Our Insights

Workplace Violence is Preventable

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Alliance for Children and Families, January 15, 2011

Workplace violence is not as unpredictable as we once thought. Look for warning signs, use best practices to minimize risk.

Workplace Violence: Not as Unpredictable as Once Thought

Warning signs, best practices to minimize risk

When a Florida man opened fire at a school board meeting in December 2010, it made top headlines from coast to coast. But isolated, high-profile incidents such as this fail to alert us to the true prevalence of violence in the workplace. Continue reading “Workplace Violence is Preventable” →

Tread Carefully with Public-Private Partnerships

Posted on under Articles.

Alliance of Children and Families, April 15, 2010

Before entering a contract, understand the framework and six key components.

Tread Carefully with Public-Private Partnerships

Before entering a contract, understand the framework and six key components

There continues to be a lot of buzz surrounding public-private partnerships (PPPs). There is no doubt that PPPs present nonprofit human service organizations with new business opportunities, but these relationships also involve risks. It’s important that providers fully understand how PPPs work, as well as what risks and rewards are involved, before they enter into such a contract. Continue reading “Tread Carefully with Public-Private Partnerships” →

Social Media: Should Facebook & Google Be in Your HR Toolkit?

Posted on under Articles.

Alliance for Children and Families, January 15, 2010

Understand how to properly and effectively use the Internet for human resources (HR) purposes, and the limitations of the Internet as a workforce management tool.

Should Facebook and Google Be in Your HR Toolkit?

Successfully manage your workforce with these rules

Unemployment has reached an historic high, creating an abundance of qualified candidates to fill open positions. With the Internet at their fingertips, nonprofit human service employers may find it an alluring option for narrowing the field of candidates—or checking up on current employees. What they find can be affirming, or it can throw the organization into a panic. Continue reading “Social Media: Should Facebook & Google Be in Your HR Toolkit?” →

Harassment

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Alliance for Children and Families, December 15, 2009

Create a Productive Work Environment by Eliminating Harassment
Without proper policies, employee stress could lead to legal ramifications

At a time when nonprofit agencies are coping with funding shortfalls and focused on survival, some may unwittingly be opening themselves to legal liabilities by failing to recognize how severely stressed their employees have become. In such conditions, it’s all too easy for the workplace to turn into a “hostile” or even “abusive” environment for some staff. Continue reading “Harassment” →

Preventing Employee Theft

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Alliance of Children and Families, September 15, 2009

Preventing Employee Theft
Tips to minimize your risk of loss

I have been amazed by how many incidents of nonprofit employee theft or fraud have been reported in the past few months in the Chronicle of Philanthropy. A recent article that caught my eye involved a trusted long-term employee who used access to the agency’s expense reimbursement system to steal $9,000.1 Continue reading “Preventing Employee Theft” →

ADA Covers More Employees

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Alliance for Children and Families, April 15, 2009

More employees are covered under the new ADA definition of “Disability.” ADA and FMLA changes need your attention.

If you are feeling somewhat befuddled by the 2009 changes in two important employment-related laws, join the crowd. Individually, each is worth an essay of its own. As that is not a luxury I have, I will summarize the main points of each and suggest ways that you can use them in tandem to get your human resource (HR) needs met. Continue reading “ADA Covers More Employees” →

Cost-Cutting Options to Consider Before Layoffs

Posted on under Articles.

Alliance for Children and Families, January 15, 2009

Cost Cutting: Options to Consider Before Layoffs
Protecting your organization and softening the blow for employees

It has become painfully obvious that the year 2009 will require careful management of agency resources. It will be a rare organization that does not find it necessary to reduce staff. Let’s review the rules for layoffs and reductions in force so that you will feel confident that these difficult decisions will be implemented correctly. Continue reading “Cost-Cutting Options to Consider Before Layoffs” →

Avoid Automatic Excess Benefits for your Executive

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Alliance for Children and Families, December 15, 2008

Explain All Executive Benefits … Or Else
IRS penalizes for unfair automatic excess benefits

Ever since the mid 1990s, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has had the power to impose penalties on exempt organization insiders who abuse their positions of authority and control. Continue reading “Avoid Automatic Excess Benefits for your Executive” →

New Form 990 Requires Attention to Three Policies

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Alliance of Children and Families, September 15, 2008

New Form 990 Requires Attention to Three Policies
Take note of whistleblower, document destruction, and conflict of interest policies

The many requirements included in the new Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Form 990 calls for careful planning. My summer 2008 column described how the new Form 990 will require nonprofits to list compensation information for some employees, details of governance systems and how they work, and information on supporting organizations and tax-exempt bond issues. Continue reading “New Form 990 Requires Attention to Three Policies” →