Operations Update: The Happy, Healthy Nonprofit

The Happy, Healthy Nonprofit

As many of us return to the office this summer, now is a great time to prioritize taking good care of ourselves and our staff. It’s been a challenging year, and it’s important to make space for joy and stress relief in the workplace. Here at Moses Taylor Foundation, we hope to make reintegration into office life a happy and welcome transition for everyone.

At past events, we’ve distributed the book The Happy, Healthy Nonprofit by Beth Kanter and Aliza Sherman, a great resource for managers and leaders on how to destress the office, foster positive work environments, and prevent staff burnout.

Here are a few tips from the book on how to ensure a happy and healthy return to the workplace:

Be Flexible

We’ve all gotten used to working from home. Consider updating your remote work guidelines to allow staff members to gradually ease into the office. Flexible hours and PTO policies give staff a greater sense of autonomy in their personal and professional lives.

Stay Healthy

Encourage a healthful work environment. Organize office-wide walk, stretch, or meditation breaks to get staff moving. Provide healthy food and snacks at meetings and in break rooms. Consider outfitting work areas with sit-stand desks, soundproofing, and natural lighting.


Give Shout-Outs

Make staff recognition a regular part of office life. Begin meetings with staff shout-outs and expressions of appreciation. Announce staff birthdays, work anniversaries, and good news! Praise staff accomplishments with rituals like annual awards, newsletter profiles, or hand-written gratitude notes.

Get the Party Started

Encourage social interaction among staff members. How about organizing a staff field trip or team-building exercise? Seasonal events like gift exchanges, ice cream socials, or weekly/monthly get-togethers, like “Casual Fridays” or “Happy Hours,” make for a fun day at the office.

These tips are just a starting point in building a more nurturing, successful workplace for you and your staff. There are plenty more ideas to be found in The Happy, Healthy Nonprofit. If you didn’t have a chance to pick up the book at prior Moses Taylor Foundation events, please reach out to me. I’d be happy to provide a complimentary copy on behalf of Moses Taylor Foundation.

Ellen Stevens
Operations and Grants Manager
estevens@mosestaylorfoundation.org

Operations Update: Teleworking and Important Dates

Teleworking

Moses Taylor Foundation continues to follow mitigation efforts set forth by the PA Department of Health, including guidance around teleworking. Foundation staff continue to work remotely and are available via email, phone and teleconference. Email addresses and cell phone numbers can be found on the Foundation Staff page of our website and also in our signatures on all email correspondence.

We realize that many of you may also still be working from home during this time, or preparing to work at home more often as we enter the fall and winter. We found this article helpful in setting up our own at-home office spaces and wanted to share it with you. It includes a few suggestions on turning your makeshift home workspace into an ergonomically correct workstation. Click here to read How to set up a work-from-home ‘office’ for the long term.

Important Dates

If you are interested in submitting a proposal, you can find more details about our application process and schedule a pre-submission meeting on the Responsive Grantmaking section of our website. The Foundation's upcoming quarterly grant deadlines are:

  • January 2, 2021
  • April 1, 2021
  • July 1, 2021
  • October 1, 2021

While proposals greater than $20,000 are accepted on a quarterly basis, discretionary proposals ($20,000 or below) are reviewed on a rolling basis to respond quickly to community need. These proposals can be submitted at any time and don’t adhere to the board-approved grants schedule.

Ellen Stevens
Operations and Grants Manager
estevens@mosestaylorfoundation.org

Operations Update: Working Remotely

Over the past ten weeks we’ve all had to adapt to a new way of life and a new way of working.  As our Foundation team has been adjusting to working remotely and talking about what the next few months will look like, we’ve been collecting resources, tools, and exercises to help us work effectively while also taking some time to take care of ourselves.

And don't forget -- May is Mental Health Month, and Moses Taylor Foundation has partnered with Lackawanna County and the Lackawanna County System of Care, Scranton Area Community Foundation and its Center for Community Leadership and Nonprofit Excellent, and the United Way of Lackawanna and Wayne Counties to offer a series of webinars highlighting what you can do daily to prioritize your mental health, build resiliency in the face of trauma and obstacles, and support those around you who may be struggling. Read more and register on our website.

Resources for Working Effectively
During a Pandemic


We’re all working from home. How do we do that effectively?
An article from NTEN, an organization working to support the use of technology in the nonprofit sector. This blog post provides a list of tips for working from home, including tools on easier communication with your team and ways to set up your home work space.

Virtual Meetings Untangled
An e-book published by BoardSource, and they’re currently offering it for free! About 20 pages of reading, this resource provides tips and leading practices on effectively planning virtual board meetings and engaging board members when you’re unable to meet face-to-face.  It also touches on the importance of updated bylaws and the legality of voting virtually.

Running Effective Virtual Nonprofit Meetings:
9 Best Practices for Facilitating Engagement
A blog post from Beth Kanter, author of The Happy Healthy Nonprofit (you may remember Beth Kanter from our Healthy Workplace Open House two years ago). Beth’s post includes tips for hosting virtual meetings and actively engaging participants.

5 Things Managers Can Do During COVID-19
A blog by Taylor Adams, Manager of Workplace Mental Health at Mental Health America. This blog discusses a few things managers can do to support the mental health of their staff while working remotely.

How to Be Proactive and Productive While Working Remotely
Two downloadable worksheets from Productive Flourishing that may be helpful not only for your present work situation, but will also help set your team up for the future.

8 Tips for Nonprofits to Boost Resilience During a Pandemic
Another blog post from Beth Kanter. Her tips include taking a break from the news; making time to socialize with friends and family through phone, FaceTime, or Zoom; and focusing on positive thoughts.

Coping Mechanisms and the COVID-19 Pandemic
A great 9-minute interview with Bucknell psychology professor Anna Baker, from our own local public media station, WVIA.

Ellen Stevens
Operations and Grant Manager
estevens@mosestaylorfoundation.org