In thirty years’ time, as technology moves forward even further, people are going to look back and wonder why offices ever existed. (Richard Branson, CEO, The Virgin Companies)
Remote nonprofit work is more prolific than you think. The 2018 Digital Adoption Report found that 41 percent of employees at nonprofits it surveyed were working exclusively outside the organization’s office delivering programs and services, working from home, or telecommuting. (NTEN, Digital Adoption in 2018). The report also found that roughly 12 percent of employees spent a mixture of time inside and outside the office, while the balance (47% of the nonprofit workforce) worked exclusively inside the office. (NTEN).
In this post, I want to explore how a small organization can grow and thrive without having a traditional office, i.e., by getting virtually everything done “virtually.” I recognize that for some nonprofits, going totally remote may not be possible given the services provided and the space needed to provide them. For those organizations, however, it still may be possible for some staff members to work remotely. We’ll look at (1) the benefits of remote nonprofit work; (2) the challenges; and (3) the tools that make remote nonprofit work possible.
1. The Benefits of Remote Nonprofit Work
A. Greater Productivity
Staff are often more productive when they can work with greater control of their work environments and schedules. This is not surprising if you stop to think about the number of disruptions and challenges to focus that a typical office environment presents. As one source notes, a manager doesn’t have more control over an employee just because she’s sitting across the hall. If anything, a manager is simply fooling himself into thinking he has control.” J. Fried and D.H. Hansson. Remote: Office Not Required)
Fried and Hansson go on to point out that:
[O]ffices have become interruption factories. A busy office is like a food processor – it chops your day into tiny bits. Fifteen minutes here, ten minutes there, twenty here, five there. Each segment is filled with a conference call, a meeting, another meeting, or some other institutionalized unnecessary interruption. (Fried and Hansson, p. 13).
They also note that the irony of letting passionate people work from home is often overwork and caution employers to set healthy boundaries, like encouraging employees to stop working when they feel they have done “a good day’s work.” (Fried and Hansson, p. 123).
B. Less Overhead
After salaries, rent is typically the largest expense for organizations. Saving the cost of rent and utilities can add up overtime.
C. Better Work-Life Balance
Staff save time and money and experience a reduction in stress when they are no longer commuting, and going out for lunch every day. They also have more flexibility to manage personal and work responsibilities.
D. Larger Candidate Pools
Organizations have a much larger pool from which to find the ideal candidate by expanding their search beyond their local area and won’t have to worry about paying for relocation or about finding office space for new hires.
E. Pollution and Traffic Reduction
One source notes that “the Global Workplace Analytics report claimed that if those in the workforce who had both a desire and a job that allowed them to telecommute did so just half the time, the greenhouse gas reduction could be the equivalent of taking 10 million cars off the road.” (T. Frankfurt).
2. Challenges of Remote NONPROFIT Work and Strategies for Minimizing Them
A. Hiring the Right People
Not everyone is cut out for remote work. The ideal candidate is someone who is “self-motivated and willing to make the necessary effort to connect and collaborate with others.” (T. Frankfurt).
B. Successful On-boarding
It’s important to be certain that staff have the technology, tools and knowledge needed to perform and that you set clear expectations, communicate organizational values, and outline performance benchmarks. (T. Frankfurt). (Because technology plays such an integral role in the success of remote organizations, we delve into it more detail in the next session).
C. Communication Among Teams
One commentator has noted that “[a]s you move to virtual modes of collaboration and communication, group cohesion and intimacy decreases.” (B. Kanter, Running Effective Virtual Nonprofit Meetings). Another cautions that while technology “has laid the groundwork for connecting individuals across the globe …. fostering a virtual culture takes intention and time.” (T. Frankfurt). So how do you create a welcoming culture in a virtual office? There are several strategies.
To improve remote teamwork, it is important to set up multiple methods of communication. They include scheduled phone conferences, email, instant messaging systems, community forums, social media channels, and chat programs. (Quickbooks Canada). One source underscores the importance of using technology to create a virtual watercooler, noting that:
The office watercooler is one of the last secular places for people to connect with one another, but moving to a virtual environment doesn’t necessarily mean giving it up. Solutions like Slack or Zoom can make it easy for people to instantly message their peers as easily as they could pop over to the next cubical. But as I wrote earlier, technology is not enough. Your virtual culture should give people a place to connect informally, ask questions and -- perhaps most importantly -- be vulnerable. In my experience, vulnerability in the workplace is one of the best foundations for creating trust, a sense of community and purpose. (T. Frankfurt)
Another sites the importance of making sure team members can work simultaneously – wherever they may be in the world – at least some portion of the time, so members can discuss urgent matters together. (Fried and Hansson). Finally, it is important for managers to set up regular one-on-ones or “check-ins” with remote staff for the purpose of keeping consistent, open lines of communication. “These quick calls prevent issues and concerns from piling up without being addressed.” (Fried and Hansson, p. 195).
D. Finding Meeting Space
Nonprofits have boards that typically need to get together face-to-face at least a few times a year. It is also sometimes necessary to meet face-to-face with partners, team members, or clients. At my own organization, we’ve dealt with this in several ways. First, our county government has a policy of letting nonprofit groups use county facilities when they are not being used for government business. We have our bi-monthly board meetings in the evenings in a conference room of a county office building.
A board member who is an attorney has offered his conference room for our use when he is not using it. I have a small conference room in my home office that I use in my law and consulting work, which is well-used for my nonprofit’s smaller group meetings. Finally, if you search “co-working spaces near me” in your Internet browser, you will typically find a range of spaces available for rent, many of which include conference rooms. Here is one such list for co-working spaces in Baltimore.
3. The Technological Tools That Make Remote Nonprofit Work Possible
If there was one thing that a reading of Remote: Office Not Required makes clear, it’s that technology is key to the success of any remote organization. Here’s the proverbial lay of the land:
A. Applications at the Core of Remote Nonprofit Information Workflow and Structure
Fried and Hansson point out that if the workflow and structure of a virtual office hasn’t been set up properly, “you’re in for a wild goose chase.” I believe you need to set up the following functionalities: (1) a note-taking application where staff store clips of emails, web research, receipts and the like related to programs, projects, and operations; (2) a project- and task-management application; and (3) an office productivity suite. It’s possible to use an office productivity suite like Microsoft 365 or Google for Nonprofits to accomplish all three of these goals and to do so for little or no monetary outlay. If that’s not your choice (and it’s not mine), it’s important, for the sake of efficiency and the sanity of your co-workers, that you choose applications that work together. Here are some suggested products in each of the foregoing categories:
(1) Note-taking and Clipping of Important Emails and Web Material
Microsoft offers OneNote as part of its productivity suite that is available to nonprofits at a reduced cost and Google has its application, known as Keep, which is packaged with G Suite in Google for Nonprofits and is free to qualifying organizations. (See this post for an extensive overview of Google for Nonprofits). Another choice with a reduced price for nonprofits is Evernote. (I’m a fanatic and you can see how I use it here). An Evernote Business account provides every user with access to team Notebooks as well as a personal account that is only accessible to the user. Within Evernote Spaces, teams can collaborate and share notes on projects. Evernote works seamlessly with Google docs and many other applications and is available for Windows, iOS, and Android.
(2) Project, Task Management, and Team Communication
Managers need to know about the status of projects on which team members are working and everyone needs to be able to communicate as work progresses, ideally without resorting to conversations that happen outside the application in text messages or email. There are a number of applications that facilitate team communication (the virtual water cooler) and management of projects and tasks for minimal or no cost:
- Asana
- Fleep
- Freedcamp
- Glip
- Hangouts Chat (new, improved, and free for users of G Suite; unfortunately it does not integrate yet with any apps outside of G Suite)
- Nozbe (Cross-platform and simple, integrates with Google docs, Dropbox, Evernote, Salesforce. See more on how I use it here).
- Ryver
- Slack
- Todoist
- Trello
- Twist
(I purposely removed Basecamp and Monday from this list because I believe they are too expensive for most small nonprofits).
(3) Office Productivity Suites
The two big contenders here, both of which offer productivity suites to nonprofits at no or reduced cost, are Microsoft Office and Google for Nonprofits’ G Suite, which I reviewed here.
Whether you use a single productivity suite for information sharing or a combination of applications that work together, it’s important for team members to understand where to store and retrieve information. In my own organization, we created an Evernote space accessible to our team called “NeighborSpace: Where to Find It” that lays out the structure of what goes where and why. I've included a snapshot of the space and the notes within it, below.
B. Screen Sharing and Video Conferencing Applications for the remote nonprofit
Screen sharing is all about collaborating on the work itself, i.e., reviewing a presentation, editing a text document, or simply going through a board agenda. Often the tech-phobic will shun participation, fearing that they will be unsuccessful in attempts to use the technology. As a practical matter, the technology has evolved to a point where ease of use is the rule rather than the exception. Here is a list of screen-sharing and video-conferencing applications that are free or offer a nonprofit discount:
- Adobe Connect
- Appear.in
- Hangouts Meet (free for G Suite Users – see this post for more information)
- Joinme
- Skype
- Zoom
While the user-friendliness of these applications has improved markedly, it is important to establish certain norms to use them effectively. They include things like (1) Testing the technology before the meeting, (2) committing to “no multi-tasking” during the meeting, (3) Using a mute button to prevent transmission of background if you can’t find a quiet place to participate, (4) Turning on video whenever possible so that participants can see one another, (5) Establishing a practice of providing a concise email summary of the action steps agreed to on the webinar after its conclusion can also facilitate, and (6) sharing these rules as part of the agenda of every meeting. (B. Kanter)
C. Cloud Storage and Backup for the remote nonprofit
With Microsoft Office and G Suite for nonprofits, online storage is part of the plan. Some might stop there, figuring that, if it’s in the cloud, it’s safe. I don’t subscribe to that point of view. I feel like there’s too much at stake by placing all of my eggs in one cloud basket no matter how robust Google may be. So, we use Cloud HQ to back up everything we have stored in G Suite and Evernote to a separate Dropbox account. Both Cloud HQ and Dropbox offer nonprofit discounts.
D. Other Tools for the remote nonprofit
It has been my experience that there are four other tools necessary for team members working remotely: (1) A PDF program that will bundle different types of documents together into a single PDF for easy sharing, allows modest editing of PDFs, and has signature request functionality; (2) a program that makes capturing screen shots and editing photos easy; and (3) a program for capturing and narrating screencasts. Here are some thoughts about programs that fulfill these needs:
- Once you register your nonprofit through TechSoup, you can get Adobe Creative Cloud, which does all three of the functions listed above for about $20 a month in the first year. The price escalates after that.
- There is no doubt that Adobe products are first-rate. They are feature-rich and, accordingly, have a steep learning curve. That is why I have made other choices, as follows:
- PDF bundling, editing, signature collection app: Nitro PDF. A basic license costs $159 and there are frequent discounts through the above link. Here are some examples of how I use this program.
- Screen capturing, photo editing, and screencasts (i.e., a video that you narrate of something you are doing on your screen): SnagIt. A license costs $49.95. I’ve said before that I would cry if someone took this application away from me. It makes it so easy to capture and edit great screen shots and to create short videos that you can quickly send to team members when, for example, they are having difficulty using a software feature.
E. a remote nonprofit Online Community:
There is a terrific, member-only group on Facebook called “Remote NonProfit,” where you will find job postings, tips, and camaraderie for those holding (and wanting to hold) remote, telecommute, social enterprise, or traveling positions in the non-profit sector. You can ask to join the group here.
4. Conclusions:
Fried and Hansson conclude their book on working remotely, noting that:
Remote work is here, and it’s here to stay. The only question is whether you’ll be part of the early adopters, the early majority, the late majority, or the laggards. The ship carrying the innovators has already sailed, but there are still plenty of vessels for the early adopters. Come aboard. (Fried and Hansson, p. 243).
If you are already working in a remote nonprofit and have ever felt like a “second-class citizen” because of that fact, think again. You’re ahead of the curve according to Fried and Hansson, whose book is available for purchase on my Resources Page. A shorter summary in both audio and written form is available through Blinkist, a digital learning app about which you can also learn more on my Resources Page.
Thank you for the privilege of your time and attention. If you know someone who might be helped by this post, I hope you will forward it along.
Resources
Branson, R. One Day Offices Will Be a Thing of the Past (Available at: http://www.virgin.com/richard-branson/one-day-offices-will-be-a-thing-of-the-past)
Frankfurt, T. How to Take Your Nonprofit or For-Profit Workforce Virtual. Forbes Technology Council (1/25/2019) (Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2019/01/25/how-to-take-your-nonprofit-or-for-profit-workforce-virtual/#3006a3813d15
Fried, J. and Hansson, D.H. Remote: Office not Required (Crown Business, New York: 2013) (Available for purchase on my Resources Page).
Kanter, B. Running Effective Virtual #Nonprofit Meetings: 9 Best Practices for Facilitating Engagement (Available at: http://www.bethkanter.org/virtual-meeting-best-practices/).
Quickbooks Canada Team. How to Make a virtual Office Work for Your Nonprofit Organization (Available at: https://quickbooks.intuit.com/ca/resources/nonprofit-management/make-virtual-office-work/).
NeoSystems. Virtual Office Solutions for Non-Profit Services (Available at: https://www.neosystemscorp.com/solutions-services/nonprofit-association-services/virtual-office/)
NTEN. Digital Adoption in 2018: Advancements and Challenges to Digital Engagement at Nonprofits (Available at: https://www.nten.org/article/digital-adoption-in-2018/).