Running a nonprofit organization comes with numerous challenges, including fundraising, managing operations, and regulatory compliance. On top of that, conflicts can arise within the organization, particularly among nonprofit leaders.
Typically, while board members and executives align with the organization’s mission, they can disagree on factors like strategies, priorities, and operational governance. In some cases, these conflicts can be resolved quickly, but in many cases, they can lead to bigger issues later on if they’re not addressed.
But managing conflict doesn’t have to be a struggle. Nonprofit board conflict resolution training can make it easier to address these issues and create a more streamlined operation.
Why Board Members Clash
Before you can start developing comprehensive conflict resolution skills, it’s imperative to understand why conflicts arise in the first place. Some common factors can include:
- Communication breakdowns between board members.
- A shift from the nonprofit’s mission-driven work to other tasks or priorities.
- Interpersonal differences that may clash naturally.
- Governance disputes regarding operations or resource allocation.
- Tensions between specific roles, such as the executive director and the nonprofit’s founder.
So, a crucial part of drafting conflict resolution strategies is identifying these friction points and addressing them directly.
Common Conflict Patterns in Nonprofit Leadership
Although conflicts occur among people within the organization, there is often an underlying systemic issue that must be resolved. Some common examples can include:
- Fundraising Tensions – Nonprofits often face resource constraints, which can create conflict between the financial and operational sides of the organization.
- Communication Gaps – Sometimes, different communication styles can lead to misunderstandings or inconsistent messaging.
- Siloed Committees – When teams and committees are focused on their own roles and responsibilities and not engaging in open communication with each other.
- Strategic Disagreements – Bringing diverse perspectives can lead to disagreements over how to move the organization forward or achieve specific goals.
Early Warning Signs Conflict is Becoming Damaging
Even if a conflict may seem benign at first, it may lead to structural and operational issues later on. Some early warning signs of trouble brewing can include:
- Reduced Donor Confidence – Fundraising may become more challenging as the organization’s reputation is marred by dysfunction or friction among board members.
- Stalled Operations – Conflict can erode decision-making processes and make it harder to maintain operational standards or achieve objectives.
- Disengagement – Members may skip board meetings or avoid contact with specific individuals. They may also neglect their duties and responsibilities.
4 Conflict Management Techniques
Learning how to resolve conflicts goes beyond improving communication skills or managing personality differences. Here are 4 structural techniques for addressing conflicts within the nonprofit, no matter who is involved.
1. Clarifying Governance Roles and Expectations
Nonprofit organizations have multiple people running the show, including the executive director, the board chair, and operational executives and managers. However, if there’s confusion about who is in charge of what, conflicts can arise easily, especially when strong personalities clash.
So, it’s crucial to establish clear governance guidelines throughout the organization. This may also include creating a chain of command so everyone knows who to consult during the decision-making process.
It’s also important to note the difference between governance and operational duties. For example, a manager or supervisor may be in charge of staff members, but they don’t make organizational decisions. Instead, they facilitate and uphold the organization’s policies and objectives.
2. Structured Meeting Facilitation
As with any other organization, nonprofits should have structured, organized board meetings. When drafting meeting guidelines, it’s important to consider elements like:
- Ensuring equal participation and input from all board members.
- Addressing or de-escalating high-emotion discussions.
- Establishing meeting norms and procedures.
- Framing the meeting’s agenda and staying focused.
By establishing and enforcing these guidelines, it’s easier to facilitate board meetings and avoid communication breakdowns. Members should know how to bring up questions, raise concerns, and discuss the agenda throughout the meeting.
It’s also vital to foster open communication among members so everyone has a chance to share their perspective.
3. Neutral Facilitation and Mediation
As conflicts arise, the nonprofit should have procedures in place to mediate them as objectively as possible. Usually, this means facilitating a meeting between those involved and a neutral third party.
Often, leading with proactive strategies like mediation can help resolve the conflict more quickly and lead to positive long-term outcomes. This process helps ensure each side is heard and understood and can strengthen the organization overall.
The primary goals of mediation are to provide structured communication guidelines, develop a resolution plan that aligns with the nonprofit’s goals, and preserve board relationships. This process can also prevent problems like favoritism or disengagement.
4. Re-Centering on Shared Mission
One of the advantages of developing clear conflict-resolution policies for a nonprofit is that everyone is working toward a shared goal. So, an effective way of addressing conflicts is to refocus on the organization’s future and how everyone can help achieve long-term success.
In many cases, conflicts can compromise judgment and lead to adversarial relationships. For example, board members may clash and pit teams or committees against each other.
But with conflict management training, you can restore collaboration, foster better problem-solving, and ensure mission alignment. After all, nonprofit board conflicts negatively impact the organization’s success.
Practical Tools for Nonprofit Board Conflict Resolution
So far, we’ve been looking at conflict resolution from a high-level, abstract perspective. To help put these techniques into practice, here are examples of constructive dialogue to use in different situations.
Active Listening
A big part of active listening is demonstrating that you understand the other person and their perspective. Some phrases to help with this include:
- “It sounds like you’re saying X”
- “If I understand correctly,”
- “What I’m hearing is X”
De-Escalation
When emotions get high, de-escalation training can help prevent conflicts and maintain professionalism. In these situations, the board chair should use phrases like:
- “This topic is creating some strong emotions, so let’s take a break and then address each point, one by one.”
- “Multiple points have been brought up, and I want to make sure we address each of them in order.”
- “Before this discussion moves any further, let me repeat what’s been said to ensure we’re all on the same page.”
Meeting Facilitation
Sometimes, facilitating a meeting to discuss a conflict can feel like an escalation. These phrases offer a practical solution:
- “Since emotions are high right now, let’s schedule a time to discuss what happened.”
- “I want to make sure I understand your perspective, so can we speak privately about it?”
- “Before the situation escalates too far, let’s take a step back and review what happened.”
Framing Difficult Conversations
Difficult conversations can often create tension before a word is spoken. Here are some ways to alleviate that tension:
- “I want to discuss how we can move forward together from X”
- “Your input is valuable to the organization. Can we schedule a time to discuss X?”
- “Let’s work together to figure out a solution for this.”
Strengthen Your Nonprofit With Conflict Resolution Training
The best time to invest in conflict resolution training is before tensions arise that could hurt the nonprofit’s goals and success. Organizations that proactively develop and practice conflict resolution strategies can manage disputes and disagreements before they become operational setbacks.
Over time, these processes and procedures can lead to healthier governance and a stronger, more resilient leadership team that focuses on organizational growth instead of interpersonal differences.
