Julie Struble

How Nonprofits can align mission and compliance.
By Freedom Kolb, CEO of The Milk Bank

Nonprofits are accustomed to deftly navigating the space between service and business.  While we are committed to producing high impact outcomes for our communities, we are equally invested in operational excellence including accounting, marketing, facility management, regulatory compliance, and human resources (HR).

Even organizations that feel adept in human resources and regularly invest in their workforce may feel less comfortable discussing lactation in the workplace.   Two areas are quickly changing this HR landscape.  First, supporting breastfeeding is good for babies and for business!  In fact, investing in workplace lactation support results in a 3-to-1 return on investment[1].  And now, thanks to the PUMP Act, it is the law[2]. 

Workplace Lactation

Breastfeeding or chest feeding has long been considered a public health imperative, offering unparalleled, well-researched health benefits for both mother and baby[3]. What is often overlooked are the economic benefits to the employer for supporting lactation in the workplace. Recent labor statistics suggest 6 out of 10 women in the workforce are new mothers, representing the fastest growing workforce segment[4]. Additionally, employers can look forward to:

1. Reduced Health Care Costs:  Breastfeeding is associated with lower healthcare costs for both mother and child. Breastfed infants tend to have fewer infections, respiratory illnesses, and ear infections, which means fewer pediatric visits and hospitalizations. Breastfeeding also benefits maternal health by reducing risks of breast and ovarian cancers, heart disease, and diabetes. Lower healthcare claims reduce insurance costs for employers.
   
2. Decreased Absenteeism: Both mothers and fathers of breastfed infants often report fewer instances of illness in their babies, leading to fewer sick days taken to care for a child[5]. Fewer absences help maintain continuity and productivity, reducing the cost and disruption associated with unplanned leave.
   
3. Improved Employee Retention: Companies that support breastfeeding have higher employee retention rates among new parents – 60% better retention[6]! Reducing turnover saves businesses recruitment, onboarding, and training costs.

Higher Productivity and Morale: Supporting breastfeeding through lactation accommodations can boost employee morale, showing that the organization values the health and well-being of its employees. This leads to greater productivity, loyalty, and satisfaction among working parents.

Enhanced Public Image: Companies that offer family-friendly policies, including breastfeeding support, may see an enhanced reputation, which can attract talent and improve brand perception among consumers who value social responsibility.

Pump Act Compliance
The United States offers several protections for pregnant and breastfeeding employees including the Protections for Nursing Mothers Act (PUMP Act).  This bi-partisan law expands employer obligations under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and provides workplace protection to nearly 9 million additional breastfeeding employees.  Understanding these regulations can help you retain healthier, engaged employees and prevent costly fines.  Specifically, the PUMP Act requires:

• Exempt and non-exempt breastfeeding employees are protected up to one year after their infant’s birth.
• Employers must provide a place, other than a bathroom, shielded from view and free from intrusion for pumping.
• Employees may take reasonable break time to pump. Frequency and duration may vary by employee.
• Covered employees must be completely relieved from duty during pump breaks or paid for time spent pumping.

Resources for Nonprofits, Employers, and Employees
Free resources are widely available online to help you navigate policy development and supports.  Please consult your trusted HR advisors to review your compliance requirements and remember state, local, and/or union regulations may be more generous than the federal requirements.  The Department of Labor maintains an excellent website at dol.gov/agencies/whd/pump-at-work.  Additionally, the Office on Women’s Health offers womenshealth.gov/supporting-nursing-moms-work.   Finally, the U.S. Breastfeeding Committee has built a tremendous resource regarding the Economic Case for Breastfeeding and related resources at usbreastfeeding.org/breastfeeding-references.html#nationalcost.

Thanks to a partnership from the Women’s Fund of Central Indiana, The Milk Bank is also able to offer resources to employers across Indiana and the Midwest – including a free webinar (11.21.24) and lactation room starter kit.  You can access these supports at themilkbank.org/employer.

Investing in breastfeeding support not only can help position you as an employer of choice, but can help build a wonderful workforce with a substantial business advantage.

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[1] Washington Business Group on Health. Breastfeeding Support at the Workplace. Washington, D.C.; 2000. Issue No. 2

[2] https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/pump-at-work

[3] https://www.usbreastfeeding.org/breastfeeding-references.html

[4] https://www.womenshealth.gov/supporting-nursing-moms-work

[5] Cohen R, Martek MB, Mrtek RG. Comparison of maternal absenteeism and infant illness rates among breastfeeding and formula-feeding women in two corporations. Am J of Health Prom; 1995. 10(2):148-153.

[6] https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/employee-relations/pages/how-workplaces-can-support-returning-mothers.aspx

By Julie Struble, Charitable Advisors

In the nonprofit world, we often juggle multiple responsibilities—from managing donor relationships and overseeing programs to onboarding new hires and meeting stakeholders’ expectations. One of the most valuable tools we can provide our teams to help them navigate these tasks is documented processes. They don’t just keep the ship running smoothly—they ensure that staff can consistently achieve high-quality outcomes and be prepared for any challenge, including their training and onboarding.

Why Documented Processes Matter
Having documented processes in place offers a multitude of benefits for your organization, particularly when it comes to training and development. Let’s break down the key reasons:

1. Achieving Consistent Outcomes
   Documented processes provide a clear roadmap for staff, ensuring they can consistently meet accreditation standards and funder requirements. When everyone knows how to perform their duties correctly, it becomes easier to meet organizational goals and maintain high performance across the board.
2. Faster Onboarding and Training
   With a guide in place, new hires and program staff can be brought up to speed in weeks instead of months. This reduces the time spent on repetitive explanations, allowing employees to become productive more quickly.
3. Ensuring Continuity in Case of Absences
   If a team member is sick, on vacation, or leaves the organization, documented processes allow another person to step in seamlessly. This ensures continuity, and your organization’s operations won’t miss a beat.

Steps to Prepare for a Training Program

Preparing for effective training requires careful thought and planning. Once you’ve created documented processes for your team, it’s important to choose the right format for training. Here’s how to get started:

1. Select Key Processes to Document
   You don’t need to document every task—just focus on those that are critical to your organization’s success. For most nonprofits, this will be five to twelve key processes that directly impact outcomes, whether they relate to donor management, program delivery, or compliance.
2. Write a Purpose Statement
   For each process, define the expected outcome and the consequences if the task isn’t completed correctly. This helps your team understand why the process is essential. For instance, if a grant report is submitted late or inaccurately, what are the consequences for funding or accreditation?
3. List Inputs and Outputs
   Document the tools, software, and data necessary to complete the task (inputs), and describe the measurable result once the task is completed (outputs). Connecting these outputs to your organization’s quarterly or annual goals helps give the team context and shows them how their work contributes to the mission.
4. Break It Down Into Milestones
   Divide larger tasks into key milestones. Then, document one milestone at a time with a simple step-by-step process (typically 8-10 steps). This makes it easier for team members to follow the workflow. If there are more than 10 steps, break the task down into smaller milestones.
5. Review and Refine the Process
   Once the process is drafted, review it with your team. Check for any missed steps and refine where necessary. Share the documented process during a departmental meeting to gather feedback and finalize it for approval by the department manager or executive director.

November HR Nonprofit Peer Group webinar

Documenting processes might seem like a time-consuming task, but the payoff is well worth it. With streamlined procedures in place, your nonprofit can achieve its goals faster, provide higher-quality services, and operate more efficiently. And the best part? With the right approach, you can draft a process in as little as 15 minutes.

Join us on Nov. 6 at 1 p.m. for Maximizing learning outcomes: Choosing the right training format webinar. Our presenters will guide us through the best training format for your staff.  See below to register.

By Cody Lents, COVI
Organizations of all sizes are adapting to environments that have their people working from anywhere and at any time. With this rapid adoption of new workflows and working styles, the technology infrastructure and the cybersecurity solutions that protect them can seem like a maze of impossible puzzles. Many are overwhelmed just trying to keep up with the number of pieces involved let alone actually solving the challenges themselves.

Let me tell you a story about a simple solution that solves one such challenge.

An organization we recently worked with was experiencing significant team growth. Their staff was spread across various locations, including work from home, and they relied heavily on cloud-based tools like Google Workspaces and Microsoft 365 for collaboration and data storage. With limited IT resources, they were increasingly concerned about the security of their sensitive data and communication channels. The rise in cyber threats targeting organizations like theirs added to their worries. They needed a solution that would secure their network without requiring extensive in-house expertise.

Enter Zero Trust Edge Security. This modern security framework offers comprehensive protection by verifying every access request, regardless of where it originated. It was the right solution for them to secure their remote workforce, cloud applications, and on-premises data seamlessly.

Zero Trust Edge Security (or Zero Trust for short) transformed their operations. Their staff went from a “hope” based strategy manually jumping through numerous security hoops to a “data” based strategy, becoming a secure and resilient organization. This allowed them to focus on their core mission; raise more funds through sponsorships, events, and grant initiatives; and elevate their programming to see greater depths of impact. Their success demonstrates that organizations of all sizes can achieve high levels of security with the right guidance, and the right tools. Zero Trust can be a game-changer for organizations, providing robust protection and enabling them to thrive in a digital world.

So, what is Zero Trust?

If you look it up online, you’ll find something like this:  a Zero Trust Network (ZTN) is a security model and strategy that assumes no part of a network, whether inside or outside the perimeter, is inherently trustworthy. It requires strict verification of every user, device, and system attempting to access resources on the network.

A simplified explanation is that traditional IT network security trusts anyone and anything inside the network. A Zero Trust architecture trusts no one and nothing.

The core principles of Zero Trust include:

1. Verify Explicitly: Always authenticate and authorize based on all available data points, including user identity, location, device health, service or workload, data classification, and anomalies.

• Least Privilege Access: Limit user and system access to the minimum necessary and only for the duration necessary to complete the task. This helps to minimize potential attack surfaces and damage from potential breaches.

• Assume Breach: Design the network architecture under the assumption that an external or internal breach has occurred or will occur. This involves segmenting the network to contain breaches and minimize lateral movement, monitoring, and analyzing traffic for suspicious activity, and maintaining rigorous access controls and logging.

• Micro-Segmentation: Divide the network into smaller zones to maintain separate access controls for different parts of the network. This limits the ability of attackers to move laterally within the network.

• Continuous Monitoring and Validation: Implement continuous monitoring of user activities, devices, and network traffic to detect and respond to threats in real-time. Regularly reassess and validate user permissions and network policies.

By adopting a Zero Trust Network approach, organizations can enhance their cybersecurity posture, reduce the risk of data breaches, and better protect their critical assets and sensitive information.

A breach represents the ultimate break in your team’s effectiveness, and the goal of Zero Trust is to stop this from happening. It’s important to keep in mind however, that poorly configured Zero Trust can be just as inhibitive. That’s why in order to meet our goal, the right expertise and the right tools matter.

Summary

Implementing a proper Zero Trust solution can greatly improve efficiency within an organization. This approach ensures that all employees have a single, unified system to protect their applications and digital tools. It simplifies access control for internal resources and optimizes the performance of its IT infrastructure, usually without adding the burden of managing extra passwords or additional log in experiences.

This appropriate implementation and configuration is key to any successful zero trust network and essential for an efficient edge security solution.

An experienced IT partner will be able to understand your unique challenges and how they relate to the overall cybersecurity landscape and develop an appropriate implementation plan for you.