Ethics at a Not-for-profit
September 29, 2011 8:12 AM Subscribe
My wife is leaving a position with a not-for-profit due to a hostile work environment, unethical behaviour on the part of the executive director, and coworkers abusing organization time and resources. Should she approach the board of directors with this, or cut her losses and pretend she is only leaving for the money?
My wife has worked at a small not-for-profit for just under a year. Her position is one that has experienced very high turnover for several years now, with every predecessor jumping ship as soon as they can. My wife knows a few of these predecessors and has found out that they have all had the same problems, and left for the same reasons. It seems that the only people who don't know this are the executive director (ED) and the board of directors, who are wrapped around the EDs fingers and kept isolated from the staff.
Some of the problems are these:
---The ED has been selling donations that were meant for direct distribution to clients. My wife did not see this, the person who had her job directly before her saw this.
---The second in command spends a great deal of his work day blatantly watching Youtube videos. The ED knows this, and turns a blind eye. #2 then shifts many of his responsibilities onto his assistant - a mildly mentally disabled man who my wife feels is being exploited.
---My wife's job is to coordinate the volunteers, it is the job of #2 to run the warehouse. Due to #2s negligence, my wife spends much of her day running the warehouse.
---This #2 will not speak to my wife or communicate with her or anyone other than the ED (or the pretty young female volunteers) in any way. He eavesdrops on my wife's conversations and then brings her ideas to the ED as his own. When he needs something from my wife, he goes to the ED and tells her that my wife hasn't done that thing yet so that the ED gets on my wife's tail. He waits until my wife has left to put things on her desk so that he doesn't have to talk to her.
---The ED makes veiled and not-so-veiled misogynistic and homophobic remarks. Constantly.
---The ED plays both sides of every argument and does not back her staff up when they need her support. She makes the other staff the "bad cop" every time so that she can ingratiate herself with volunteers, donors, board members. She is also a reckless gossip.
These are just the big things. My wife still believes very strongly in the work this organization does, and that is why she wants to take her concerns to the people who should know about this. This organization and the clients it serves deserve better than this behaviour. If these problems were solved, they might be able to keep staff longer than they do.
My wife has already found another job and given her notice, and she does not need this job for a reference on her CV. However, we live in a small community and if she gets a bad name in the not-for-profit field this could have severe repercussions on her. Not talking just leaves the same problems for the next poor soul, but talking could create major problems for my wife. There is also no guarantee that the board will believe her.
Should she approach the board with the real reasons she's leaving so that the problems can be resolved and the organization can better provide its services, or should she keep her mouth shut so that she can preserve the relationships she has with her coworkers, volunteers, etc?
My wife has worked at a small not-for-profit for just under a year. Her position is one that has experienced very high turnover for several years now, with every predecessor jumping ship as soon as they can. My wife knows a few of these predecessors and has found out that they have all had the same problems, and left for the same reasons. It seems that the only people who don't know this are the executive director (ED) and the board of directors, who are wrapped around the EDs fingers and kept isolated from the staff.
Some of the problems are these:
---The ED has been selling donations that were meant for direct distribution to clients. My wife did not see this, the person who had her job directly before her saw this.
---The second in command spends a great deal of his work day blatantly watching Youtube videos. The ED knows this, and turns a blind eye. #2 then shifts many of his responsibilities onto his assistant - a mildly mentally disabled man who my wife feels is being exploited.
---My wife's job is to coordinate the volunteers, it is the job of #2 to run the warehouse. Due to #2s negligence, my wife spends much of her day running the warehouse.
---This #2 will not speak to my wife or communicate with her or anyone other than the ED (or the pretty young female volunteers) in any way. He eavesdrops on my wife's conversations and then brings her ideas to the ED as his own. When he needs something from my wife, he goes to the ED and tells her that my wife hasn't done that thing yet so that the ED gets on my wife's tail. He waits until my wife has left to put things on her desk so that he doesn't have to talk to her.
---The ED makes veiled and not-so-veiled misogynistic and homophobic remarks. Constantly.
---The ED plays both sides of every argument and does not back her staff up when they need her support. She makes the other staff the "bad cop" every time so that she can ingratiate herself with volunteers, donors, board members. She is also a reckless gossip.
These are just the big things. My wife still believes very strongly in the work this organization does, and that is why she wants to take her concerns to the people who should know about this. This organization and the clients it serves deserve better than this behaviour. If these problems were solved, they might be able to keep staff longer than they do.
My wife has already found another job and given her notice, and she does not need this job for a reference on her CV. However, we live in a small community and if she gets a bad name in the not-for-profit field this could have severe repercussions on her. Not talking just leaves the same problems for the next poor soul, but talking could create major problems for my wife. There is also no guarantee that the board will believe her.
Should she approach the board with the real reasons she's leaving so that the problems can be resolved and the organization can better provide its services, or should she keep her mouth shut so that she can preserve the relationships she has with her coworkers, volunteers, etc?
Does she have evidence of this, and an overwhelming amount of it? Let's say that it's only the ED and the #2 that are doing the slacking off - you still need a huge amount of evidence to turn the board against the executives. Otherwise, it's just a disgruntled employee that is leaving. Even as fatbird said, I doubt that rounding up 5 employees would do anything more then put it on the board's radar. She needs hard evidence of this.
As a non-profit, does it answer to any government agencies? I don't know what you mean by selling donations that are meant for direct distribution, but if the ED is selling that which is meant to be free - I'm going to scream fraud. That then goes outside the area of a terrible non-profit into a criminal charge. I'm sure the IRS, state/local tax collectors, or another agency would love to know about it to review their books.
Just because the ED is a terrible boss and should be fired, doesn't mean it will happen unless this incompetence or criminal activity can be proven. My advice would be to see what kind of hard evidence can be gathered, and take it from there. If it's just a case of she saw this going on, it won't go very far but she is can get recordings, financial statements, etc., the board would be forced to take action.
posted by lpcxa0 at 8:25 AM on September 29, 2011
As a non-profit, does it answer to any government agencies? I don't know what you mean by selling donations that are meant for direct distribution, but if the ED is selling that which is meant to be free - I'm going to scream fraud. That then goes outside the area of a terrible non-profit into a criminal charge. I'm sure the IRS, state/local tax collectors, or another agency would love to know about it to review their books.
Just because the ED is a terrible boss and should be fired, doesn't mean it will happen unless this incompetence or criminal activity can be proven. My advice would be to see what kind of hard evidence can be gathered, and take it from there. If it's just a case of she saw this going on, it won't go very far but she is can get recordings, financial statements, etc., the board would be forced to take action.
posted by lpcxa0 at 8:25 AM on September 29, 2011
Do you know much about the board? Unfortunately, many times non-profit boards are stacked with friends and allies of the ED. I wouldn't be surprised if the board was knowledgable of this behavior, but happy enough with how things were going.
posted by advicepig at 8:31 AM on September 29, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by advicepig at 8:31 AM on September 29, 2011 [1 favorite]
I had a brief tenure with a small nonprofit that was poorly run and had some of the same issues your wife experienced (although in my case the #2 was the one who shouldered the burden while the alternately woo/demanding ED flaked and skated through by playing the southern belle needing a hero to every sponsor and board member she spoke to). When I gave my notice I copied the board chairman, and when I ran into another board member at an unrelated community event, she alluded to the high turnover and poor management in careful but clear enough terms that I understood that nobody thought for a minute that it was about me.
The org is also the main beneficiary of a huge annual event that I was on the planning committee for during my brief tenure. I found out after the fact that I was the 5th person in 2 years in that role, and I was asked to continue with the event in another capacity after I left the org. (They've since had 2 more people in that role, and I haven't been gone a year.)
I suspect that in a small community, your wife's organization is well-known in the nonprofit world, and it will not reflect badly on her that she's moved on. It would be good if she had/keeps a good relationship with someone on the board, but other than that, outside of more explicit waste/fraud/abuse than you've described, it sounds like washing her hands of the place is a good idea.
posted by headnsouth at 8:32 AM on September 29, 2011 [2 favorites]
The org is also the main beneficiary of a huge annual event that I was on the planning committee for during my brief tenure. I found out after the fact that I was the 5th person in 2 years in that role, and I was asked to continue with the event in another capacity after I left the org. (They've since had 2 more people in that role, and I haven't been gone a year.)
I suspect that in a small community, your wife's organization is well-known in the nonprofit world, and it will not reflect badly on her that she's moved on. It would be good if she had/keeps a good relationship with someone on the board, but other than that, outside of more explicit waste/fraud/abuse than you've described, it sounds like washing her hands of the place is a good idea.
posted by headnsouth at 8:32 AM on September 29, 2011 [2 favorites]
The ED makes veiled and not-so-veiled misogynistic and homophobic remarks
This is the one she should warn them about, because they could get sued. The rest is hearsay or just plain old poor management, which they should be suspecting already due to the turnover.
posted by salvia at 8:37 AM on September 29, 2011 [3 favorites]
This is the one she should warn them about, because they could get sued. The rest is hearsay or just plain old poor management, which they should be suspecting already due to the turnover.
posted by salvia at 8:37 AM on September 29, 2011 [3 favorites]
I like salvia's comment --- because the way she presents it is that its not a personal complaint, but a liability for them.
Unless someone has offered her an exit interview, she should hold-off. She may yet get an opportunity to weigh in, but it could be years away.
For her own career, it really is important to follow the old saying "if you have nothing nice to say, don't say anything at all"...until given an opprtunity, and then say it with tact. Her struggle to speak with tact will speak volumes...and she can feel out where the other person is coming from.
She shouldn't overestimate the impact she can have. SHE would respond to tales of injustice, but even well-meaning social justice folks get entrenched enough to ignore local injustices.
For example--theyve probably already gotten clues about this--but haven't done anything about it yet.
posted by vitabellosi at 8:52 AM on September 29, 2011
Unless someone has offered her an exit interview, she should hold-off. She may yet get an opportunity to weigh in, but it could be years away.
For her own career, it really is important to follow the old saying "if you have nothing nice to say, don't say anything at all"...until given an opprtunity, and then say it with tact. Her struggle to speak with tact will speak volumes...and she can feel out where the other person is coming from.
She shouldn't overestimate the impact she can have. SHE would respond to tales of injustice, but even well-meaning social justice folks get entrenched enough to ignore local injustices.
For example--theyve probably already gotten clues about this--but haven't done anything about it yet.
posted by vitabellosi at 8:52 AM on September 29, 2011
Your wife could send an open letter (email) to the ED and the board expressing her concerns, and it's likely her coworkers and the volunteers would never know. If she goes the open-letter route, it's probably best to leave out the donations bit. She should also seek the advice of a lawyer first.
From my point of view, the donation angle is the only thing worth pursuing, and it should *not* be addressed in an open letter.
Is there anyone on the board your wife trusts? If not, going to the board may be a waste of energy.
What about the auditor - is there an external auditor that checks the books once a year? Probably not.
Is there a government agency the NP works closely with, and perhaps is a funder?
posted by KokuRyu at 9:09 AM on September 29, 2011
From my point of view, the donation angle is the only thing worth pursuing, and it should *not* be addressed in an open letter.
Is there anyone on the board your wife trusts? If not, going to the board may be a waste of energy.
What about the auditor - is there an external auditor that checks the books once a year? Probably not.
Is there a government agency the NP works closely with, and perhaps is a funder?
posted by KokuRyu at 9:09 AM on September 29, 2011
I've seen this happen a few times, and the success or failure of it really depends on the makeup of the board.
My recommendation based on this experience would be NOT to write a letter. This is a document that could really come to haunt her; don't put this in writing.
Instead, if she knows of someone on the board who is both likely to be sympathetic/concerned and is respected - ie, not someone with a known axe to grind against the current ED who is just looking for some dirt - she should make an appointment with them to discuss things privately over coffee or lunch. At this lunch she should present her concerns and show evidence, if she needs to, but not hand it over.
One of the problems I see already is that the ED's failings are sort of 'soft' ones. She's not, apparently, doing anything that's a crime, though she may be violating bylaws and creating hostile working conditions. I'm not sure whether there are documented incidences that show this pattern of hostility, but that would be the next thing someone asked for.
The best she can really do is give a word to the wise. The ED has bad leadership and management skills and your wife believes this is hurting the organization. That's about all she can say. The "selling donations" allegation is pretty serious, but since it's secondhand it may not get very far; she can only report it as hearsay.
This happens more often than I'd like. Handle it via private conversation, not public callout or by approaching the entire board.
posted by Miko at 9:31 AM on September 29, 2011 [2 favorites]
My recommendation based on this experience would be NOT to write a letter. This is a document that could really come to haunt her; don't put this in writing.
Instead, if she knows of someone on the board who is both likely to be sympathetic/concerned and is respected - ie, not someone with a known axe to grind against the current ED who is just looking for some dirt - she should make an appointment with them to discuss things privately over coffee or lunch. At this lunch she should present her concerns and show evidence, if she needs to, but not hand it over.
One of the problems I see already is that the ED's failings are sort of 'soft' ones. She's not, apparently, doing anything that's a crime, though she may be violating bylaws and creating hostile working conditions. I'm not sure whether there are documented incidences that show this pattern of hostility, but that would be the next thing someone asked for.
The best she can really do is give a word to the wise. The ED has bad leadership and management skills and your wife believes this is hurting the organization. That's about all she can say. The "selling donations" allegation is pretty serious, but since it's secondhand it may not get very far; she can only report it as hearsay.
This happens more often than I'd like. Handle it via private conversation, not public callout or by approaching the entire board.
posted by Miko at 9:31 AM on September 29, 2011 [2 favorites]
And I agree with salvia about mentioning the harassment, but if it's not documented it's still just in the 'heads up' category.
posted by Miko at 9:32 AM on September 29, 2011
posted by Miko at 9:32 AM on September 29, 2011
These problems aren't too uncommon for the nonprofit sector. I wouldn't bother writing to the board. Repeating "it's not my problem" over and over again, along with taking a new job, can do wonders. But as to some things to can do in response to the specific things you mention:
Selling donations that were meant for direct distribution to clients. Your wife can anonymously contact the IRS about this, and then let them do their job.
Second in command watching Youtube videos, shifting responsibilities onto disabled staff member. Ignore the Youtube watching. If Disabled coworker lives independently, nothing to be done. If he lives in a group setting, contact group (after she quits) to talk about what you've witnessed.
Wife spends much of her day running the warehouse. If her job description says "and other tasks as assigned," nothing you can do here.
#2 has issues with your wife. Ignore. Being a jerk isn't illegal in the workplace.
The ED makes misogynistic and homophobic remarks. Document, show to HR in exit interview. If wife feels vindictive, she can take documentation to lawyer to consider hostile work environment options. Probably not worth it.
The ED has poor leadership skills. Nothing to be done here.
If the nonprofit community in your location is indeed small, it will not surprise anyone that she is leaving, and she will not gain a poor reputation. A quick "It was a tough place to work" will suffice, and everyone will already know what she's talking about.
Approaching the board will not result in any changes... but I think you already knew that.
posted by juniperesque at 9:51 AM on September 29, 2011 [4 favorites]
Selling donations that were meant for direct distribution to clients. Your wife can anonymously contact the IRS about this, and then let them do their job.
Second in command watching Youtube videos, shifting responsibilities onto disabled staff member. Ignore the Youtube watching. If Disabled coworker lives independently, nothing to be done. If he lives in a group setting, contact group (after she quits) to talk about what you've witnessed.
Wife spends much of her day running the warehouse. If her job description says "and other tasks as assigned," nothing you can do here.
#2 has issues with your wife. Ignore. Being a jerk isn't illegal in the workplace.
The ED makes misogynistic and homophobic remarks. Document, show to HR in exit interview. If wife feels vindictive, she can take documentation to lawyer to consider hostile work environment options. Probably not worth it.
The ED has poor leadership skills. Nothing to be done here.
If the nonprofit community in your location is indeed small, it will not surprise anyone that she is leaving, and she will not gain a poor reputation. A quick "It was a tough place to work" will suffice, and everyone will already know what she's talking about.
Approaching the board will not result in any changes... but I think you already knew that.
posted by juniperesque at 9:51 AM on September 29, 2011 [4 favorites]
Do not send a letter to the Board. Resign and move on. In situations such as this she has a duty to report illegal activities to the proper authorities and serious/substantial acts of financial irregularities to the organizations independent auditors. Otherwise--move on. Do not burn bridges as you never know when you will again need to cross them . These bridges include Board members who may see a letter as the act of a disgruntled employee. Good Luck
posted by rmhsinc at 10:03 AM on September 29, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by rmhsinc at 10:03 AM on September 29, 2011 [2 favorites]
The ED has been selling donations that were meant for direct distribution to clients
If this indeed happened, it happened because the org doesn't have proper accounting systems in place and/or the CFO/Board member in charge of the budget and financial statements let it happen. Either way, probably best to leave it be unless your wife finds hard proof.
posted by smirkette at 1:34 PM on September 29, 2011
If this indeed happened, it happened because the org doesn't have proper accounting systems in place and/or the CFO/Board member in charge of the budget and financial statements let it happen. Either way, probably best to leave it be unless your wife finds hard proof.
posted by smirkette at 1:34 PM on September 29, 2011
No letter. Never put this sort of thing down in writing.
I do like the idea of setting a group meeting with the Board, especially if the predecessor who witnessed the theft is willing to come and speak up.
posted by fingersandtoes at 2:33 PM on September 29, 2011
I do like the idea of setting a group meeting with the Board, especially if the predecessor who witnessed the theft is willing to come and speak up.
posted by fingersandtoes at 2:33 PM on September 29, 2011
One thing I learned after being in a situation like this - the bad people were better at being bad than I was at reporting bad behavior. In other words, I could have gotten all crazy trying to rectify things with the truth about the situation, but my efforts would have largely been moot as the bad people.......
1) had been hired by the people that I would have complained to making them just as bad as those I was complaining about.
2) were very good at being bad, including outflanking me as soon as they felt I was not happy with them. They were very experienced in covering their tracks and asses. I was not that experienced in these types of confrontations.
3) had no scruples and would have stooped to lower levels than I could imagine to make my life miserable even more than it was at the job.
So I just moved on. Although, about a year later I did exact some revenge by assembling a list of all board members of the organization and :CCing them on an email about a back pay check they claimed to have sent to the wrong address (this was an example of one of the usual scams people played in this outfit) along with all the details of the 2 months of back and forth emails about it being missing, including former bosses names. . Suffice to say, I had a new check sent overnight to me.
So in the end, I got my little back pay, caused some latent consternation in their lives and never looked back.
Even without the little back pay thing, moving on would have been good enough. I am just glad that episode is over.
posted by lampshade at 3:37 PM on September 29, 2011 [2 favorites]
1) had been hired by the people that I would have complained to making them just as bad as those I was complaining about.
2) were very good at being bad, including outflanking me as soon as they felt I was not happy with them. They were very experienced in covering their tracks and asses. I was not that experienced in these types of confrontations.
3) had no scruples and would have stooped to lower levels than I could imagine to make my life miserable even more than it was at the job.
So I just moved on. Although, about a year later I did exact some revenge by assembling a list of all board members of the organization and :CCing them on an email about a back pay check they claimed to have sent to the wrong address (this was an example of one of the usual scams people played in this outfit) along with all the details of the 2 months of back and forth emails about it being missing, including former bosses names. . Suffice to say, I had a new check sent overnight to me.
So in the end, I got my little back pay, caused some latent consternation in their lives and never looked back.
Even without the little back pay thing, moving on would have been good enough. I am just glad that episode is over.
posted by lampshade at 3:37 PM on September 29, 2011 [2 favorites]
I don't think there's much that your wife can do at this point, honestly. I would operate on the assumption that the board either knows or deliberately doesn't want to know, and/or that the ED is cozy with them. The misogynistic remarks and selling donations are probably the only things that she could take to anyone else (EEOC, IRS), and she'd need something fairly strong to go with.
(I have a story, which includes writing a letter to a board, which I'd be happy to share over MeMail or email, but would prefer not to write here. Contact me, or let a mod know you want my email.)
posted by epersonae at 5:37 PM on September 29, 2011
(I have a story, which includes writing a letter to a board, which I'd be happy to share over MeMail or email, but would prefer not to write here. Contact me, or let a mod know you want my email.)
posted by epersonae at 5:37 PM on September 29, 2011
Agreeing with advicepig that the board members may not be that interested in hearing bad news if they're cronies of the ED, and adding this will probably also be true if this is the only board they've ever been on and/or don't have experience with the wider world of nonprofit management. They may not even realize that addressing mismanagement is their whole job as board members.
posted by lakeroon at 6:26 PM on September 29, 2011
posted by lakeroon at 6:26 PM on September 29, 2011
Echoing previous advice:
-- Document everything possible
-- Contact previous employees
-- Approach the best candidate for an ally on the board with evidence + support from previous employees.
-- Do this when you are well away from the organization and secure in new employment.
Remember that Capone went down for tax evasion. There's enough here to convince the internet that the executives are bad people behaving badly, but if you can, only bring up evidence of behaviors that have a clear negative effect on the cause and purpose of the Non-profit, or clear evidence of behaviors that may leave the Non-profit legally culpable for the ED/ #2's behavior.
posted by markovitch at 8:30 PM on September 29, 2011
-- Document everything possible
-- Contact previous employees
-- Approach the best candidate for an ally on the board with evidence + support from previous employees.
-- Do this when you are well away from the organization and secure in new employment.
Remember that Capone went down for tax evasion. There's enough here to convince the internet that the executives are bad people behaving badly, but if you can, only bring up evidence of behaviors that have a clear negative effect on the cause and purpose of the Non-profit, or clear evidence of behaviors that may leave the Non-profit legally culpable for the ED/ #2's behavior.
posted by markovitch at 8:30 PM on September 29, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
It could be done as a letter that they all sign together, or a request for a meeting with several board members. Start like this: "We all had this position, and all left quickly for the same reasons."
posted by fatbird at 8:19 AM on September 29, 2011 [5 favorites]