Category: Events

The Schar School’s MPA Movie Night, hosted by the Schar School MPA program along with the Center on Nonprofits, Philanthropy, and Social Enterprise, took place on February 22nd at George Mason University’s Mason Square/Arlington campus. Faculty, students, and community members were invited to watch and discuss “Uncharitable,” a movie featuring Dan Pallotta of Ted Talk fame. The evening began with a screening of the documentary, followed by a stimulating discussion led by adjunct faculty member Cliff Yee, who is also an MPA Advisory Board member, and MPA faculty members Mirae Kim, Stefan Toepler, and Alan Abramson. This discussion explored several themes from the movie, including reframing the idea of “overhead,” questioning nonprofit compensation, and challenging conventional wisdom about philanthropy. Attendees, including MPA students, alumni, and local nonprofit leaders, exchanged perspectives and debated the movie’s implications in a thought-provoking and engaging event.

The documentary sparked a good discussion about norms and unspoken conventions that often steer nonprofit practices. One of the local leaders in attendance was Jorge E. Figueredo, Executive Director of Edu-Futuro, who has over 24 years of experience in the nonprofit sector. Figueredo agreed with many of the movie’s themes and explained, “Nonprofit practices are outdated and need to be rethought. I welcome and encourage spaces, like the one created during this showing, to go deeper into rewriting the rules and changing the paradigms.” Although not all attendees came to the same conclusion regarding the film’s assertions, attendees appreciated the chance to take a step back and assess how nonprofits operate and how their funders and others can better engage with them. The event also encouraged critical thinking among nonprofit stakeholders, highlighting the university’s commitment to providing enriching opportunities for open dialogue and exploration, both for students and the nonprofit community.

Nonprofit leaders shared their thoughts on the event:

“As a nonprofit practitioner, while I felt validated watching the documentary, I have a strong hope that we will be able to spread the word about the untapped potential that exists when nonprofits are given a bit more latitude to fulfill their missions.”

Roopal Mehta Saran

Executive Director, English Empowerment Center

“If you are passionate about a particular cause that is supported by nonprofits, watching “Uncharitable” should provide valuable insights into the realities of how these organizations operate and whether there are more effective ways to make a positive impact.”

Shannon Steene

Executive Director of Carpenter’s Shelter

“I welcome and encourage spaces, like the one created during this showing, to go deeper into rewriting the rules and changing the paradigms. To tackle serious issues and change the world, these organizations must be allowed to acquire the tools and use the methods that are most effective.”

Jorge E. Figueredo

Executive Director, Edu-Futuro

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On May 2, the 15^th annual Community Partnership Forum brought together government, business, and nonprofit leaders from Northern Virginia and nearby areas to discuss the importance of workplace culture for hiring and maintaining a talented workforce and ensuring high organizational performance. The discussion was kicked off by Mark Schwartz, the County Manager for Arlington County, who described the ways the COVID-19 pandemic changed the nature of work for county employees and continues to present new challenges as the county seeks to find a balance between providing flexibility for its employees to work remotely while also giving them opportunities to feel connected.

The forum continued with a panel of leaders from the government, for-profit, and nonprofit sectors. Jeff T.H. Pon, 11^th Director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, facilitated the discussion. He asked panelists about the approaches they used to build and maintain workplace culture as the COVID-19 pandemic changed the nature of work. As Sharon Camper (Chief People Officer, Apple Federal Credit Union), Kerrie Wilson (Chief Executive Officer, Cornerstones), and Cathy Schafrik (Director, Human Resources, Fairfax County Government) spoke about their experiences, it became clear that what works for one organization may not work for others. Yet, a common thread across sectors was the importance of listening to the needs of employees and meaningfully connecting the day-to-day work of employees to the mission or impact of the organization. Examples of specific strategies the panelists used in their organizations included: providing additional compensation to workers whose job requires in-person work; making sure technology is not an additional stressor but helpful; and investing time and resources in activities that employees enjoy and will provide opportunities for connection. The bottom line is that building culture takes intentionality, but having an energized, committed workforce makes culture-building worth the investment. 

The closing keynote was presented by Olivia (Mandy) O’Neill, Associate Professor of Management in the School of Business at George Mason University. She focused on how organizations choose and communicate key values. She engaged the audience by showing several graphics about the organizational values of different companies and asked members of the forum audience how many of the same values (e.g., commitment, excellence, customer-focused, respect) appear in culture statements where they work. A count of raised hands indicated that many organizations, across sectors and with a broad range of goals, tend to use a limited set of terms to describe their culture. She then made the case that not all organizations can be all things, and by not being more strategic and focused in their choice of values, organizations make culture goals easy to ignore. O’Neill suggested that organizations should move to a greater focus on emotional culture, and urged leaders to take stock of how their employees feel and how the leaders want them to feel at work. For example, she explained that many people describe feeling stressed or anxious at work, and that it would help organizations to consider ways to help employees feel appreciated or experience awe. She concluded with several suggestions:

• Understand how employees view the strengths and weaknesses of their workplace and choose leaders who will cultivate cultures that build on strengths and will engage employees to collaborate in tackling weaknesses.
• Beware of unintentional consequences. High engagement and strong work relationships can be great for workplace culture but may also lead to burnout and inability to disconnect. Leaders should be aware of these possibilities and take steps to avoid them.
• Take stock of observable and unobservable indicators of culture, from facial expressions and jargon to the beliefs and assumptions held by employees about their work. These indicators can help leaders assess their organizational culture and lead to adjustments that build stronger workplaces.

In addition to the formal presentations, leaders from across the region had opportunities during the forum to network and deepen cross-sector relationships. Participants were also able to engage with sponsors and learn more about their work.

The Center on Nonprofits, Philanthropy, and Social Enterprise thanks all those who made this event possible, especially our co-hosts and sponsors!

Forum Hosts:

Forum Sponsors: