I’ll state the obvious: today, remote work is the new norm for organizations of all sizes. But for nonprofits and synagogues, the transition to remote work can present unique challenges. So I’ve designed offerings to meet these unique needs, built on almost a decade in the Jewish nonprofit space and a number of certifications in leading remote teams. But for those looking to DIY your remote work environment to function seamlessly, here’s a brief guide to improvements you can make yourself… today.
Enhancing Communication and Collaboration with Slack
I highly recommend introducing the power of Slack at work, a communication platform that enables teams to stay connected, collaborate efficiently, and build a vibrant remote work culture. Slack fosters real-time interactions, ensuring that team members can easily share ideas, updates, and feedback, regardless of their physical locations. It also acts as a repository of information, preserving important processes and decisions for future reference. (As we know, when people leave our organization, information leaves. Let’s make sure we can access their knowledge long after they’re gone.)
There will be some push-back and reticence to adopting a new technological tool, no doubt. But be persistent and consistent. It will soon become second-nature to your team, taking the place of random text messages (those are always fun to find months later) or more formal emails.
You can win buy-in from your team by sharing the benefits to using such a tool early on and by recording handy tutorials and walk-throughs as you launch. Model for your team positive feedback and reinforcement with fun, casual conversation on the platform. Everyone loves the water cooler: start hanging out by your digital one, and develop strong relationships that will fuel of your mission.
Documentation Strategy for Institutional Knowledge
The knowledge and expertise held within your organization are invaluable assets. To ensure these resources are retained, begin to design a thoughtful documentation strategy. This strategy not only safeguards institutional knowledge but also promotes transparency. With documentation, organizations of even the smallest sizes can maintain continuity even when employees leave or leadership changes.
If this sounds like a heavy lift, don’t worry. When you are strapped for time, the answer is to work in the present, not in the past. Start by documenting today. Write down the processes you use today to take your work from start to finish. Begin using agendas at staff meetings, and take notes within those agendas (preferably digitally). Send follow-ups from meetings in Slack, so everyone knows their next steps. Announce important information digitally, and keep your digital files organized and open to the entire organization. Move away from storing things on your laptop or desktop, and get them into shared folders.
Looking for examples? Check out this digital Center of Excellence or this article on creating a company wiki in Notion (not created by me).
Streamlining Work with SaaS and Project Management Tools
Look into online project management platforms (otherwise called SaaS – software as a service) such as Trello, Monday.com, Asana, and Airtable. These platforms help organizations leverage technology to promote collaboration wherever your team members are. They have built in accountability, making deadlines, roles, and status updates visible to your whole team. They also integrate automation tools to eliminate repetitive tasks, freeing up time for more impactful work. This results in increased productivity and improved work-life balance for everyone on the team.
Cultivating Organizational Culture
Remote work environments often struggle to maintain a strong organizational culture. I address this by helping mission-driven organizations create and nurture a workplace culture rooted in their core values, purpose, and priorities… but you can begin to implement positive changes right now. By instilling a sense of belonging and shared purpose, you can ensure that team members remain engaged, motivated, and committed to the organization’s mission.
First, start by listening to your staff. Conduct discovery interviews to find out what your people feel are your company’s strengths, what opportunities there are for improvement, and what feels personally meaningful to them in cultivating a sense of appreciation and motivation.
Check out some of my culture design work and see my remote work certifications.
Defining Unique Success Metrics
To encourage the highest degree of trust, autonomy, and flexibility in the workplace, I guide organizations in defining metrics of success that are unique to their mission and goals. These well-defined and agreed-upon metrics become the guiding milestones that help manage work processes efficiently. As a result, team members have the freedom to work when and where it suits them best, all while ensuring that every critical task is completed. This approach not only boosts productivity but also fosters a sense of accountability and transparency within the team.
To begin defining your organization’s metrics, take the following steps:
- Establish high-level objectives for the organization – start with 3 to 5. These can be objectives for the entire fiscal year, or from quarter to quarter. What do you want to move the needle on? What do you want to achieve? Make these objectives clear, measurable, and balanced between ambitious and achievable.
- Ladder up the work that is required to meet your organizational goals and assign relevant personnel to them.
- Break down those projects into phases, and then into tasks, taking care to assign team members to each line item. Include deadlines for each phase and task.
- Document all of the above in a spreadsheet or a project management tool such as Trello (see examples below). Make sure to provide a way for your team to check items off of the do list by each of the necessary deadlines.
- Make all of the above available across the organization, allowing for shared transparency into your work, and shared accountability on work completed by all team members.
By taking these steps, you can begin to measure the progress of your org’s mission simply and effectively.
Internal Communications for Transparency and Trust
Effective internal communications are a crucial component of any remote or hybrid workplace. I help organizations establish clear lines of communication, facilitating clarity and a sense of mutual responsibility between leadership and the workforce. This ensures that values, priorities, and decision-making processes are clearly communicated, building trust and cohesion throughout the organization. See a glimpse of my internal communications work.
A good start for your organization in the direction of greater trust and transparency is to develop an internal communications plan of your own. Begin by identifying the 3 priority topics your workforce wants to hear from you on a regular basis. Is it your leadership’s whereabouts, for clergy and staff who travel frequently? Is it the latest happenings in your community, and the success of your recent programs? Maybe it’s just brass tacks information that will help them do their jobs more effectively. Whatever your team reports wanting to hear from you, create a regular cadence of communication meeting those needs. You can even use your trusted Slack workspace to begin.
Conclusion
As nonprofits and synagogues navigate the evolving landscape of remote work, it is my hope that this comprehensive offering equips you with the tools and strategies needed for success. From fostering transparent and effective communication to preserving institutional knowledge and cultivating a unique organizational culture, I am committed to helping these organizations thrive in the digital age. By defining success metrics and implementing strong internal communication practices, I help them set the stage for a remote work environment where everyone can perform at their best while galvanizing them in achieving their mission: to serve the Jewish community.