Organizational Management

Transcription

1 Organizational Management Every organization no matter how small needs some kind of structure to get the job done: to develop the rules or operations, identify who is responsible for tasks, and determine how money is to be spent. These resources will help to develop an organizational structure and a set of policies that work for your community.

2 Organizational Management OFFICERS & COMMITTEES People come together to accomplish something as a group that they would not be able to accomplish as individuals. An organized group benefits from the collective skills and ideas of its members, and can be more effective at increasing community awareness, raising funds and generating support for group activities. There are a variety of organizational structures, ranging from informal volunteer groups to nonprofit corporations with staff and a board of directors. Many groups start informally and add structure as their needs and responsibilities increase. Officers Regardless of the organizational structure, many groups opt to elect or appoint a set of officers to run the meetings and the operations of the organization. Typically, there are four officer positions: A President or Chairperson who runs the meetings and provides leadership for the organization. A Vice-President or Vice Chair, who acts as a backup for the President. In some community organizations, it is customary for the Vice-President to be the next President. A Secretary, who takes minutes at meetings, keeps records, and is responsible for communication with other board members. A Treasurer, who provides oversight for the finances of the organization. These four officers often make up an Executive Committee, responsible for planning meetings, handling matters that come up between meetings and guiding the work of the organization. Committees When organizations find that there are too many tasks to handle as a full group, they will often form committees to accomplish the work. Charles Kettering once said, If you want to kill any idea in the world today, get a committee working on it. We often joke about the perceived ineffectiveness of committees, but most organizations can t operate without them! President There are usually two types of committees: Standing committees are ongoing and oversee regular operations of the organization. Examples might be a finance committee that works with the Treasurer to track funds and develop an annual budget, or a public relations committee that develops an annual report or media campaign. Creating Whole Communities 66 A partnership of University of Missouri-St. Louis, University of Missouri Extension and our region s neighborhoods

3 OFFICERS & COMMITTEES CON T Ad Hoc or short-term committees are formed to accomplish a specific task or oversee a particular project. The committee is typically disbanded when the project is completed. An example might be a committee to plan a major fundraising event. When the event is over, the committee might make a final report and then go out of existence. Here are some tips to make sure your committees operate efficiently: Develop a written committee description. The description should summarize the purpose and duties of the committee, as well as composition and selection, if appropriate. Appoint an effective committee chairperson. In many cases, committees are chaired by a member of the board, ensuring that there is ongoing communication and the committee s actions are consistent with board priorities. Appoint members with matching interests or skills. Members should be appointed with the following question in mind: What tasks are required of this committee? and Which members have the skills and experience to accomplish those tasks? Hold well-run meetings. The Effective Meetings chapter applies to committee meetings as well! 67 Source: Kansas University Community Toolbox

4 Organizational Management RECRUITING VOLUNTEERS Just about every neighborhood organization is in constant need of volunteers! You may have a major event coming up and need volunteers to handle food details or sell tickets. Or you may need ongoing volunteer expertise for marketing your organization or overseeing the budget. Here s How: Try some of these tips for recruiting and managing volunteers. Recruiting Volunteers: Create recruitment materials that describe the tasks and the timelines. Think about the types of people you want as volunteers and tailor your materials to them. Brainstorm ways to reach large groups of people. Find local community publications or post opportunities on Facebook, Twitter or your website. If your project requires a specific skill, target your outreach to those groups. Is there a local college that might have marketing students, or a business-related organization with retired accountants? When you just need a lot of hands for a short period of time, try the "warm body" recruitment approach. Spread your call for volunteers as far and as wide as possible by contacting existing volunteer agencies, local scout groups, schools, or community and religious organizations. Ask for help with a specific task on a specific date; make it as easy as possible for the volunteers to participate. Recruit from your existing networks. Invite your supporters, your partners and friends to volunteer. Many volunteers will respond to personal contact. Chances are, that s how you got involved in the first place! Don t overwhelm your volunteers. Make sure you have specific tasks that they can be helpful with and don t assume they ll be involved for the rest of their lives. Give them a bite-size job with a defined time frame and check in with them often. Managing Volunteers: Do you need a volunteer management plan? If it s a large event, who is going to be in charge? Are you going to have sub-committees and team captains? If you have a lot of volunteers, it is important to have someone in charge of volunteers so everyone knows their role and purpose at all times. Creating Whole Communities 68 A partnership of University of Missouri-St. Louis, University of Missouri Extension and our region s neighborhoods

5 RECRUITING VOLUNTEERS CON T Brief volunteers on your purpose. In addition to expectations and rules, it s important that your volunteers know the purpose of your organization and event and how to talk about it. Learn your volunteers strengths and passions place them in jobs that play to these so that they enjoy helping out as much as you appreciate their help. Plan for efficient communication with your volunteers, whether it be a Facebook group or an listserv. How can your volunteers access information in case they miss a meeting or have questions? Make sure to recognize your volunteers efforts. Everyone appreciates a Well done! Thank your volunteers in a blog or Facebook post. Or recognize your volunteers at an upcoming meeting, in a newsletter or at a special recognition party. Survey your volunteers after the event, either with a written or online survey, or by making a follow-up phone call. Surveys are a great way to find out what worked and what didn t, so you can keep your volunteers experience positive and your project running smoothly. Volunteers may be the backbone of your community organization, or they may simply make it possible to run an event or get out the newsletter. Whatever the situation, it s important to take them seriously, recruit them as if you were recruiting key staff, and treat them as an essential part of your organization. Source: Kansas University Community Toolbox, National Services Resource, & National Park Service Community Tool 69

6 Organizational Management BUDGETS & FINANCES Every community-based organization needs a basic financial management system to accurately record and track income and expenses. Depending on the size of the organization, this function may be managed by the treasurer or a volunteer bookkeeper. A common mechanism for financial oversight is a board committee that ensures that there s enough money and it s being spent according to the mission of the organization. A Finance Committee is typically chaired by the board treasurer and may include board members, along with volunteers who have specific financial management skills. A CPA (Certified Public Accountant), a lawyer or a banker might serve well on the Finance Committee. A key function of the Finance Committee is to prepare an annual budget for the organization. The annual budget allows you to plan ahead to project income and decide what you are actually able to afford in a given year. A budget is also required as a necessary element of funding proposals and reports to funders and the community. It facilitates discussion of the financial realities of the organization and helps you avoid surprises and maintain fiscal control. Your organization s budget will need to include the following components: Projected expenses. The amount of money you expect to spend in the coming fiscal year, divided into categories: e.g. salaries, office expenses, postage and printing, events, etc. Projected income. The amount of money you expect to take in for the fiscal year, broken down by sources: e.g. memberships, fundraising events, grants, donations, etc. The interaction of expenses and income. What gets funded from which sources? If you have grant funding to cover specific expenses, you will need to build those restrictions into your budget to ensure you are spending funds as instructed by the funder. Adjustments as the year goes on. Your budget will begin with estimates, but you will need to adjust those to reflect actual expenses and to keep track of what is actually occurring. For more information on preparing an annual budget for your organization, check out the resources listed at the end of this chapter. Creating Whole Communities 70 A partnership of University of Missouri-St. Louis, University of Missouri Extension and our region s neighborhoods

7 Organizational Management BYLAWS Bylaws are written rules that help govern the operation of an organization. They can be useful in making known certain issues, such as who is responsible for what, how and when meetings will be conducted, how long officers will hold their positions, the expected conduct of existing members, and many more useful rules. Bylaws also define the organization s official name as well as its purpose. Once bylaws are established, they are able to stand as the legal guidelines of an organization. Regardless of the size of your organization, establishing bylaws can be useful in determining how the organization is going to run on a daily basis. They can help an organization run smoothly, as well as save time in avoiding difficult decisions within an organization. Here s an Example Lets say a certain member of your board has missed five of the last seven board meetings. If their behavior continues, it will become an issue that will negatively impact the organization. To address the issue, the other members will have to meet and spend valuable time deciding a suitable consequence for missing so many meetings. If bylaws were established, the existing members would already know how many meetings could be missed without consequence, as well as the corrective action to take against the truant board member. Having bylaws would take the deliberation out of this scenario and help address the situation swiftly without hostility or bias. Establishing bylaws during the creation of your organization is a good first step in ensuring things run smoothly. Here s How: There are three first steps to take when writing bylaws: 1. Gather examples of bylaws from other organizations similar to yours. These can act as rough guidelines. 2. Decide who will write the bylaws and how a consensus will be reached on each item. You don't want to make bylaws that others in the organization do not agree with. 3. Write the first draft! Creating Whole Communities 71 A partnership of University of Missouri-St. Louis, University of Missouri Extension and our region s neighborhoods

8 BYLAWS CON T The rough draft should include the following: Official name and purpose of the organization. Rights and limitations of membership. Officer duties, details on the election and removal of officers, governing structure, and information on how decisions will be made. Explain how and when meetings will be held; daily, weekly, annually, etc. Information on the board of directors. This should cover their designated roles, their election, removal, and length of term. Also include information on committees and the role they play in the organization. Once a rough draft has been completed, a meeting needs to occur to discuss the proposed bylaws. Once consensus has been reached and all issues have been addressed, you are free to write the final draft. Upon completion, ensure that everyone who needs a copy gets a copy. Don t Forget Don't forget to use your bylaws when difficult situations arise. That s why you made them! Remember, bylaws are not written in stone and may need revision over time. It is important to check back periodically and make sure what is written down still applies to the present situation. As an organization evolves, so will its bylaws. For more information on what bylaws should include, check out the resources listed at the end of this chapter. 72

9 Organizational Management CREATING A 501(C)(3) You have a brand new community organization and you re anxious to get started and do great things. There are projects to plan and events to organize, and your leaders say the first step is to get incorporated as a 501(c)(3) organization. But wait not so fast! Becoming a 501(c)(3) requires a fairly rigorous application process that may be too complicated for a new organization. First, what is a 501(c)(3)? A 501(c)(3) is a type of corporation recognized by the federal government as an organization whose general purpose is educational, religious or charitable. Before pursuing 501(c)(3) status, it s important to understand the costs and benefits. Pros: Exempt from federal taxes. Can provide tax deduction to qualified donors. May be eligible for a larger number of federal or foundation grant programs. Cons: The process is expensive and time consuming. There are federal filing requirements. May require a more formal organizational structure than the group needs/desires. For new organizations, it may be possible to develop a partnership with existing organizations in the community that already have their 501(c)(3) status until they are ready to pursue their own application. Here s How: If you determine that you are ready, here are some key steps to obtaining your 501(c)(3) status: 1. Determine your vision, mission or purpose, and organizational structure. 2. Select your name. 3. Determine your initial board of directors. 4. Draft your articles of incorporation. 5. Draft your bylaws. 6. Consult legal counsel and modify articles of incorporation and bylaws. 7. File your articles of incorporation with the Secretary of State. 8. Hold the first official meeting of your board to adopt bylaws and elect officers. 9. File the application with the IRS. For more details on starting a 501(c)(3), check out the resources on the next page. Creating Whole Communities 73 A partnership of University of Missouri-St. Louis, University of Missouri Extension and our region s neighborhoods Source: University of Missouri Extension

10 Organizational Management FOR MORE IDEAS... For more information on organizational management, check out the resources listed below. Kansas University Community Toolbox National Park Service Community Tool Box University of Missouri Extension, Community Development Creating Whole Communities 74 A partnership of University of Missouri-St. Louis, University of Missouri Extension and our region s neighborhoods

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