Investing in the Future: Partnering with Latino Network to Build Capacity
Rob Dodson is an Encore Fellow at the Latino Network and has been deeply involved in SVP's capacity building investment with the organization to strengthen its infrastructure and scale its early learning program, Juntos Aprendemos.
‘Our newly enhanced infrastructure is starting to give us the strong base we need to keep growing,’ - Carmen Rubio, Latino Network Executive Director.
Nearing its 20th anniversary of providing culturally specific solutions to the Latino Community, Latino Network had reached a critical crossroads. In working with SVP Partners to plan growth strategy it had become apparent, given expected growth in its programs and client population, that an investment in organizational capacity was needed. Supporting Latino Network to reach its potential meant investing in an administrative infrastructure that could support growth in its highly successful programs.
An important part of the infrastructure challenge involved taking the Human Resources (HR) system to the next level. Having grown to a staff of 40, the informal, one-off approach to HR that had served well when Latino Network was smaller had reached its limits. A change to a more formal, structured HR system was needed; one that would reflect Latino Network’s culture and values.
Shortly after Latino Network’s leaders selected me as the SVP Encore Fellow to assist them with this project, it was jointly decided that the mission of the new HR system would be to “provide a cohesive framework of policies, processes, and tools that enable managers to do for staff what our programs do for clients:
Prepare them for success early-on
Guide and support them along the way
Promote their engagement and growth
Recognize and celebrate their achievements
…..while protecting the organization and reinforcing Latino Network’s culture.”This gave me my marching orders to co-create with managers and staff:
A market based compensation system and job family
A roadmap to more consistent recruiting and hiring practices
An updated HR policy handbook that was legally compliant and a cultural fit
A new performance management system, including a robust onboarding process
Fast forward eleven months later and we’re in the home stretch. Thanks to a big assist from SVP Partner Wendy Weissman, a new pay structure and job family was created and introduced. A new roadmap for hiring was also developed and road-tested. A new edition of the HR policy handbook was wrapped up at the end of the year and is awaiting board approval. Now we’re on the verge of introducing a new performance management system. I’ve been working with a steering team of staff and managers to design this. We’re feeling confident that the new system meets the needs and fits the unique culture here. The next step is to put it into practice. This will take some new skills and a significant investment of time, particularly on the part of “people-managers.” It won’t be easy but I think the organization is ready for it. Lesley Bennett recently joined Latino Network in the new role of Director of Finance and Operations. Lesley, who also oversees HR, has just brought Angelica Galvan onboard to fill the new role of full-time HR Generalist. As Executive Director Carmen Rubio said with a smile in this morning’s managers’ meeting: ‘Our newly enhanced infrastructure is starting to give us a the strong base we need to keep growing’.
Coming in as an “outsider” tasked with upgrading the HR system was a challenge. I spun my wheels at first but gradually gained traction by listening, getting a sense of the culture, and building partnerships with the managers who would need to live with the new system. Have there been bumps in the road? Absolutely. I think that comes with being a change catalyst. On balance though, my year with Latino Network has been deeply, and hopefully mutually, rewarding. It’s been an experience I will never forget.