The COVID-19 virus scattered millions of nonprofit employees into new working locations and situations all over the world. Join TechSoup's People and Culture team to learn about how our existing remote work practices and adoption of cloud solutions enabled our distributed global workforce to act swiftly and ensure that our mission continues at a time when our community needs us most. In this webinar, we'll cover - Remote work policies and preparing equipment for remote staff - Maintaining organizational culture, boosting morale, and promoting the mental health of staff - Communication best practices for updating staff on the changing situation

1. Nonprofit Workforce
Transition and Planning
in Response to
COVID-19
April 21, 2020

2. Using GlobalMeet
Chat to ask questions
All lines are muted
If you lose your Internet connection, reconnect
using the link emailed to you.
You will receive an email with this presentation,
recording, and links.

3. We’ll be asking you questions throughout this
webinar. You can respond and engage with us
by:
● Chatting your responses within the chat
box of this webinar platform
● Respond to poll questions asked during
and after the webinar
● Tweet at us @TechSoup and use the
hashtags #tswebinar
Get Engaged!

4. A Global Network
Bridging Tech Solutions
and Services for Good
Where are you on the map?

5. Explore our Nonprofit
Tech Marketplace
For more information, please visit
www.techsoup.org/get-product-donations
"We are an all-volunteer organization with
limited professional skills. Adobe's donated
technology is helping us present our story to
the public and to lenders in the format of a
much larger organization. With Adobe, we
are able to knock off a few of the "rough
edges" so that our story is front and center
instead of our technological limitations.
Thank you, Adobe!”
- Richard de Koster
Constitution Island Association, Inc

6. Adobe
Alpha Software
Arreva
Asana
Atlas Business Solutions
Autodesk
Azavea
AWS
Bitdefender
Blackbaud
Box
Bytes of Learning
CDI Computer Dealers
Cisco
CitySoft
CleverReach
ClickTime
Comodo
Connect2Give
Dell
Dharma Merchant Services
Digital Wish
Dolby
DonorPerfect
Efficient Elements
FileMaker
GlobalMeet
GrantStation
Headsets.com
Horizon DataSys
HR Solutions Partners
Idealware
InFocus
InterConnection
Intuit
JourneyEd
Litmos
Little Green Light
Mailshell
Microsoft
Mobile Beacon
Nielsen
NonProfitEasy
NortonLifeLock
O&O Software
Priority
Quickbooks Made Easy
Reading Eggs
Skillsoft
Smart Business Savings
Society for Nonprofit Organizations
Sparrow Mobile
Tableau
TechBridge
Tech Impact
Tint
Ultralingua
VMware
Veritas
Western Digital
Zoner

7. Resources for Nonprofits
Impacted by COVID-19
In difficult times, the world turns to civil society for
support. At TechSoup, we're committed to equipping
your nonprofit with the technology resources you need
to meet your mission, serve your community, and
support your staff.
Learn more at
https://page.techsoup.org/covid-19-resources
● Tools to Support Remote Work
● Policy Resources
● Webinars and Workshops
● Related Blog Posts
● Join the Conversation
● Free Courses from TechSoup
● Additional Resources

8. Presenters
Shanti Cale
Senior Director, Organizational Talent at
TechSoup
Liz Forbes
Senior People & Culture Generalist at
TechSoup
Nicole Jones
Content Producer, TechSoup
Assisting with chat:
Steven Davidson, TechSoup
Steven Davidson
Marketing Associate,
TechSoup
Nicole Jones
Content Producer,
TechSoup
Shanti Cale
Senior Director,
Organizational Talent
at TechSoup
Liz Forbes
Senior People &
Culture Generalist at
TechSoup

9. Transitioning to a Remote Workforce During COVID-19
Liz Forbes and Shanti Cale
April 21, 2020

10. . © TechSoup Global | All rights reserved10
Before We Get Started
Legal topics:
We’re not experts, nor can we provide legal advice.
There’s a lot to learn:
This is still an unfolding and a fluid situation with many
unknowns. We’re here to share what we know so far.
TechSoup’s experience:
We don’t claim to speak for all nonprofits, but we’ll share
our learnings in hope of it serving as many nonprofits as
possible.

11. Poll

12. 12
Overview
● Leadership
● Communication best practices
● Cloud solutions and equipment
● Remote work policies
● Maintaining organizational culture remotely
● Boosting morale and promoting mental
health
● Resources

13. . © TechSoup Global | All rights reserved13
● Understand guidance from local health and
government, avoid misinformation
● Establish a small trusted team to serve as a task
force for quick tactical decisions and to enable timely
messaging
● Provide clear direction for now, that anticipates
changes will be coming
● Use managers to escalate questions and share staff
temperament
○ Provide remote management coaching, and leverage
internal experts
○ They are now models of remote work effectiveness
● Actively listen to content and tone of employees as
events and circumstances change
Leadership

14. . © TechSoup Global | All rights reserved14
● Provide regular communication
○ Reiterate escalation path
○ Establish repository of updates
○ Understand and speak to common fears directly
● Different channels for different information:
○ Emails
○ All-staff meetings
○ Surveys
○ COVID-19 Slack channel
● Encourage managers to gauge staff feelings, wellness,
concerns:
○ Even if outside their norm
○ People need more from their managers now
● Protecting staff health - what you can’t share and what
you must share
Communication Best Practices

15. . © TechSoup Global | All rights reserved15
● Telephones/ Contact
Center
○ Ring Central
● File share solutions:
○ Box
○ Google
○ OneDrive
● Communication Tools:
○ Slack
○ Microsoft Teams
○ Zoom
○ Google Hangouts
Cloud and Online Solutions Enable Remote Work
● Mail communications
○ O365 Exchange
online/Hybrid
● Document Signing
tools
○ Adobe Acrobat DC
○ DocuSign
● Infrastructure
○ AWS Workspaces
○ Azure desktop VM
● Single Sign On
○ Okta coming soon!
Security tools and practices are vital
• KnowBe4 security training sent to all staff
• TechSoup security webinar

16. . © TechSoup Global | All rights reserved16
Remote Work Policies
• Create new, or revise existing policy to
accommodate exceptional situations.
Emphasize:
• Physical comfort and ergonomic set up
• Equipment security
• Data security
• Decide what and how to track
• Productivity / project status
• Work availability and hours
• Attendance
• Wellness
• Consider flexibility where possible. Everyone has
a different remote experience.
• Kids at home
• Roommates / tight quarters
• Poor connectivity

17. . © TechSoup Global | All rights reserved17
• Equipment
• Immediate work: Setting up laptops
• Afterthoughts: Staff needed other equipment
(e.g. ergonomics )
• Workplace accommodations for alter-abled
individuals
• How to deliver the equipment?
• At time of office closure
• Subsequent hires
Physical Equipment for Remote Staff

18. . © TechSoup Global | All rights reserved18
• Receipt of mail / packages
• Re-routing
• Few sorters going in and redirecting
• Communication to / from building management
• Process incoming checks through finance
• Custodial services ended following initial
sanitization
• People picking up plants and other personal
belongings.
• Created a policy for people to inform when
dropping in to the office:
• Building security
• Safety of individuals
Office Visits Post-Closure

19. . © TechSoup Global | All rights reserved19
• How teams meet
• More meetings, more frequently, more
facetime
• Remote staff no longer a minority but
everyone’s reality.
• Flexibility for people’s different situations
(families, people who live alone, people with
poor internet, ailing parents).
Maintaining Organizational Culture Remotely

20. . © TechSoup Global | All rights reserved20
Today’s WFH view. What’s Yours?

21. . © TechSoup Global | All rights reserved21
Always fun -- Pets and Passions!

22. . © TechSoup Global | All rights reserved22
“What keeps me sane during shelter in place” sharing on social

23. . © TechSoup Global | All rights reserved23
• Wellness programs
• EAP
• Promote mental health support through
existing benefits
• Consider expanding mental health benefits
• Slack community channels
Boosting Morale and Promoting Mental Health

24. . © TechSoup Global | All rights reserved24
Easy Ideas to Bond with Your Team Remotely
• Host virtual coffee chats to start the day or happy
hours to end them
• Music: Share Spotify playlists
• Yoga or Zumba “Move of the Day”
• Slack ‘Challenges’ for staff to do things
• Draw a pic of what you’re going to look like without a
haircut for a few months
• Take a walk and snap a cool pic for people to guess
what it is, etc)
• Do something that gives back.
• Team members send cards to people in senior living
communities.
• Sew face masks for the medical community or local use
• Shop for an elderly or sick neighbor

25. . © TechSoup Global | All rights reserved25
● Legal Webinars re: COVID-19 legislation, leave act, Families First Coronavirus Response
Act, and other relief provisions
○ Morgan Lewis
○ McClean and Company
○ Fisher Phillips
○ Nonprofit Law Blog
● Remote management webinars and articles
○ Nonprofit HR
○ SHRM.org
○ Harvard Business Review
● Mindfulness
● Using cloud tools
○ TechSoup courses and webinars
○ Khan academy
Resources

26. Q&A
This is your chance! Use the chat box to ask us
any questions you have about this
presentation.

27. Share and Learn
Chat in one thing that you learned in today’s
webinar.
Please complete our post-event survey. Your
feedback really helps.
Follow TechSoup on social media
(FB, Instagram, Twitter)
Visit the TechSoup Blog at blog.techsoup.org

28. Join us for our
upcoming webinars.
4/23
Collective Action: How Our Response and
Recovery to COVID-19 Will Redefine How
Society Operates
4/28
How to Choose the Best Fundraising and
Donor Management System
4/29
Slack for Nonprofits: Tips for Working Better
Together, Remotely
Archived Webinars:
www.techsoup.org/community-events

29. FY20WEB10 - 10% off a TechSoup Course of Your Choice
Learn more at https://techsoup.course.tc/catalog

30. Resources for Nonprofits
Impacted by COVID-19
In difficult times, the world turns to civil society for
support. At TechSoup, we're committed to equipping
your nonprofit with the technology resources you need
to meet your mission, serve your community, and
support your staff.
Learn more at
https://page.techsoup.org/covid-19-resources
● Tools to Support Remote Work
● Policy Resources
● Webinars and Workshops
● Related Blog Posts
● Join the Conversation
● Free Courses from TechSoup
● Additional Resources

31. Thank you to our
webinar sponsor!
Please complete the post-event survey that will
pop up once you close this window.