🔍 Challenge

A government-funded nonprofit focused on early childhood and family services was experiencing escalating internal conflict. Key challenges included:

• Communication breakdown between staff and executive leadership
• Lack of HR infrastructure and unclear governance policies
• Staff concerns about retaliation, micromanagement, and leadership transparency
• Conflicts surrounding compliance with labor laws and hiring practices
• Deteriorating morale and risks to the organization’s public reputation

These unresolved issues threatened the organization’s ability to fulfill its mission and could have escalated into legal challenges and loss of public trust.

🛠️ Approach

Unitive Consulting was engaged as a neutral third-party to deliver conflict resolution and ombuds services. The following restorative and strategic services were provided:

• Restorative Talking Circles to rebuild trust
• Confidential interviews with staff and stakeholders
• Reintegration planning for returning employees on medical leave
• Review of bylaws, leadership structure, and HR practices
• Executive Director resignation, Interim leadership transition support
• Strategic recommendations for long-term organizational health

The approach emphasized confidentiality, emotional safety, and a collaborative path forward.

✅ Key Outcomes

• Prevented legal escalation by de-escalating internal complaints.
• Facilitated leadership transition, including voluntary resignation of the Executive Director.
• Reintegration of one staff member and appointment of an interim executive leader.
• Renewed morale and team cohesion.
• Preserved public trust and the nonprofit’s community reputation.
• Delivered strategic, compliance-focused recommendations to support sustainable growth.

💡 Why It Worked

By using a trauma-informed, inclusive, and restorative framework, the intervention fostered open dialogue and collective problem-solving. This allowed the organization to address deep-rooted issues without compromising its mission or credibility. Formal complaints dissipated with minimal investigation and settled through informal process.