Engaging HR & Marketing Employees in Nonprofit Board Service
One Hope United - Nonprofit HR · HR as a business partner with strategic thinking at the...
3
(202) 785-2060 www.nonprofithr.com info@nonprofithr.com In 2015, One Hope United was doing good work to help families in crisis. As a 122-year-old organizaon with more than 800 people on staff, the social and human services agency had established a dozen child development centers in the Chicago area, placed numerous people in safe, secure homes and provided community-based family services, such as counseling and employment services. But the organizaon itself was amidst a crisis. Its former CEO had made an abrupt departure, and the head of HR was stepping down. One Hope United’s CFO, David McConnell, was serving as an interim CEO, unl Sco Humphrey, long-me board member and chair, took over the CEO posion. With all these changes in leadership, the nonprofit had become a people-intensive organizaon without a strong human resources infrastructure. It was me to repriorize, re-organize and radically evolve the role of HR from taccal agent to business partner. The Problem When David and Sco reached out to Nonprofit HR, they were looking for strategic guidance and taccal experse. They hoped to stabilize the organizaon and its lines of service from an HR perspecve, develop a strong team of talent and clear processes, and shiſt the mentality of HR as an administrave funcon to one of a strategic business partner. To start, Nonprofit HR conducted a funconal needs assessment to gain a holisc understanding of the state of HR within the organizaon. This assessment would provide a view of what One Hope United needed from its HR department—including the right talent, tools, resources and training—in order to work to its full potenal and advance its mission. One Hope United Using talent and strategy to drive change
Transcript of One Hope United - Nonprofit HR · HR as a business partner with strategic thinking at the...
(202) 785-2060www.nonprofithr.com [email protected]
In 2015, One Hope United was doing good work to help families in crisis. As a 122-year-old organization with more than 800 people on staff, the social and human services agency had established a dozen child development centers in the Chicago area, placed numerous people in safe, secure homes and provided community-based family services, such as counseling and employment services.
But the organization itself was amidst a crisis. Its former CEO had made an abrupt departure, and the head of HR was stepping down. One Hope United’s CFO, David McConnell, was serving as an interim CEO, until Scott Humphrey, long-time board member and chair, took over the CEO position. With all these changes in leadership, the nonprofit had become a people-intensive organization without a strong human resources infrastructure. It was time to reprioritize, re-organize and radically evolve the role of HR from tactical agent to business partner.
The Problem When David and Scott reached out to Nonprofit HR, they were looking for strategic guidance and tactical expertise. They hoped to stabilize the organization and its lines of service from an HR perspective, develop a strong team of talent and clear processes, and shift the mentality of HR as an administrative function to one of a strategic business partner.
To start, Nonprofit HR conducted a functional needs assessment to gain a holistic understanding of the state of HR within the organization. This assessment would provide a view of what One Hope United needed from its HR department—including the right talent, tools, resources and training—in order to work to its full potential and advance its mission.
One Hope United Using talent and strategy to drive change
(202) 785-2060www.nonprofithr.com [email protected]
After intensive small-group and one-on-one interviews with One Hope United’s senior leadership and the HR team, Nonprofit HR discovered a number of areas in need of improvement and restructuring. The HR team was understaffed, and as a result, they weren’t able to focus on attracting or retaining top talent. With limited professional development, no leadership training and little mentoring in place, the organization had relegated HR to a strictly administrative function. While One Hope United was actively working toward its mission, it was clear that these challenge areas were opportunities to maximize the organization’s impact.
A New Solution Nonprofit HR’s process—in analyzing the situation, establishing a series of recommendations and next steps and then implementing and executing that plan—is unique in the industry for its in-depth approach. In this instance, the assignment went far beyond a functional HR assessment. It became a true partnership when Lisa Wright Ponce, Nonprofit HR’s Chicago practice lead, stepped in as One Hope United’s Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) for the length of the project.
With David and Scott on board, Lisa’s charge was to drive positive change through implementation and execution. She worked to restructure the HR team, change job titles and reporting relationships, manage talent and shift the overall philosophy and mentality of HR. By building an infrastructure from the ground up, more closely aligned to business priorities, and complete with processes, procedures, metrics and benchmarks, she helped the team work more efficiently and effectively. As a final step, Lisa assisted in the search, hire and transition of a new, permanent CHRO.
“Lisa and the Nonprofit HR team reframed the narrative on what HR can be,” Scott says. “People and talent drive an organization’s culture, which drives performance, which drives outcomes. Nonprofit HR introduced the idea of HR as a business partner with strategic thinking at the leadership level. In order to get the outcomes we wanted, we needed the talent, culture and positive performance on the front end.”
Continuing SuccessUltimately, One Hope United’s HR department needed to develop a more proactive approach and be more visible within the organization. Evolving the “head of HR” role to one of “CHRO” elevated human resources to an integral part of the leadership team. Today, HR is no longer about payroll and procedures; it is about talent, culture, performance, strategy.
In his role as CEO, Scott appreciated Nonprofit HR’s commitment to fully understanding the organization and supplying a fresh, informed perspective. He was impressed by how Nonprofit HR identified key issues, moving beyond the symptoms to address the root causes and implement changes that had a significant impact on One Hope United’s strategy, culture and mission.
“People still marvel at what these HR changes could do. It maximized our potential to do good work and had a significant impact on our mission,” Scott says. “Before Nonprofit HR came in, we had huge vacancy issues, weren’t meeting performance requirements, and faced reduced intake and fines. We were seeing the effects financially and in the community. After fixing the recruiting and culture issues, we’re back to full staffing and enrollment. We now have the strategy and people we need to drive change.”
(202) 785-2060www.nonprofithr.com [email protected]
If you’re looking for help establishing an HR strategy, improving your organizational culture or solving workplace challenges, contact Nonprofit HR at [email protected] or visit www.nonprofithr.com.
About Nonprofit HRNonprofit HR is the country’s leading talent management firm that works exclusively with the nonprofit sector. Since 2000, we have amplified the impact of the world’s most influential nonprofit organizations, from the YMCA to NeighborWorks and ASAE.
We understand the unique needs of mission-driven organization like no one else, and as such, know that your organization is only as effective as your people. We partner with nonprofits and associations in talent acquisition, executive search, human resources consulting and education & training, all with the objective of making the nonprofit workforce the best it can be.
Nonprofit HR is also widely recognized for nonprofit sector research and thought leadership. We publish the leading annual study on nonprofit employment practices, and host a variety of educational events for nonprofit professionals.
