ENGAGING YOUR HR & MARKETING EMPLOYEES IN NONPROFIT BOARD SERVICE. sponsored by

Transcription

1 ENGAGING YOUR HR & MARKETING EMPLOYEES IN NONPROFIT BOARD SERVICE sponsored by

2 Understand how Board Service fits into your Corporate Community Engagement Strategy Understand the Benefits of Board Service Learn about this Project & Key Research Findings Hear about 20 ways Marketing & HR Professionals can use their Expertise on Nonprofit Boards Access Tools / Resources Ask Questions / Give Feedback

3 BOARD MAKING SERVICE THE CASE A STRATEGY FOR PRO BONO

4 BOARD SERVICE AS A STRATEGY MAKING BUDGET EXTRA HANDS INFRASTRUCTURE AND LEADERSHIP Skills-based Volunteering Financial Support Hands-on Volunteering General Skills Pro Bono Expertise Board Service Cash Grants Dollars for Doers Matching Gifts Beach Clean-up Soup Kitchen Habitat for Humanity Tutoring Junior Achievement Science Fair Judge IT assistance Collateral Design HR Consulting Board Placement Board Training

5 NONPROFIT IMPACT Food Sorting Tutoring Junior Achievement Hands-on Volunteering Skilled Volunteering Marketing Support IT Assistance Strategic Planning Pro Bono Service Board Placement Board Service

6 BUSINESS BENEFITS Give back to - and strengthen - the communities where you live and work Enhance reputation/brand in your company s communities Enhance employees leadership skills and engage in a highly desired and effective professional development experience

7 EMPLOYEE BENEFITS Employees serving on nonprofit boards report: Strong sense of personal gratification Unique networking opportunities Broader insights into leadership they bring back to their jobs Employees whose employers support their community service report: Higher levels of job satisfaction Greater commitment to their companies Source: The Business Professional s Guide to Nonprofit Board Service: Leveraging Your Talents for the Social Sector, Second Edition

8 INSPIRATION & KEY FINDINGS

9 THE INSPIRATION What if every board had a treasurer of human capital? What if we nonprofit boards had a CMO or VP of marketing to serve as treasurer of an organization s brand and social capital? Do you think of your HR or marketing department when a nonprofit partner asks you about strengthening their board? - Aaron Hurst, President & Founder of Taproot, 2009 BoardSource Leadership Forum Keynote Speech

10 WHAT IS LITERACY RELATIVE TO A BOARD? LITERACY is enough familiarity with an area to understand issues and challenges to aid decision making Boards often focus on Financial Literacy Other kinds of literacy are highly relevant to board service HR Literacy Marketing Literacy IT Legal Engineering

11 PROJECT GOAL & RESEARCH METHODOLOGY PROJECT OVERVIEW META GOAL: To identify new opportunities for board leadership that: Create tangible entry points for board service Provide practical tools for organizations to identify, recruit, orient and engage new board leadership DELIVERABLES: Recommended roles for marketing and HR professionals within the board Handbooks and how to guide for engaging new board leaders METHODOLOGY INTERVIEWS 24 interviews with Marketing & HR professionals (both on and not on boards) and nonprofit Executive Directors SURVEY 261 responses from Marketing & HR professionals (both on and not on boards)

12 THE OPPORTUNITY 87% of surveyed HR professionals are interested in board service 92% of surveyed Marketing professionals are interested in board service 1,081,520 HR Professionals (US) 560,490 Marketing Professionals (US)

13 PROFESSIONALS WHO SERVE ON BOARDS 95% said it s important to share their expertise with the organization TOP THREE REASONS TO JOIN A BOARD A positive volunteer experience with the organization To use professional skills to help a nonprofit Professional networking

14 PROFESSIONALS WHO DON T SERVE ON BOARDS 9 in 10 expressed interest in serving on a nonprofit board BARRIERS TO BOARD SERVICE Don t know where to start or who to approach Time commitment Reluctance to fundraise Uncertain about what role to play

15 WHY DON T MORE PROFESSIONALS SERVE ON BOARDS? Consistent Finding: LACK OF AWARENESS on both sides HR and Marketing Professionals want information on Need for board service How to get started How to leverage their specific skill set, once engaged Nonprofits need education about Point HR & Marketing in general How to articulate what they NEED to these professionals What these professionals can do for their boards

16 10 WAYS HR PROFESSIONALS CAN DRIVE IMPACT FOR A NONPROFIT BOARD

17 1 Preach the gospel of talent management plans Many nonprofits lack the financial resources and knowledge to optimize the capabilities of both staff and board members. An HR executive could provide the perspective and tools to guide the nonprofit to improved performance.

18 2 Find access to pro bono resources Human capital is a horrible thing to waste. Too often nonprofits struggle with limited or no access to technicians that can enable their cause.

19 3 Counsel the Chief Executive during personnel crisis situations I assisted in an emergency board meeting and helped investigate a sexual harassment case between an employee and program manager.

20 4 Change management I could help [the board] to understand the impact of change and how to drive desired change in the organization.

21 5 Serve on the Governance Committee I ve found my work on the governance committee very rewarding. Being a seasoned organizational development professional, I feel I have been utilized in the organization s efforts to transcend its business as usual and to create a sustainable legacy.

22 6 Leverage the talents and skills of board members Companies are now recognizing the importance of HR, how well companies engage their talent; at nonprofits, you have the ability to demonstrate the differences between passive HR policies and proactive HR policies.

23 7 Help with hiring, and when necessary, firing the chief executive [The board member with human resources expertise] was on my search committee and was very integral in the process. Our most valuable resource is human capital and this person puts us in a position to attract other leaders with competency and strategic direction.

24 8 Help with management and regular assessment of the chief executive The board recognized that the executive director s performance wasn t where it needed to be...[but if] performance expectations are not clearly outlined [it is] impossible to approach [the] individual to assess [his or her] performance.

25 9 Help develop compensation philosophies and policies, and determine chief executive compensation I was able to help with researching best practices, contribute to developing a contract for [the executive director] and also look at salary levels to inform the appropriate level of compensation. I wanted to make sure that we had good retention strategies in place. It would be devastating to lose her for a lack of proper policies or noncompetitive salary.

26 10 Help lead the board through a selfassessment process Because of the very nature of HR, you re always thinking about what else needs to be done what could I do to improve this process, what can I bring to the table? I don t know if other people, besides HR professionals, come to the board with that mind-set.

27 STORY: HR THE PROFESSIONAL Stacy Proctor, VP of Human Resources, Associated Third Party Administrators THE NONPROFIT The Arc of San Francisco THE NEED & FIT I was recruited specifically for my HR background. They were looking for board members with specific skill sets. Helping the board go through structural changes Evolution and eventual dissolution of the HR committee Hiring HR director There should be an HR person on the board where the analysis of the board leadership happens. The board president calls me a lot.

28 10 WAYS MARKETING PROFESSIONALS CAN DRIVE IMPACT FOR A NONPROFIT BOARD

29 1 Manage the organization s reputation Organizational reputation is very important, especially in the nonprofit space, where there is so much competition. Organizations are constantly bombarding people for time, attention, and resources. A strong reputation is essential to stand out.

30 Help articulate and 2 refresh the organization s mission, vision, and values Particularly with newer nonprofits, I see a great need to really set up a solid mission and goals, and then have monthly reviews to ensure that they re following these. It s way too easy for nonprofits to go off on different tangents that don t really move their organization forward. As well, having a succinct mission makes development of a marketing plan or branding much easier and more beneficial to the organization.

31 3 Serve on the fundraising or development committee and/or help develop fundraising messaging I happen to be a connector so I want to use my capabilities to help connect my nonprofit with companies, individuals, and other organizations that can move it forward.

32 4 Take part in a branding exercise Branding is not just for external reasons it pulls the organization together like a North Star.

33 5 Participate in strategic planning If you think of a nonprofit like any other type of organization, with the need to attract funding, clients, and volunteers and if you have a budget of a certain level, you are at the scale at which marketing expertise would be very valuable. Through a strategy lens, you review whether or not you are engaged in the right activities, using your resources in the best possible way, how you are aligning your mission back to the way your resources are deployed are they in the best places?

34 6 Provide access to pro bono marketing resources There s always a need for pro bono. I ve never met a nonprofit organization that isn t stretched beyond full capacity. Two pieces that are needed: 1) a compelling case made for pro bono service to be provided to the nonprofit organization and 2) both parties need to be clear in contracting what are the roles each side needs to play to have a successful outcome. Nonprofit readiness is key.

35 7 Lead board communications training Few nonprofits have marketing staff, and as a result, very few have a clear understanding of what marketing is (and is not). They also do not understand what's involved (time, resources, discipline, focus) in embarking on a marketing effort. It is important for board members with marketing expertise to understand and anticipate those factors. A large part of what they will have to do is explain, persuade, and advocate for a marketdriven point of view.

36 8 Develop and review an organizational crisis management plan A crisis plan should be simple and unencumbered so that it can be activated should a crisis occur. It must be approved by everyone, and reviewed on a regular basis. You can t simply put it on a shelf and never review it again. I recommend a review on a quarterly basis, so that preparedness becomes inculcated into the organization s culture.

37 9 Provide access to media through public relations A marketer needs to make sure nonprofits are representing their brand correctly everything from making sure sound bites are the correct ones, to notifying the right people, etc. Sometimes folks get daunted by a PR program, but it s just a normal part of a marketing plan; for example rebranding? notify the media.

38 10 Increase organizational awareness of emerging networking technology Nonprofits need more integrated marketing strategies that utilize social media, new media, product placement, and creative media partnerships.move beyond traditional methods and explore innovative ways of marketing and communicating their brand to a broader audience.

39 STORY: MARKETING THE PROFESSIONAL Tammy Brown, Marketing Director, Technicolor THE NONPROFIT LA Commons THE NEED & FIT I just knew exactly what the Executive Director was looking for. They wanted somebody who lived and breathed their new marketing strategy, really giving the rest of the board a repository of knowledge. Oversees brand & marketing strategy Working board; Tammy is the only marketing professional on the board or staff, so she uses her skills regularly Marketing is the one thing people think they can do, but they can t. Most nonprofits would kill for marketing experts to be on their board to guide the perception of the organization and build PR strategy; it s just a matter of making the marketing professionals aware of the need.

40 READY MAKING TO THE ACT? CASE FOR PRO BONO

41 1. DETERMINE YOUR STRATEGY Making Budget Extra Hands Infrastructure and Leadership Skills-based Volunteering Financial Support Hands-on Volunteering General Skills Pro Bono Expertise Board Service

42 2. EDUCATE SHARE THIS INFORMATION WITH YOUR EMPLOYEES & NONPROFIT PARTNERS Free Handbooks (PDF):

43 3. CONNECT CONNECT YOUR EMPLOYEES & NONPROFIT PARTNERS PRO BONO SERVICE, WHICH CAN LEAD TO BOARD SERVICE Taproot Foundation: BOARD MATCHING PROGRAMS Bridgestar: Corporation for National and Community Service: ; VolunteerMatch: Boardnet USA: CORPORATE SOLUTIONS BoardSource

44 RESOURCES: BOARDSOURCE How can BoardSource help our company provide our employees with the opportunity to obtain the knowledge and develop the skills they need to become better nonprofit board members? Educational Programs Customized On Demand Online Training Programs Leadership Counsel and Coaching Licensing BoardSource Content Customized Publications Corporate Membership Program

45 RESOURCES: TAPROOT USE OUR TOOLS Competencies Map Business Value Flashcards Designing for Impact Framework USE OUR ADVISORY SERVICES LEARN. Taproot can help you better understand the world of pro bono including the value that developing a program can provide. Need to generate senior-level support for a program? Taproot can educate key internal audiences. BUILD. Develop a pro bono service strategy that lays the foundation for pilot program design. By researching the needs of nonprofits you support and aligning these with your company s core competencies, our design process will ensure the smooth and effective launch of a pilot program. SCALE. For those companies that seek to have greater positive impact on their community by expanding an existing employee engagement program, Taproot can offer program oversight and evaluation tools.

46 QUESTIONS & CONTACT INFO DEBORAH DAVIDSON Vice President for Governance Research and Publications AMANDA PAPE LENAGHAN Senior Manager, Development & Strategic Initiatives