November Nonprofit Discussion:
Caring for Our People: Navigating 2027 Cost of Living Adjustments & Thoughtful Staff Conversations
Join your nonprofit colleagues for this interactive discussion, facilitated as a peer-to-peer sharing opportunity.
At the heart of every mission is the dedicated team making it happen every day. As we look ahead to 2027 budget planning, finding meaningful ways to appreciate and sustain our staff through Cost of Living Adjustments (COLA) is top of mind for all of us, even as we navigate real funding constraints, varying overhead realities, and board expectations.
Whether your organization is operating with a nimble team or supporting a large, multi-state workforce, each of us is working to balance compassion for our colleagues with fiscal responsibility.
Join us for an open, collaborative roundtable where we will share real experiences, compare notes, and learn from one another. Together, we’ll explore:
How We Decide: The data, benchmarks, and community realities guiding our 2027 adjustment planning across small, mid-sized, large, and enterprise organizations.
How We Connect: Ways to communicate transparently, kindly, and honestly with our teams, especially when adjustments don’t match inflation or when fiscal belt-tightening means making difficult trade-offs.
There are no formal slide presentations or lectures. Instead, four peer colleagues will share brief, candid reflections from their organization’s journey to kick off the conversation, opening up the floor for a supportive discussion where everyone is invited to ask questions, share what is working, and seek advice.
Questions We’ll Explore Together:
The Approach: What benchmarks, local realities, or internal policies are guiding your organization’s compensation conversations for 2027?
The Practical Reality: Given your current funding environment, what is your team hoping to offer, and what creative balances are you navigating?
The Human Conversation: How transparent is your communication with staff? How do you create trust and appreciation when talking about compensation, especially during years when budget realities don't match our hopes for our staff?
Host: Paul Phelan
Location: A Virtual Discussion
Date: Thursday, November 19, 2026
Time: 12:30 pm - 1:30 pm
* Please note: Attendee contact information will be distributed after the meeting. If you have any objections to sharing your information with the other attendees, please note it in your registration or notify Antonella Cossio at events@far-roundtable.org.
** This event is for nonprofit members only. Contact events@far-roundtable.org if:
– You are a nonprofit member and have staff you want to join
– You work for a nonprofit, but are not a FAR nonprofit member and would like to attend this event
