Nonprofit organizations grapple with profound challenges related to stress and burnout among their dedicated staff and volunteers. The intrinsic passion that propels individuals to work in the nonprofit sector, fueled by a profound commitment to social causes, paradoxically contributes to elevated stress levels. This two-part training initiative aims to equip individuals working in the nonprofit sector with a foundational framework for understanding, evaluating, and intervening in simple yet effective ways to minimize the impact of stress, burnout, and trauma on their day-to-day work experience.
Part 1 – Empowering Employees in Challenging Times
Jay will offer a basic neurobiological explanation of how stress, burnout, and trauma affect our bodies, along with tools employees can utilize to prevent, minimize, or mitigate these effects within the workplace. Participants will be provided with a basic “tool kit” to utilize the concepts and ideas presented within the workplace. This session will consist of 30 minutes of presentation followed by a 30-minute Q&A.
Part 2 – Cultivating a Healthy Workforce through Organizational Leadership
The second part of this training is designed to assist organizational leaders in assessing the impact of employee stress, burnout, and trauma on the execution of the organizational mission. Leaders will be provided with a comprehensive framework from which to prioritize and intervene within the workplace, aiming to develop the most effective organizational policies, structures, and communication methods to create a trauma-informed workplace. This session will consist of 30 minutes of presentation followed by a 30-minute Q&A.
Jay Voigt, MBA, M.Ed, LPC, CAS, SHRM-CP
Jay is an exceptionally seasoned and people-focused leader, boasting over two decades of proficiency in the healthcare industry. His expertise lies in the specialized field of behavioral healthcare service delivery within intricate and challenging environments. As a licensed professional counselor, certified addiction specialist, and Society of Human Resource certified professional, Jay possesses a unique blend of clinical skills and human resource knowledge. Drawing from his rich leadership experience, Jay is dedicated to assisting organizations in enhancing their relationships with their most valuable resource: their people. His comprehensive skill set, and holistic approach contribute to his ability to drive positive transformations within complex organizational settings.
Jay is a dedicated lifelong learner, consistently pursuing growth through continuous organizational and professional development. His pride lies in his transformational leadership approach, emphasizing investments in people, teams, and organizational culture. Jay is widely recognized for his exceptional communication skills, emotional intelligence, and critical thinking abilities.
As the founder and principal consultant of Human Capital LLC, Jay is deeply committed to leveraging his expertise in change management, strategic planning, human capital management, leadership development, team building, and healthcare strategy and operations to drive organizational growth.
Prior to his consulting venture in 2022, Jay held senior leadership positions in academic and traditional healthcare systems, public mental health, and private non-profit organizations in both Colorado and Pennsylvania. Today, as the driving force behind Human Capital LLC, Jay continues to make a substantial impact in the behavioral healthcare space, guiding organizations towards their goals while nurturing personal and professional growth in others.
Welcome to the new and improved Principles & Practices!
Developed for nonprofits, by nonprofits, our guide is now fully interactive. Find links to trainings, templates, and more within!
Copy Updated: September 2023
Principles & Practices for Nonprofit Excellence in Colorado is generously supported by:
If Lloyd Lewis had stayed the course that he thought his career was going to take – that of a C-level financial analyst for the likes of Smith Barney and IBM – he would have quite a different story to tell. But when his son Kennedy was born with Down syndrome, everything changed. From that moment on, Lloyd has devoted his life to radically changing and elevating the conversation around the INCLUSION of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Since 2005, Lloyd has become an uncompromising advocate for people with IDD.
Lloyd is president and CEO of arc Thrift Stores, one of Colorado’s largest nonprofit organizations. By focusing on employment, healthcare, and housing, Lloyd has turned arc into one of the state’s largest employers of people with IDD and has issued a challenge to business leaders everywhere to change how we approach and truly embody inclusion in this country.
In this webinar, Lloyd will share his story, outline what other nonprofit organizations need to know about creating a truly inclusive culture, and provide helpful tips on how to take DEI to the next level.
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Lloyd Lewis, CEO of Arc Thrift Stores of Colorado
Lloyd Lewis is the CEO of the Arc Thrift Stores of Colorado, one of Colorado’s largest social enterprises. Arc Thrift is also one of Colorado’s largest nonprofits, employers of persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), recyclers, and relief organizations. Under Lewis’ tenure, Arc Thrift has funded over $250 million to nonprofit causes and charities since 2005.
Since taking on the leadership role at Arc Thrift Stores, Lewis has become a passionate and uncompromising advocate for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. With 80% of people in the U.S. with disabilities being unemployed, a champion was indeed called for. Focusing on healthcare, housing, voting rights, and employment, Lewis is most definitely that champion and is on a crusade to promote a new way to think about inclusion and diversity.
When and where he can, Lewis takes a stand and has issued a challenge to all CEOs and business leaders to follow his lead and change how we approach and truly embody inclusion in this country.
Lewis was a nominee for CEO of the Year by ColoradoBiz magazine in 2020 and named one of Denver’s Most Admired CEOs in 2021 by the Denver Business Journal. He is also the recipient of a Civil Rights Award and received the World Citizenship Award in 2022 from the International Civitans, an honor that has included such noted past winners as England’s Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Eunice Shriver, the founder of Special Olympics.
Lewis’s career in disabilities and employment has also been recognized in the Congressional Record by U.S. House of Representatives Jason Crow and Diana DeGette.
Lewis has an MBA in finance from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Before coming to Arc Thrift Stores, Lewis was a municipal investment banker with Smith Barney, a senior financial analyst with IBM, a director of finance for a publicly traded medical equipment company, and a CFO for a high-tech start-up company that was ultimately sold to Micron. Lewis is a board member of the Colorado Business Roundtable and chairs its community committee.
Lewis lives in Englewood Colorado with his wife Claire who is a substitute teacher. He has four grown and two younger children, including a 19-year-old son with Down syndrome.
Lewis is a nationally recognized expert in IDD employment and speaks nationally to corporations about the positive contributions of employees with IDD. He will be speaking at the opening plenary session at the Arc of United States convention in November 2022.
Arc Thrift has a long and established partnership with BOK. BOK helped Arc Thrift navigate the Great Recession with an $8 million bond issue, and then the pandemic with a $14 million LOC followed by a $9 million PPP loan – and led the successful PPP loan forgiveness application. BOK continues to manage Arc Thrift’s operating cash balances.
Does your organization work cross-culturally? Have you ever been frustrated by miscommunications with team members who come from different backgrounds? We will go over five basic concepts of leading a team in a way that leverages cultural diversity. Learn practical exercises that you can use in your organization to increase cultural awareness and reduce frustration. We will end with a discussion on how your organization can become an incubator for high-performing multicultural teams.
Andrew Hoskins has led and taught multicultural teams for the past two decades. He spent the first 17 years of his career leading nonprofit teams in multiple countries across Africa. He moved to Colorado Springs two years ago and is currently the Vice President of International Programs for The Exodus Road, a nonprofit fighting to disrupt global human trafficking.
Andrew is soon completing a DBA at Trevecca Nazarene University. He holds an MA in International Development from the University of South Carolina. He is an Associate Certified Coach (ACC) through the International Coaching Federation (ICF), and a Proci Certified Change Management Practitioner.
Having an accessible website is a moral obligation and often a legal one, too. Website content managers have a responsibility to make their message available to the widest possible audience, avoid legal issues, reach marketing goals, and most importantly, do the right thing. Aten Design Group’s accessibility expert, Michaela Blackham will provide a step by step guide for content editors to create more accessible content for their website.
Michaela Blackham, QA & Accessibility Specialist
Originally from Boston, Michaela came to Denver after several years of experience as both a designer and developer. Michaela always had an interest in making the world a better place and giving back to the community through volunteering, as well as following her passion for physical and digital ADA compliance. Now she uses her background in the industry and her personal life to bring awareness and solutions to digital ADA compliance as Aten Design Group’s Accessibility and QA Specialist. Michaela writes and speaks about accessibility and inclusive digital experiences, has completed a number of accessibility trainings, and is currently working on her IAAP – Web Accessibility Specialist certification.
The American Psychological Association reports that the vast majority of American adults are experiencing emotions associated with prolonged stress, with 87% feeling like there has been a constant stream of crises over the past two years (Mar 2022). In addition to the personal pain we are holding, we have been navigating the fear and uncertainty of a pandemic, experiencing inflation, and wrestling with racial injustice. Trauma can have negative impacts on our mental and physical health, particularly if gone unacknowledged.
Research shows us that alongside difficult experiences, positive outcomes such as personal growth, gratitude, and a stronger sense of self often emerge. Once we give ourselves time to effectively feel and process challenging emotions, research-based strategies can help us orient ourselves towards meaningful shifts. In this session, we will engage in telling redemptive stories to reclaim our personal narratives, and make sense of what we have been through. Uncovering opportunities for learning and growth will help us connect with the meaning and purpose that sustain our personal and professional fulfillment
Mary Cipollone – Big Onion Partnerships
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The American Psychological Association reports that the vast majority of American adults are experiencing emotions associated with prolonged stress, with 87% feeling like there has been a constant stream of crises over the past two years (Mar 2022). In addition to the personal pain we are holding, we have been navigating the fear and uncertainty of a pandemic, experiencing inflation, and wrestling with racial injustice. Trauma can have negative impacts on our mental and physical health, particularly if gone unacknowledged.
Research shows us that alongside difficult experiences, positive outcomes such as personal growth, gratitude, and a stronger sense of self often emerge. Once we give ourselves time to effectively feel and process challenging emotions, research-based strategies can help us orient ourselves towards meaningful shifts. In this session, we will engage in telling redemptive stories to reclaim our personal narratives, and make sense of what we have been through. Uncovering opportunities for learning and growth will help us connect with the meaning and purpose that sustain our personal and professional fulfillment.
Rebecca Toll, MNM
Rebecca has demonstrated success applying a diverse set of practices that include collaborative governance, systems change, collective impact, authentic community engagement, building community leadership capacity, as well as understanding and deploying social innovation practices. Rebecca utilizes human-centered design thinking, emergent strategy, root cause analysis, and deliberative dialogue techniques in her work. These practices facilitate effective decision-making and trust building while increasing awareness and reducing barriers that ensure access to build will and ignite action. Specific projects include the co-creation of the Anti-Racist Change Lab (ARCL) developed in partnership with Colorado State University’s School of Social Work. The ARCL a participatory experience for individuals to dismantle bias, increase awareness, and move toward collective action as it relates to racialized oppression within their communities. These practices are also applied to her work with numerous schools and districts across Colorado in an effort to cultivate transformational change for school climate and student voice.
Make your organization more inclusive and diverse by following effective hiring practices.
Being aware of one’s own unconscious bias is important to know for following steps in creating a nonprofit that effectively demonstrates diversity, equity, and inclusion. Having a diverse board, staff, volunteers and members has shown a positive effect on the impact that a nonprofit has on the community served. Here is a personal assessment that one can take to learn of one’s unconscious bias as well as the organization’s as a tool for reflection.