Foundation Administrators Network Meeting: Employee Motivation, Development, and Involvement

MEMBERS: Please log in to register yourself or a colleague online through February 15, 2010.
(Please note: This meeting is not open to non-members.)

Presented by the Foundation Administrators Network, a Philanthropy New York Peer Network.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND: Members who have responsibility for foundation administration, including human resources, finance, and operations.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:

Philanthropy New York's Foundation Administrators Network is a resource for those working in foundation administration. The network meets quarterly to give participants an opportunity to connect with colleagues in person and discuss topics of interest in a confidential setting. New FAN members are welcome and encouraged to attend.

Meeting Agenda: Roundtable Discussion on Employee Motivation, Development, and Involvement

The events of the past two years have resulted in one of the most turbulent times in American history. And while signs of improvement are becoming more evident, foundation endowments are still down compared to 2008, budgets remain tight, and there is still an unsettled feeling in the halls in many organizations. At a number of foundations, staffs have been shrinking, employees are being asked to do more, salaries are essentially frozen, and morale eroding. In this environment, the challenge—and the opportunity—is to find ways to keep staff members motivated, engaged and happy, even within tough budget constraints. And when the economy does tick upward, retention of staff will be the focus.

Empowering employees to take more initiative helps build their skills and makes them more invested in the organization. Similarly, employee involvement and engagement practices can create better and more open communication channels and job performance by encouraging new ideas, sharing opinions and creating an investment in the organization. And professional and personal development demonstrate a commitment to the growth of the individual. All of this can results in increased productivity and loyalty to the foundation. 

We will use these questions as a springboard for our roundtable conversation, but encourage everyone to bring related questions to discuss with peers. 

1. How is employee morale at your foundation? What steps are you considering or have you taken to address this? (e.g unexpected rewards, social events, more days off, etc.)
    
2. How do we retain our best employees when we are unable to provide significant pay raises and are asking employees to take on more responsibility, at the same time? How is this handled during performance appraisals? 
    
3. How can we promote staff development with limited resources?  
    
4. What tools, if any, are being used (e.g. surveys) to assess employee satisfaction? (For example, satisfaction with office culture, supervisor relations, staff development opportunities, compensation, work environment, and/or internal communications.) 
    
5. What programs or internal practices does your foundation have that involves employees in decision-making? How do you provide information for decision-making, delegating authority, frequent feedback and guidance and lastly, how are they rewarded?
    
6. How can we ensure post-recession success when it comes to employee retention and morale? Were there any positive things that you learned as result of the recession? For example, identifying star employees or finding ways to significantly reduce expenses without negatively affecting employee morale?
    

Reminder: As always, creating a confidential space at network meetings is very important.  Please do not share specific details from the meetings with individuals outside the network.

FEE: No fee.

OTHER INFORMATION: Please contact kruff@philanthropynewyork.org for any questions.