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Team Welter

Apr 07
0

The Three Pillars of Digital Transformation

By | Corporate Culture, Data, Nonprofit | No Comments
smiling woman at laptop computer. Welter logo

“Digital transformation” is one of those buzzwords that seems to be everywhere right now. From e-commerce to manufacturing, everyone is talking about the impact of digital transformation.

The term “digital transformation” makes it sound like a magician is at work behind the scenes. Presto, change, click a switch, and voila—your entire organization has undergone a magical transformation!

If only it were that simple. Organizations undergoing digital transformation may find themselves struggling with new questions if they lack strategy behind their adoption of new technology.

There are three pillars, or core concepts, embedded within every successful digital transformation. We suggest having these three areas addressed well in advance of your digital transformation project to boost its chances of success.

A Clear Strategy and Alignment of Vision

Success doesn’t happen by accident. A successful digital transformation project occurs when the strategy and vision behind the project align with an organization’s clarity of purpose and mission.

What is the vision behind the project, and how does it help an organization fulfill its mission? New technology can improve the organization’s ability to fundraise, track grants, and/or manage fund accounting. These are all worthwhile and noble goals. Map out how the new technology you hope to implement helps you fulfill a goal that is clearly aligned with your organization’s mission, purpose, and vision for the future.

Shared Decision Making Around New Technology

It’s tempting to think the purchase of new technology is an IT-department responsibility. But the best IT departments will tell you that all stakeholders—those who will use the technology daily—are the ones who need to be at the table when creating the technology requirements document and exploring options.

Shared decision-making around new technology is essential to finding the best technology that will meet your organization’s needs. Each stakeholder knows their respective area of business best and can provide the most valuable input into how the technology under consideration will help them do their work better.

Any digital transformation team gathered at your organization should include a representative from each major area of responsibility: accounting, finance, operations, program management, marketing, outreach, grant management, donor management, and more. Let those who will use the technology have a voice in the decision of which one to adopt and why.

Process Changes, Too

The third pillar, or major consideration, when undergoing digital transformation is that technology never lives in isolation. It is the impact of technology on people, processes, and things that makes it such a transformation.

The people in the equation—your staff and stakeholders who will interact daily with the technology—must adapt and change their behaviors to work with the new system. There may be a steep learning curve for some. Routines must change, and with changing routines, come changing processes.

No matter how user-friendly the new technology, processes and people must both adapt to it. Make sure you give everyone the time and space they need to learn to use the new technology. Keep an open mind and be flexible to process changes and adaptations, too.

Are You Ready for Digital Transformation?

You’ve probably seen those ads on television for diet programs. They always show before and after pictures: someone looking sad and overweight in the before picture, triumphant and overjoyed in the after photo. What they never show is the in-between: the daily struggle to make wise choices, the moments of decision that lead to a successful outcome.

Your organization’s digital transformation is also like those weight loss programs. You have a “before” shot now: a problem you need to solve, a process that’s cumbersome or slowing things down, and so on. What you desire is the “after” effect: faster, more productive work. But, to get there, you’ll need to bring together these three pillars of strategy and vision, shared decisions, and adapting process to make it successful.

Welter Consulting

Welter Consulting bridges people and technology together for effective solutions for nonprofit organizations. We offer software and services that can help you with your accounting needs. Please contact Welter Consulting at 206-605-3113 for more information.

Apr 05
0

3 Hiring Tips During Times of Candidate Shortage

By | HR, Nonprofit | No Comments
smiling people looking at open laptop computer with the Welter logo

The so-called “great resignation” has hit all businesses hard, but for the nonprofit sector, it has been an especially trying time. Nonprofit organizations, which typically pay slightly less than their for-profit counterparts, often struggle to attract the best and brightest candidates to their organizations. Add on to this the decrease in funding sources and potentially shrinking budgets, and you have a staffing emergency that can change into a crisis.

With for-profit companies offering everything from higher wages to hiring bonuses, nonprofits may need to tap into their creativity to build attractive packages for potential employees. But how? Here are three tips to help your nonprofit hire successfully during times of candidate shortage.

  1. Study the Market and Build a Compensation Model

First, thoroughly understand the job market as it stands now, and in relation to the openings at your nonprofit. Consider both the local market and a broader market. With telecommuting becoming the norm, you can broaden your hiring options to fill a challenging vacancy by making the position fully remote.

Include a compensation model in this study, evaluating the appropriate compensation for the position, and comparing that to the current market average for similar candidates, at least biannually.

  1. Compete for Candidates Based on Your Organization’s Strengths

Let’s face it—your nonprofit may be unlikely to have perks like an onsite gym or childcare, but maybe it has other perks. Does it offer benefits unique to its mission that would attract just the right candidate?

A nonprofit animal charity may allow pets in the office, which may be a huge benefit for some. Other organizations may have a very relaxed policy towards bringing children to work, which would appeal to some candidates.

Lastly, there’s one thing your organization is guaranteed to have that a for-profit doesn’t: passion for its charitable mission. Oh sure, big companies like Amazon are passionate about fast shipping and having tons of products available, but they aren’t saving the rain forest, championing healthcare, or helping the elderly with transportation … all valuable missions that candidates can get behind.

Leverage your organization’s strengths to attract candidates.

  1. Evaluate Your Current Benefit Packages

One of the motivating factors behind the “great resignation” is the need for work-life balance. Many employees had the chance to re-evaluate their career and family situations during the pandemic. They realized that “all work and no play,” missing their children’s school events and dance recitals, skipping vacations, and never taking a sick day has taken its toll on their physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health.

A cursory review of media articles that cite workers’ stories and reasons for leaving their careers offers both a glimpse into the problem as well as hints at a solution. If people are leaving their jobs because they realize they’re spending more time at work than at home, why not let people work from home? If people believe their work-life balance is important, what can your organization do to encourage a healthier attitude towards work and play?

It’s time to evaluate your organization’s current benefit packages. A survey of for-profit benefit packages, or delving into the available research, can help you position your nonprofit’s benefits favorably to comparable for-profit companies.

Consider the following benefits as part of an attractive package:

  • Additional holidays, such as Juneteenth or the days after Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years
  • Additional personal time off
  • Flexible hours
  • Telecommuting benefits
  • Additional time off for parents with newborns

Allow More Time During the Hiring Process

It’s a job seeker’s market right now. Candidates are likely flooded with opportunities from recruiters as well as job boards. It may be difficult to find a great fit for your organization, so allow additional time in the hiring process. It’s never a good idea to rush into hiring someone, and that is still unwise, even with a tight labor market. So, take your time, attract based on your greatest strengths, and find your next great employee!

Welter Consulting

Welter Consulting bridges people and technology together for effective solutions for nonprofit organizations. We offer software and services that can help you with your accounting needs. Please contact Welter Consulting at 206-605-3113 for more information.

Mar 16
0

A New Approach to Accounting Collaboration

By | Accounting, Accounting Software, Nonprofit | No Comments

It seems like the world changed in the blink of an eye. Things we took for granted, like working on-site at a client’s office to conduct an audit, had to be changed. New ways of collaboration were discovered, tested, and refined. Today’s approach to accounting collaboration has changed dramatically.

If your firm still handles client relations as it did five or even three years ago, it’s time to get up to speed on new methods of accounting collaboration. Collaborating with clients and colleagues has moved to new methods, technologies, and resources, and each has its pros and cons. Together, however, they are forming a new way of working together that is meeting with approval from both accountants and their clients.

New Ways of Collecting and Sharing Information

In previous years, clients often dropped off USB memory sticks at their accountant’s office or envelopes full of documents.

Today, new ways of collecting and sharing information have made virtual collaboration easier. For example, many accounting firms are now using secure file transfer protocols to enable clients to upload data directly to their systems.

But what about large data files? Yet another change that’s occurred throughout the accounting world is the need to handle larger data files. Instead of a single general ledger file, organizations and companies may have large, complex data files requiring secure transfers.

This is the time when accounting firms should invest in new, secure technology to facilitate easier data uploads. Ensuring that your clients can collect and share information securely and quickly is essential to fostering good collaboration.

Audits Go Virtual

Another change happening in the accounting world is the shift to virtual audits. Instead of relying upon in-person audits, many accounting firms are now collaborating with their clients through virtual audits.

The success of a virtual audit depends on how easily and transparently information can be shared between accountants and clients. Ensuring that clients can share information securely is essential. Some cloud-based accounting and finance systems offer the ability to share information directly with third-party systems or users. Auditors can be added to a system or, depending on the technology, information may be obtained directly from the organization’s accounting program.

Reliance on Videoconferencing

Collaboration between accounting firms and clients has also changed in the area of meetings. Annual, quarterly, and monthly meetings have mostly shifted to videconferences. This shift makes meetings more convenient but can add complexity when juggling multiple calendars and schedules to find suitable meeting times. Technological hurdles, such as unstable internet signals, can also make videoconferences less effective than in-person meetings.

To make videoconferencing more collaborative, consider using two tools in one, such as a video conference tool with chat function integrated into the software. This enables users to ask spontaneous questions as they would during an in-person meeting without disrupting the flow of conversation.

Two other ways to make videoconferencing more collaborative is using a recording function, which keeps a record of the call that can be shared for future reference or with participants who were unable to attend in person. A transcript can be made from the recording too, either by working with a transcription service through popular tools such as Fiverr or utilizing transcription software such as Otter.ai.

No matter where you turn, the shift towards virtual work is in full swing. Some feel it is long overdue, while others believe that the spontaneity and comradery of working in person is lost. To enhance collaboration with their clients, accountants must use all the resources at their disposal.

Welter Consulting

Welter Consulting bridges people and technology together for effective solutions for nonprofit organizations. We offer software and services that can help you with your accounting needs. Please contact Welter Consulting at 206-605-3113 for more information.

Feb 16
0

7 Tips to Become a Better Virtual Communicator

By | Corporate Culture, Nonprofit, Professional Development, Technology | No Comments

According to The Washington CPA, 70% of managers say they are more open to a flexible working model now than they were before the start of the pandemic. If any good came from the last two years of turmoil, it is that companies are now recognizing that employees can be as productive and responsive when working from home as they can when reporting to an office.

Given that the world isn’t likely to return to pre-pandemic work norms, it makes sense to focus on improving communication skills in a remote working environment.

Barriers to Effective Virtual Communication

There are several barriers that must be overcome when communicating virtually with team members. Virtual communications differ from in-person communication in several ways.

When people converse in person, they rely on body language, facial expressions, and tone of voice to convey deeper meaning than words alone can convey. Virtual communication removes these added layers of information-sharing and puts the emphasis on written words alone. Even with videoconferencing, some nuances are lost, and not all work can be shared effectively during video conferences.

Best Practices

The skills you’ve come to rely on for effective in-person communication differ from those needed for effective virtual communication. Here, we share several tips to help you become a better virtual communicator.

  1. Use technology to enhance communication: Most companies choose one project management system, one instant messenger system, and add email and videoconferencing to the mix. These four basic technologies cover most day-to-day needs. It doesn’t really matter which ones you choose, as long as you use them consistently.
  2. Set expectations and boundaries around technology use: Establish response timelines and share them via written documentation. For example, you may request that during the business week, all instant messenger communications and emails are answered within 24 hours or that the project management system is updated by a certain day of the week. Share these expectations and hold team members accountable for following through.
  3. Select specific channels for different types of communication: Instant messenger tools such as Slack and Skype are great for quick responses, but unsuitable for longer discussions. Learn when to use specific types of communications. Some good rules of thumb are:
    • Quick questions or updates: instant messenger channels
    • Project updates or information sharing: project management channels
    • Formal communication, reports, or updates: email
    • Brainstorming, team meetings, large briefings: video conferencing or conference calls
  4. Provide frequent feedback: Another important element to virtual communication is frequent, regular contact with team members. Providing regular feedback on project updates, messages, and initiatives is vital for effective virtual communication.
  5. Close communication loops: Don’t leave anyone wondering what’s going on. Along with frequent feedback, “close the loop” by ensuring you alert others when a task is complete, a project is finished, or a customer situation has been addressed.
  6. Write in a short, succinct, and direct manner: Since so much of virtual communication is conducted via typed or written words, it must be impactful. Avoid extraneous thoughts, off-topic asides, and trying to convey emotions via writing. Humor and sarcasm may be suitable for your personal communication but added to a business communication can seriously twist a message, often to the point where it can be misconstrued. Use shorter sentences, plenty of bullet points, and other written communication techniques to ensure shared understanding.
  7. Keep everyone informed: A good rule of thumb is to over-communicate rather than under-communicate. Include anyone who may need the information in an email as a Cc line, or forward information to team members who may need it.

As the world continues to embrace flexible work arrangements, more workers will demand the ability to work remotely. This is especially true as the so-called “great resignation” shows no sign of abatement. Offering virtual work options, flexible work arrangements, and telecommuting options allows you to hire outside of your immediate geography and find excellent candidates. But, in order to make it work, you and everyone else at your organization must improve your virtual communications. Become a whiz at that, and you’ll be set up for a strong future.

Welter Consulting

Welter Consulting bridges people and technology together for effective solutions for nonprofit organizations. We offer software and services that can help you with your accounting needs. Please contact Welter Consulting at 206-605-3113 for more information.