By Molly Willms, NPC Guest Blogger

A self-assured, effective team of new supervisors has emerged at COA Youth & Family Centers, thanks in no small part to training by the Nonprofit Center of Milwaukee.

“What I’ve seen is, people feel more confident handling some of their supervisor issues on their own,” said Julie Hoffmann, COA’s Human Resources Director and a board member at the Nonprofit Center.

Hoffmann reached out to NPC staff to boost the know-how of nine supervisors, many of whom were new to management roles.

She is a member of NPC’s HR Professionals Leaders’ Circle and had such a high opinion of that group’s facilitator, Mary Voelker, Ph.D., that she was thrilled to have Mary lead an on-site supervisor circle at COA.

The group began with a 3-hour introductory session, followed by seven subsequent 2-hour sessions on-site – a detail that enabled greater participation, Hoffmann said.

One of the key elements of the supervisors’ circle was that no one from human resources, not even Hoffmann herself, was allowed to participate or listen in. The nine participants and Voelker had a confidentiality agreement that created a safe space to talk through specific challenges.

“We also wanted to allow them to network with other staff in the agency so that they would feel that they had other allies in other departments that they could talk to,” Hoffmann said.

The participants read and presented on the Supervisor’s Survival Kit by Cliff Goodwin and Daniel B. Griffith, a business textbook they were given to keep for reference after all the sessions were completed.

Even without knowing details of what the supervisors worked on in sessions, Hoffmann said COA wants to bring the training back again at least once – it was a total success. The participants have become resources for one another, which has created communication between their departments and enabled them to solve problems more efficiently.

“It was a win for the supervisors, because they got singled out by us saying, ‘We see your potential, we’d like to support you,’” she said. “And they gained skills that will help them and make the agency a better place, so that benefits the agency.”

What’s more, the pricing structure is accessible even for smaller nonprofits, who can offer training as an additional benefit in a competitive employment market.

Hoffmann said it was more than learning skills from a book and answering questions for her nine capable staffers: it was a key that unlocked their potential.

“They really had a lot of the answers already,” she said “They just didn’t have the confidence.”

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If you have a suggestion for a workshop topic or a request for customized training for your organization, email Training Coordinator Susanne Vella or give her a call at 414-344-3933, x133. Training can be tailored to meet your particular needs and presented at your office or other venues.

Interested in the 2016 Service Enterprise Initiative training? 

Learn more at this free session: 
Service Enterprise Preview
Thursday, September 10
9:00-10:30 a.m.
Sign-up for session
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by Bonnie Andrews, Volunteer Milwaukee Manager


Why would Points of Light Institute, an organization building nonprofit capacity through volunteerism, ask this question?
 
Because by calling it a program, we may miss the important strategic organization-wide importance of volunteers. At budget time it may be hard to allocate scarce dollars to volunteer support because it seems like we’re taking them from direct services, when in fact volunteers can have a positive impact on every area of a nonprofit. 
 
As an alternative, let’s reframe volunteer programs as volunteer strategies. This shifts the position from one that competes with clients to one that supports clients. From this new perspective, volunteer time becomes an asset to leverage on behalf of clients and the community, not a drain on resources.  Making the most of our assets requires an investment. Research from the Urban Institute tells us that the more we invest in volunteer engagement, the more our organizations benefit from volunteer contributions.
 
This strategy is one of the important elements of the Service Enterprise Initiative, an effort to help nonprofits leverage volunteers throughout their organizations and at all levels. The research shows when volunteers are engaged effectively there is a $4-$6 return for every dollar invested in the effort.
 
Want to learn more? Attend an overview of the diagnostic, training, and certification process on Thursday, September 10th. This fall we’ll be recruiting for our third cohort group to go through the Service Enterprise Initiative training. Sign-up for session
 
For more information, contact Bonnie Andrews –[email protected] – 414-273-7887.