Uniting for Impact: Streamlining Nonprofit Operations and Embedding DEI with Step Up: Equity Matters

Introduction

In today’s nonprofit landscape, many organizations are merging to share administrative resources and improve efficiency. Unfortunately, the ever-shifting workforce needs and expectations have increased turnover, resulting in key processes being lost when employees leave. Nonprofits often rely on multiple consultants to manage different aspects of their operations, but this can create extra work for staff and cause a lack of cohesion that slows progress. Leadership ends up juggling administrative tasks, such as payroll and IT, when their focus should be on executive duties like development. These challenges weaken a nonprofit’s ability to achieve its mission.

At the same time, nonprofits are under pressure to integrate Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) practices. However, many nonprofits lack the resources to implement DEI successfully, even though donors and boards expect it.

This case study highlights how two nonprofit organizations successfully merged while improving their operations and embedding DEI into their processes, with guidance from Step Up: Equity Matters. By approaching organizational development and DEI together, the newly combined group was able to create a more accessible and inclusive work environment. Leadership received tailored coaching and support, allowing them to focus on their core responsibilities while fostering a culture where all employees could thrive.

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Background

Wisconsin Watch and Neighborhood News Service, two nonprofit media organizations, saw an opportunity to merge and maximize their reach. Although they would continue to operate as separate newsrooms, they wanted to function as one organization. Wisconsin Watch, with a predominantly white staff, and Neighborhood News Service, representing Milwaukee’s BIPOC community, needed to approach the merger through a multicultural lens.

Leadership from both organizations agreed that equity and inclusivity were critical to their success. They recognized that lived experiences and identity shape an organization’s culture and operations. Understanding the importance of equitable values, Wisconsin Watch and Neighborhood News Service partnered with Step Up: Equity Matters for expert support. Step Up’s unique approach, combining professional expertise with a DEI focus, helped guide them through this significant transformation.

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Process

According to Step Up: Equity Matters co-founder Tania Ibarra, “The most effective organizations know how to connect culture, strategy, and operations expertly. When these aspects work well together, nonprofits have the most impact.” To maximize this impact, Wisconsin Watch prepared to grow its team by 60% through its merger with Neighborhood News Service. This year alone, 23 people were onboarded into Wisconsin Watch’s systems—11 from Neighborhood News Service and 12 new hires—bringing the total staff to 28, including interns. To support this growth, they needed to unify their cultures while reorganizing operations. Step Up provided coaching on emotional intelligence, strengths-based management, and bias prevention in recruitment and performance management. 90% of full-time staff participated in these coaching and team-building sessions, fostering collaboration and unity across the organization.

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"Step Up opens up a path to success that other organizations wouldn’t be able to see. They have a lived experience that elevates DEI into any discussion."

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“Step Up opens up a path to success that other organizations wouldn’t be able to see. They have a lived experience that elevates DEI into any discussion,” said Ron Smith, Executive Director of Neighborhood News Service. Step Up’s guidance ensured that nonprofit leadership integrated equitable decision-making into every aspect of the merger.

For example, recognizing that not all employees could contribute to a 401K program, leadership prioritized offering a direct 401K contribution for all staff. Previously, only 8 of 21 eligible employees participated in the 4013b retirement benefit. Thanks to plan updates that accelerated eligibility and removed match requirements, 100% of staff is now enrolled and benefits from the retirement plan.

Additionally, Step Up worked with an independent health insurance consultant to guide staff in finding plans that fit their needs and budgets.

Wisconsin Watch had also experienced leadership changes before working with Step Up, including its founders' retirement and its operations manager's departure. Fuhrmann, integral to Wisconsin Watch’s growth, had taken on operational tasks that prevented her from focusing on high-level development work. “Lauren is my most important aid on the team,” said George Stanley, Executive Director of Wisconsin Watch. “We needed her working on growing Wisconsin Watch to what we want it to be. We need her to be doing so many higher-level duties. Lauren was still opening mail.”

Step Up customized systems that streamlined operational processes, including payroll, audits, and grant renewals. By simplifying and standardizing these tasks, Step Up freed up leadership to focus on their mission, ensuring that the organization continued to thrive. “[Step Up Co-founder Tania Ibarra has] been a great advocate and mentor for me. She’s encouraged me to look at situations and myself and my work differently,” said Fuhrmann.

DEI has been woven into efficient and equitable operations throughout Wisconsin Watch and Neighborhood News Service. For instance, as part of HR responsibilities, Step Up: Equity Matters’ recruitment policy includes an analysis of market salaries and coaching to challenge market conceptions and hone in on leadership’s goals for compensation. This system helps avoid inequalities that could arise from applicants’ negotiation skills or lack thereof. Building consistency into day-to-day nonprofit systems like bookkeeping supports equity and accessibility. Seemingly minor improvements add up to a better employee experience that helps reduce turnover.

Step Up: Equity Matters has improved the employee experience with innovations like a smartphone app that speeds up the time between expense submission and reimbursement and IT support that minimizes inequities caused by differing levels of computer skills among employees. “We didn’t have the capacity, time, or functional expertise to make these much-needed changes,” Stanley said. “Now Step Up: Equity Matters brings that deep expertise. We were able to plan a budget carefully so we could build for the future. We can ask Step Up, ‘Can we do this?’ and they’ll tell us when it’s a good time or if it’s better to wait.”

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Outcome

With Step Up’s support, Wisconsin Watch and Neighborhood News Service merged successfully while maintaining vital operations where DEI was woven into every part of the organization. Working with one consulting team to soar up operations with an equity lens allowed the nonprofits to streamline their processes, ensure equitable practices, and create a work environment where staff felt valued and included.

“I don’t think the merger could have gone as well as it did without Step Up: Equity Matters,” said Smith. “I’m not sure there’s another group that got our vision right about DEI. The fact that they did made me feel a lot more comfortable. Staff felt good coming into the merger because Step Up was there.”

Now, leadership is confident that their operations are efficient, equitable, and sustainable, allowing them to focus on development and fulfilling their mission. “Working with Step Up has allowed me to know that this organization is more resilient than one or two people,” said Fuhrmann. “It’s allowed me to take vacations and fully check out for the first time. I’ve been sleeping better.”

In a sector where nonprofits are increasingly expected to implement DEI, often without the resources to do so, Step Up: Equity Matters provides the expertise nonprofits need to build efficient and equitable operations. With a holistic approach that includes financials, HR, and IT, Step Up alleviates the burden of working with multiple contractors and brings invaluable insights from their 15 years in the nonprofit sector.