Conflict in Volunteer Non-Profit Organizations
Non-profits have conflicts too
I fully subscribe to the premise that in every human endeavor there will be disagreement. Since non-profits are an endeavor and involve people they are not exempt from conflict.
What forms does that conflict take and what are some of the consequences?
Non-profits may consist of all volunteers as members, officers, board members – you name it. As in any volunteer organization the bulk of the work is carried out by a few. However, demands on the organization can come from people who make significant demands but do not contribute to the doing. This 80-20 rule, as I’ve heard it call can cause conflict. There may be others who are complainers. They complain about what’s not getting done, how things are done, and the individuals who are involved in doing. And, as in every human interaction there is always the possibility of personality difficulties creating conflict. My discussion below is about conflict amongst Board members.
Have you ever served on a Board of a volunteer non-profit with Directors having conflict? It can get nasty and severely impact organizational activities. Whole Board meetings can repeatedly turn into conflict situations. And, since the Officers are also volunteers they can sometimes feel powerless in restoring order or become the targets of the conflicted relationship.
So, what is a volunteer organization to do? Just as in any organization setting up a process for conflict avoidance, prevention and resolution may be a key. If people on a Board know that when a conflict arises what they are expected to do, for example, meet with a designated neutral Board member(s) who can ensure both sides of the story are heard and either facilitate or mediate between the parties. This way they know in advance they are required to go through an intermediate step before it comes to the Board. And, just as a further thought, when the Board is asked to intervene then the hearing is on the basis of a summary of both sides positions provided by the designated “neutrals” with perhaps the disputing members present. One key is to have a process for both sides to be heard with an opportunity to resolve the conflict before it becomes a full Board issue.
How the full Board gets involved if it cannot be resolved through an intermediate step is the matter of another blog entry. To keep volunteer non-profits running it is essential to avoid, prevent, and resolve conflicts before they become disruptive or destructive.
