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Wednesday, June 26, 2013

11 Ways To Get Your Employees To Meetings

What are the first words that come to your mind when you are called into a meeting? If you are like most employees, they are probably "boring," "waste of time," or other similar terms. Yet for all of the negatives, meetings can be quite fruitful.

Talia Y. Leman, in "A Random Book About the Power of Anyone," wrote that there are ways for nonprofit managers to make employees dread meeting less. Some of the ideas come from Ben Hirschfeld of the Lit! Solar Lantern Project, and others are Leman’s own:
  • Remember the win/win. Find out what makes individuals tick and help them understand how participating will help them;
  • Get on their calendars. Give advance notice, and send reminders;
  • Make attendance matter. Prepare agendas to harness the value others bring;
  • Make their role matter. Having significant roles with official titles helps them see their contribution as a priority;
  • Make it fit. Match people with jobs that fit their skills and interests;
  • Make it simple. Break down actions that forward team goals into manageable steps with clear completion dates;
  • Double-team mission-critical tasks. Adding a backup or co-leader can make a difference in making people comfortable and getting the job done;
  • Take care of the team. Snacks and meals can be helpful, as are practical details about locations, etc.;
  • Keep it moving. Respect people’s time;
  • Keep everyone in the loop. People like to be part of a winning team; and,
  • Build team spirit and show appreciation. Even a simple “thank you” matters.

Monday, June 24, 2013

Exempt Magazine: Spring 2013 Edition

The new issue of our sister publication, Exempt Magazine, is now online for our readers to enjoy. Here's a look at some of the stories you can find within the pages of the Spring 2013 edition:

Articles

  • Buy Sell, Or Stay PutThe NonProfit Times asked 100 nonprofit executives what they thought of real estate related debt. Just 25.3 percent said yes without any restriction if it will advance mission.
  • Employees Are Not Grabbing Access To Retirement Plans: In a study of three-year trending data from the 2012 Nonprofit Salary and Benefits Reports, The NonProfit Times found that many employees are not taking advantage of their organizations' retirement plans.
Column
  • Volunteers May Sue For Harassment Under Title VIIA federal District Court in Illinois has allowed a female volunteer for two nonprofit emergency ambulance services to sue for sexual harassment and discrimination under the employee protection provisions of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.
Head to the Exempt Magazine website to read these articles in their entirety. In addition, you should head to our online store to purchase a print or digital subscription of Exempt to get full access to all of the articles in the magazine.