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Team Welter

Mar 13
0

Employee Policies Your Nonprofit Can’t Live Without

By | Accounting, CPA, HR, Nonprofit | No Comments

Every nonprofit should have an employee handbook. An employee handbook provides objective guidelines for many areas governing the conduct of employees and the smooth operations of the organization. Even if the organization has just a handful of employees, an employee handbook is necessary.

But it’s not enough to draft a handbook and leave it at that. Employee policies must be shared with your team. Reminders are often necessary. And, like it or not, reinforcement is critical. Without reinforcement, employee policies are meaningless.

10 Items to Include in Your Employee Handbook

The SBA recommends including the following topics in an employee handbook:

  1. Disclaimers: Disclaimers generally appear at the beginning of the handbook and define the basic terms of the employee- employer relationship. It includes a statement that the handbook may be updated and changed at any time. It also defines what is called an ‘at will’ employee relationship, meaning that the organization may, at its discretion, terminate employment at will.
  2. Non-disclosure and conflict of interest statements: These protect the organization against employees sharing confidential information with external parties or competitors.
  3. Anti-discrimination policies: Anti-discrimination policies make it clear that you intend to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. These policies set forth the organization’s commitment to equality for all regardless of disability.
  4. Compensation: Salary, salary reviews, overtime hours, and other compensation should be clearly outlined in the compensation portion of the handbook.
  5. Gift policies: If your organization does not allow employees to receive gifts from members or donors, include this information as well.
  6. Work schedules: Office hours, days that the office is closed for holidays, and other information pertinent to work schedules can be included too.
  7. Vacation and sick time: List the amount of vacation and sick time available to employees. Include information on how additional time accrues, if any, and how employees should call in sick or request paid leave.
  8. Health and safety: Employees should know how to report health and safety violations and problems. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration provides more information on compliance with relevant health and safety laws.

In addition to what the SBA recommends, there are some additional policies that you may wish to add:

  1. Drug and alcohol policies: Drug and alcohol screening may be part of your workplace. You should also state clearly your organization’s no-tolerance policy for alcohol or drug use on the job and include information on how to report violations. Particularly considering I-502, which legalizes recreational use of marijuana in Washington State, it is crucial that you clearly define expectations with respect to drug/alcohol use on the job. To enforce any drug policy, you should also identify what types of testing will be conducted: 1) pre-employment; 2) reasonable suspicion; 3) post-accident; or 4) random.
  2. Anti-harassment policy: Define what constitutes unlawful harassment and discrimination, and identify all protected categories under federal, state and local law. Identify the person to whom such complaints should be brought and how they will be investigated. Make sure to specify that retaliation will not be tolerated.

Many organizations create an employee handbook that lacks some important policies. Be sure that your nonprofit includes drug and alcohol policies, anti-harassment policies, anti-discrimination information, and the all-important disclaimer. This information both complies with the law and is vital for safeguarding your nonprofit and employees.

An employee handbook may not seem all that important if you have just a few employees, but it’s just as important with two employees as it is with 200. Be sure to update your employee handbook as necessary, share it with your employees, and use it as a valuable resource to guide employment practices at your nonprofit.

Welter Consulting

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

Mar 06
0

Cross-Training: It’s Vital to Your Nonprofit’s Success

By | Accounting, Audit, HR, Nonprofit | No Comments

Most nonprofit organizations take great care to safeguard vital databases. An emergency plan guides your team through major emergencies. But what would happen today if one of your team had a sudden emergency and had to take a month off from work? Accidents, sickness, and death are a part of life. No matter how you plan for a contingency, it can be difficult to fill someone’s role if others aren’t fully aware of what they do.

That’s where a cross-training plan comes into the picture. For-profit organizations have long insisted upon cross-training employees. This means that every employee has another employee fully briefed and trained in their job duties and responsibilities. There are many reasons why cross-training is important, and many benefits to both your employees and your nonprofit organization.

Benefits of Cross-Training

There are many reasons why cross-training is important to your organization.

  • Long-term absences: Health emergencies, pregnancy and parental leave, family emergencies, and other unforeseen circumstances may necessitate a key employee’s absence for weeks or months at a time. During this time, you’ll need coverage for their position. While you could certainly hire a temp, this is an expensive and ineffective solution. A temp still needs to be trained on the person’s tasks and responsibilities. Cross-training ensures that someone on the team knows exactly what needs to get done and when. Even if you do decide to hire a temp to cover the position long-term, a cross-trained staff member can in turn train the temp and the work can move forward without delay.
  • Busy periods: Certain months may be busier than others, and during those months, it’s helpful to have someone cross-trained to step in and assist. Membership dues may all be due in December or January, for example, and it’s helpful for the accounting department to have someone trained to enter the information and update the membership directory. Other departments may also experience similar cycles of ebb and flow to their work and can trade off staff as needed.
  • Continuity: Donors, members, and others trust an organization which demonstrates consistency and continuity. With cross-training, the work continues unabated. The organization demonstrates a commitment to service and support for their members, which goes a long way towards building trust.

Benefits to Employees

Employees benefit from cross-training too. Learning new skills adds interest to their day as well as valuable knowledge they can use to further their careers. Training for a supervisor’s position helps employees acquire the skills needed to step up in the organization. Lateral skills training, or training in skills related to an employee’s current position in the organization, can still broaden and expand the skills someone uses in their daily job.

When Cross-Training Isn’t Appropriate

There are some occasions when cross-training isn’t appropriate. Sensitive data and information, such as human resources materials, should be kept within the HR department, so cross-train only HR personnel for positions within the department.

Some employees aren’t interested in cross-training opportunities. Try not to force people to be trained for another job if they’re not interested in it. Those who succeed in cross-training activities are people who are highly motivated to learn, grow, and expand their horizons. These are people who want to remain with your organization and grow their careers in the nonprofit sector.

Cross-training has been used for many years in the for-profit sector to ensure continuity of work and productivity. Borrowing this idea from the for-profit arena and applying it to the nonprofit world makes good business sense.

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

Feb 27
0

E-commerce Versus M-commerce

By | Uncategorized | No Comments

Difference Between E-commerce and M-commerce

E-commerce (electronic commerce) is generally considered to be any type of transaction that takes place using the internet. Many popular transactions are banking, paying bills, and shopping. These activities take place using desktop and laptop computers in the home or office.

M-commerce (mobile commerce) is also any type of e-commerce transaction, only access to the internet is not required because these activities now take place using smartphones and tablets as telecommunication devices. And, because these activities are mobile, they can take place just about anywhere: home, office, riding in a car, walking on the beach, etc.

Mobile Optimized Websites

As the e-commerce business model continues to evolve into m-commerce, optimizing the user experience with an easy-to-use mobile interface becomes key to the effort of ensuring that potential customers and users return for more.

Mobile optimization ensures that visitors who access your site from their smartphones or tablets enjoy an experience optimized for their specific device. This means that your site reformats navigation buttons, content, and images so they display correctly, no matter what device is used to view your site.

Besides being easy to read and navigate, the website must load quickly. A data hungry page that takes too much time to load is not going to attract a loyal, mobile user base.

Adoption Rate

What is driving the adoption rate of m-commerce?

Practically all top companies now have mobile apps for their customers that attract more users, make business much easier to do, and provide a better customer experience, all while saving the company money through better processes.

This includes:

* Taking mobile payments for goods and services

* Providing mobile banking services that facilitate deposits and transfers

* Allowing the filing of insurance claims

Constant Change

It’s becoming evident that technology has taken over and is necessary for any business to flourish. In this world, the only constant is change. Just when you think you’ve a full grasp on the internet and all things technology, along comes a paradigm shift that moves the game from the home or office. Whether it’s e-commerce through the internet or m-commerce through the entire global communication network, change will always be inevitable and Welter Consulting is here to help! To learn more about mobile technology for nonprofits check out our free webinar this summer on Mobility and Virtual Office Possibilities for Nonprofits. For a complete listing of our nonprofit training and events click here. At Welter Consulting we are committed to finding you the most affordable technology, the most powerful solution, and providing expert support. We are dedicated to assist you in achieving your mission by leveraging technology and superior reporting. We are passionate professionals who choose to work in the nonprofit sector for the same reason you do – helping others.

Feb 20
0

Millennials: Ready, Willing, and Able to Serve on Your Board

By | Accounting, Fundraising | No Comments

Here’s How to Recruit this Dynamic Generation to Service

Experts predict that within 10 years, Millennials (those born between 1982 and 2002) will comprise 74% of the workforce. These young people are the first generation to grow up with computers, a world connected by the internet, and all the changes that have rocked both the for profit and nonprofit worlds. Smart, independent, and service-minded, they are also ready and able to serve on the Board – if you know where you look. Here’s how you can find and recruit top Millennial talent to your Board.

The Five Traits of Millennials

In order to know where to look for Millennials, you have to understand what makes them tick, or what motivates and inspires them. There are five notable attributes of the Millennial generation:

1. Multitaskers: Millennials are quite capable of juggling multiple responsibilities at once. Don’t assume that your Millennial volunteers can’t handle a full-time job and more volunteer work. They’re experts at multitasking and proud of their abilities in this area.

2. Connected: Millennials love social media and its ability to help them remain connected to family, friends, and interests. They’re heavy social media users and that makes them great at gathering tribes for a cause. That also means you can find them hanging out on their favorite social media sites!

3. Team-oriented: Millennials love to work on teams and are great at collaborating. They engage easily with others on a team.

4. Work-life balance: Millennials know the importance of work-life balance. They grew up often with both parents working and a full schedule of activities. They’ll work hard, but they’ll also work hard at their volunteer work too.

5. Honesty and transparency: Millennials need to feel like you are being open and honest with them. They need to feel listened to and valued.

Recruiting Millennials to the Board

Recruiting Millennials to your Board starts with their volunteer work at your organization. Examining the five characteristics above, it becomes clear that Millennials are interested in volunteer work and will prioritize their work-life balance around things they’re passionate about. Millennials are volunteering for causes they promote and like to be part of a team working towards the common good.

Look around your nonprofit for Millennials who may be volunteers now. These are the people who your organization has helped or who know the organization well. Even though they seem busy, don’t be afraid to ask them about their interest in a Board position. Remember, Millennials are also multi-taskers.

Some ideas for recruiting Millennials to your board include:

* Find Board members from within your organization. They may be hiding in plain sight!

* Promote a Board “meet and greet” on social media where Millennials gather for information.

* Identify or create pathways for Millennials to grow throughout the ranks of volunteers so that they acquire a good combination of skills and experience to serve on the Board.

* Consider bringing a group of Millennials in together so that one single person doesn’t feel like an outsider.

Millennials are a hard-working and responsible generation. They may not work in exactly the same style as the previous Generation X or Baby Boomers did, but they bring an enormous amount of talent and experience into any organization. Learning to work with them is a skill that will serve your nonprofit in good stead. Learning how to recruit them to your Board will help your nonprofit grow and prosper.

Welter Consulting

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