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PROJECT POINTERS
Issue 67 - Late Summer 2021
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I have just returned from a long overdue trip to Manhattan. Like most of you, I canceled all travel for last year and enjoyed revisiting a place I love. This fall will be especially busy, so the trip offered a chance to recharge before projects kick into high gear.
If you are also thinking about fall projects and have been wondering about partnerships, you may want to learn from colleagues who have been through the process. I recommend watching Learning Grove's video interview in which leaders Patti Gleason and Shannon Starkey-Taylor share their experiences. Elizabeth Fricke, who was also involved, facilitates. While the video focuses on their merger, the lessons and tips are applicable to most partnership explorations. Here's the link. |
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Leading an Integration Team |
If your organization has recently decided to merge or enter into a different formal partnership, the volume of work required can be daunting. If one group tries to manage all of the details the process will not only feel endless but key components will be lost. I recommend establishing teams that are organized by service or content area to address joint issues and recommend operational steps. These workgroups typically bring together staff members who are actively involved in the daily work but who also see the big picture and think strategically.
If you have been asked to lead an integration team, here are a few tips for launching it:
Establish the Ground Rules. At the first meeting, create what I call a working contract, or the agreement about how you will work together. This may include such things as following through on assignments between meetings, respecting others even if you disagree, and honoring confidentiality.
Clarify Your Charge. Make sure every team member understands the expectations and limitations of what you are to accomplish. If you are not sure - and you may not be - confer with the senior leadership team for guidance. Once you have this clarity, all of your work should fall within the scope. Some topics or tasks may need to be reassigned to a different integration team, so do not hesitate to request this transfer. And remember that this is not as tidy as you would like it to be - there is always overlap with integration planning.
Decide Who Facilitates. Even if you are the official owner of an integration team, the group should not assume you are facilitating every meeting. If you plan to do this, tell them directly. If your schedule prevents you from being present at each meeting or if it makes sense for someone else to lead a particular discussion, ask the group for their suggestions and share the facilitation schedule. I do not recommend a rolling facilitation schedule that finds team members taking turns because it leads to confusion and people can easily forget when their turn has arrived.
Hit the Nuts and Bolts Early. Be specific about details such as establishing a regular meeting time, where will you meet, who reserves the room, and which team member orders the food if a working lunch is planned. Agree on the timing for sharing the agenda and the process for submitting items for inclusion. These straightforward agreements will save stress and time.
Document. Hopefully, you will be working within the context of an overall integration plan. If this is the case, your documentation requirements may be prescribed. But if not, it is critical that your team keeps accurate records, many of which will be shared with other teams. Not only does the overall process require this, but you and your team may find it difficult to keep up or remember details without the comfort of having good meeting notes, agendas, etc. The time required to record and share will pay off in huge ways.
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On Point: Current and Emerging Trends Impacting Partnerships
Partnerships and DEI
Calling the attention on racial equity a trend minimizes its significance, but its focus has certainly been elevated in the past year. We might expect human service agencies to be ahead of their business counterparts because of nonprofit values and guiding principles. But the results might surprise you. Race To Lead found that less than 20% of nonprofit CEOs are people of color, and that figure has remained low over the past fifteen years. The composition of nonprofit boards is similar, with nearly 80% of volunteer leaders being white. And while many nonprofits espouse a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), they often fail to allocate enough resources to training and culture development to advance their goals.
When considering a partnership, evaluating one another’s commitment to DEI work, assessing the current stage, and agreeing on a strategy moving forward is key. Consider the following:
- Do both organizations have a stated goal of advancing diversity, equity and inclusion, and is it operationalized in annual planning? If not, are both organizations willing to adopt one in a combined venture?
- At what stage is each organization? Often categorized as Awake, Woke or Working, understanding one another’s progress is essential in developing a shared strategy.
- Is either organization using a DEI consultant? Be sure and discuss what commitments have been made and what the consultant needs are moving forward.
- What training has each organization had, and what training curriculum and plan will the combined agency adopt going forward? You may need to offer staff training in a different model for each organization or agree on a new one moving forward. It is important to train the board and volunteers as well.
- Are the board and senior leadership members diverse? If not, this may be the time to recruit candidates to increase representation in a new model. Review what if any stated metrics or goals for increasing diversity the organizations have. If neither has DEI goals or existing ones are too weak, agree on what the new ones should be.
- What staff initiatives does each organization have? Today, many nonprofits have developed affinity groups, book discussions, safe space conversations and other activities to promote dialogue and understanding of race. Be sure your plans for creating culture in the partnership include specific staff initiatives related to diversity, equity and inclusion.
Elevating racial equity is essential for nonprofits, both in service delivery and in organizational leadership and culture. With proper planning and intentional design, a partnership provides an ideal opportunity to increase investments and make demonstrable progress.
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How should a nonprofit begin to assess if a potential partnership makes sense?
The organization should first examine if it is solid, in a state of readiness. It should have healthy operating systems in place, including an updated strategic plan, implementation plan and a tracking system for evaluation. If positions are not filled by the right people, this gap will likely lead to criticism, even conflict, during partnership discussions. Potential partners must see strong evidence of sound staffing and human development decisions and systems, and several of my projects have suffered because of poorly placed staff members. Succession planning for key positions is also recommended. When you are sure your own organization is healthy and ready to consider working more closely with or combining with another, then the board should set criteria for the types of human services organizations that would help drive your mission.
What are appropriate roles for major gift donors who contribute to both nonprofits engaged in partnership talks?
My development colleagues say, not surprisingly, this depends on the situation. Major funders should be notified of the potential partnership early on, and you certainly do not want to surprise them at the last minute. For individual donors, it depends on the size of the organizations and what the expectations are for the development staff. If both nonprofits have large operating budgets, it is best to include the two or three top donors early to ensure their ongoing financial support. For smaller ones, this may not be necessary. This issue was almost a deal breaker in one of my merger projects, but the excellent leaders worked through it with the donor, who now embraces the partnership.
When should a nonprofit consider not partnering?
If it is looking for a financial savior to solve all resource problems, it should stop right there. Also, if the board wants an excuse to fire an executive director, a partnership exploration is not the way to do it. The board's weakness will be obvious from early discussions, and this would lead to terrible PR and the possibility of losing an opportunity at some point in the future. I have been asked to participate in an exercise like this, and I instantly turned down the request for ethical reasons. The other main reason to avoid such an endeavor is if it has arisen from strictly political considerations. No matter how much confidentiality is reinforced, rumors about questionable organizations, board members or leaders do get around. Fortunately, very few exist among our great network of human services leaders.
More questions? Please let me know and I'll include them in the next newsletter.
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Jonathan Alter's new book, His Very Best: Jimmy Carter, A Life, is excellent. Even though I was aware of some of his international successes, I did not fully appreciate what a profound impact the former president had on domestic issues, particularly the environment.
The Barbizon, The New York Hotel That Set Women Free is a pure delight. Paulina Bren offers a thorough and fascinating view of life at the storied women's residence. The 1950s and 1960s particularly come alive as the author details the establishment's role in promoting the development of its residents and in providing an early view of feminism.
Need a touch of zany this summer? Try Jake Tapper's The Devil May Dance for a breezy cocktail of mystery and Hollywood. It is set during the same years as Paulina Bren's book, which made it even more fun.
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Meals on Wheels
In February, Cincinnati Area Senior Services and Meals on Wheels of Southwest OH & Northern KY announced that they would be merging. Given that the primary service of both organizations was Meals on Wheels and that they served the same population of seniors, the decision was made to adopt Meals on Wheels Southwest OH & Northern KY as the merged organization's name to immediately communicate its mission. Tracey Collins leans into the role of Chief Integration Officer, while Jennifer Steel serves as CEO.
The merger not only created a larger organization to help seniors age in place, but it resulted in a more efficient and effective one. They have received an unusually large amount of positive feedback from funders, foundations, employees, volunteers and the seniors they serve.
Kat Steiner, Chief Giving Officer, recently wrote, "This is not to suggest that there wasn't plenty to figure out and work through. Thankfully, we retained Marta Brockmeyer to help guide us through the process - one, she helped us appreciate and navigate, that is filled with lots of emotion."
Meals on Wheels offers three tips for other nonprofits considering merging:
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Respect and celebrate the nonprofit merger. While merging isn't, of course, for every nonprofit, and every possible merger isn't a good one, there's no shame in merging. In fact, it may be the smartest, gutsiest thing you can do.
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Get your board on board. Educate your board, or at least its leadership, about the potential benefits of mergers in general and, more specifically, the kind you have in mind. Gain their blessing before initiating even an exploratory conversation with another organization.
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Over-communicate with your employees. While merger discussions and planning typically need to remain confidential until there's a formal agreement, be prepared to inform your employees using every available communications tool at your disposal: email, intranet, posters, videos, department meetings, all-staff meetings, etc. Continue to over-communicate from the announcement to the formal merger - and beyond. Be transparent and precise about what you do and don't know at any point in the process.
For additional information, contact Kat Steiner by email or phone: 513.244.5484
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Board Development and Training |
I continue to receive inquiries about specialized services and love referring my outstanding circle of independent consultants. One service follows:
Board Development and Training:
- Board succession planning, recruitment, and retention strategies
- Board retreats, workshops, and consulting to clarify board roles and responsibilities
- Identification of board's role in fund development
- Selection of governance structures and operational models
- Strategic planning
- Document development consistent with 501(c)(3) regulations
Please click here to learn about my other partners. Let me know if you are looking for just the right person! |
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Summer will be over before we know it and the fall will be at our door. I hope you have been able to schedule some time off and unplug before the next big thing hits your calendar. But big picture, let's try to create daily breaks that nurture our spirits and move us to help others. |
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553 East 4th Street,
Newport, KY 41071
859-581-7089
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