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Real Life Examples

Can you describe NCHRA’s commitment to nonprofit human resources practitioners?
NCHRA’s mission is "to provide leadership and support for the development of the human resources professional, to serve as an advocate of the human resources profession, and to identify and communicate emerging issues and their impact on the successful management of a diverse workforce."

NCHRA hosts an annual conference in the fall and multiple one-day HR trainings throughout the year. Through various discussions with HR professionals NCHRA realized that there was a need and desire to have a training entirely focused on nonprofit HR.

When did NCHRA begin offering training for nonprofit human resources?
The nonprofit HR training has been offered since 2002.

Why do you believe that this kind of training has been crucial to the communities you serve?
It is important to highlight the differences between for-profit and nonprofit HR. The challenges nonprofit HR professionals face are unique.

What has the response been to the nonprofit HR training NCHRA facilitated? What kind of feedback has been received?
This training is the highest rated conference NCHRA does all year. One attendee comments, “This continues to be, by far, the best, most informative, useful, interesting conference I know of!”

What is the format of the training?
It is a full-day training focusing on one major HR topic. During the course, best practices are defined and 4-5 presentations are introduced. We break into groups to facilitate smaller discussions and networking. We then report back as a large group. We find that attendees prefer interaction and sharing/exchanging of ideas in a small group format.

How many people attend the training?
About 100-130 people attend this training.

What geographical location or sub-sector does NCHRA serve?
The attendees are primarily from Northern California, mostly from Oakland and the San Francisco Bay area counties.

What resources does the training offer attendees?
It addresses unique business and management challenges facing HR professionals working in the nonprofit sector. The training also gives a chance for our attendees to network. However, we are currently working on strategies to further foster networking opportunities as that is a major resource attendees desire.

Is the training open to the public or for members only?
The training is open to anyone who wishes to attend.

How often is the training?
The training is an annual event in the fall.

How do you determine the topics and who can present?
First, we look at the topics that we have covered in the past and determine what best practices to focus on in the upcoming event. Then we review our contacts and invite them to share their expertise. We are not able to financially compensate any of the speakers so we try to utilize the resources we have.

What advice would you give others that are seeking to start a similar event?
Be attuned to your audience’s needs. Find out what your potential audience will want to learn about and what their expectations are. This will assist you with what topics to cover and what format will work best for your audience. Surveys and program evaluation forms are great tools to get feedback.

Are you available by email for any follow-up questions from Idealist readers or local organizations?
Yes!
Contact: Bill Coy
Email: coy (at) lapiana.org