quickly apply updates for the way the organization currently operates or needs to operate.

Review policies to create understanding.

Policies are like little laws for the organization. Policies are created to guide the work of the board and staff. The board and staff teams will need to understand the policies to do their work correctly, accurately, and with accountability.

Understanding policies is especially important for new board members and new employees who will need to learn what’s expected of them, the parameters within which they will work, and the consequences when policies are not followed.

Update policies to align with current practices.

Policies can become stale when not reviewed regularly.

A non-profit board might have a policy that requires all payments to be made by cheque. As the business world embraces e-transfers more and more, a policy like this could create unnecessary delays for payments and the board might want to update the policy to allow for the new practice.

A non-profit might have a policy requiring all employees to work from a central office. With the increase of home offices during the pandemic, this is a policy that probably changed for a lot of us over that last few years.

Update policies for a happier team.

Policies can become barriers for employee happiness. A non-profit might handle a specific task a certain way and have that outlined in policy. Without review, it isn’t possible to know if that method is the method the staff team prefers. Sometimes a simple discussion will reveal a preferred method to handle a task. One that works just as well as the old policy but is preferred by the staff team.

Embrace policies as a tool that make the job easier.

Policies get a bad rap. They are seen as boring and restrictive. Without policies, everyone would be free to operate as they wanted, and that could be a huge disaster. Imagine a non-profit with 36 different methods for receiving donations? It would be difficult to know where the funds came from, where they went, and who handled the paperwork. Donors would become suspicious, and the organization’s integrity would be questioned.

When policies can be embraced as an easy tool to get the full team, from staff to volunteers, working in sync, they safeguard the organization’s reputation. When a donor questions a receipting process, it is easy to reference the policy. When the auditor has questions about handling tasks, the policy can demonstrate accountability. Embracing policies as a tool that make the job easier, will make them feel less restrictive, actually empowering, and there will be an increased willingness to want to keep the policy book relevant and on hand.

How to get started.

If your non-profit’s policies have been gathering dust, an easy way to get started is with the staff team reviewing operating policies at staff meetings. A few policies are picked to be discussed, everyone is asked to read the policy before the meeting and bring their ideas for updates. This process is repeated at each meeting until all the operating policies have been reviewed.

Starting with operating policies will streamline operations, and anything that needs governance approval can be sent to the board for further discussion, which might actually trigger governance policy discussions.

What’s the status of the policies at your non-profit? Do you have a regular review schedule? Are there policies that drive you nuts? I’d love to hear the details it! Please use the form on the right side of the page to let me know.

-Christie

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Hi, I'm Christie Saas, former board member, current Executive Director, and non-profit volunteer. I remember well, those early years when I lacked the training, the confidence, and the work-life balance to focus on becoming the best non-profit leader I could be.

Fast-forward past many bumps in the road, lessons learned, and you’ll find me still in the trenches, but a little wiser, a little calmer, and a whole lot happier. I love my work and I want to help you love yours too.

I created ChristieSaas.com so non-profit leaders never need to feel alone. I’m here to help. If you’re a brand-new non-profit leader, or a little more seasoned, someone who’s looking to make a meaningful contribution and still have time for a full life away from the job, you’re in the right place.

© Christie Saas 2023 All Rights Reserved

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