Whether you are joining one person for a Hive Chat or a small group for a Hive Huddle, our goal is the same: to create a welcoming space where nonprofit professionals can connect, learn from one another, and have honest conversations without pressure or solicitation.
The following guidelines help us protect the trust, generosity, and sense of belonging that make this community special.
Guidelines for Everyone | 1:1 Hive Chats | Hive Huddles | Huddle Hosts | Reporting a Concern
Guidelines for Every Hive Conversation
Arrive With Curiosity
You do not need to arrive with the perfect introduction, the right answers, or a polished story about your work. Come ready to listen, learn, and share what feels useful. Ask thoughtful questions. Be open to perspectives that are different from your own.
The goal is not to impress the people you meet. It is to understand them.
Respect Everyone’s Time
Please arrive on time and stay for the conversation you committed to whenever possible.
We understand that nonprofit work, caregiving, health, technology, and life can all be unpredictable. When something changes, please use the cancellation or scheduling instructions in your email rather than leaving another community member waiting.
Showing up on time is one of the simplest ways we can demonstrate care for one another.
Be Present
Give the conversation as much of your attention as you reasonably can.
When possible:
- Join from a quiet place.
- Limit notifications and other distractions.
- Make sure people can hear you clearly.
- Avoid completing unrelated work during the conversation.
- Let the group know when you need to step away.
You do not need a perfect background, expensive equipment, or a formal office. We simply ask that you show up ready to participate.
Respect Different Experiences
The Hive includes people from different countries, communities, identities, roles, organization sizes, and stages of their careers. Not everyone will share the same language, workplace culture, resources, or experience of the nonprofit sector. Approach those differences with curiosity rather than assumptions.
Disagreement is welcome. Disrespect is not.
You may challenge an idea while still treating the person sharing it with care. Personal attacks, discriminatory language, stereotyping, harassment, or dismissing someone’s lived experience do not belong in Hive conversations.
Protect Confidentiality
People may share workplace challenges, personal experiences, unfinished ideas, or information about their organizations.
You are welcome to carry the lessons you learn into your work. Please do not share another participant’s name, personal story, organization, or identifying details without their permission.
Hive conversations should not be recorded, photographed, transcribed, or shared publicly unless everyone involved has been clearly informed and has agreed in advance.
No Soliciting
The Nonprofit Hive is a place for relationship-building, not lead generation.
It is completely natural to talk about your role, your organization, and the work you do. Those details help people understand your perspective and may lead to genuine collaboration.
However, please do not:
- Deliver an unsolicited sales pitch.
- Turn the conversation into a discovery call.
- Pressure someone to book a follow-up meeting.
- Collect contact information for marketing purposes.
- Add participants to an email list without permission.
- Repeatedly promote your services, product, event, or organization.
- Contact participants afterward with an aggressive or unrelated sales message.
Consultants, vendors, fundraisers, nonprofit professionals, volunteers, and sector experts are all welcome in the Hive. Everyone is expected to participate as a community member first.
Relationships may naturally lead to referrals, partnerships, or future work. Let those opportunities grow through trust rather than pressure.
Share Responsibly
Speak from your own knowledge and experience. Be careful not to present personal opinions as universal truths or professional advice.
When sharing sensitive information, make sure you have the right to share it. Avoid disclosing private information about colleagues, clients, community members, donors, or program participants.
The Hive creates space for peer learning, but it is not a replacement for legal, medical, financial, human resources, or other professional advice.
Joining a 1:1 Hive Chat
What Is a Hive Chat?
A Hive Chat is a 1:1 conversation between two members of the nonprofit and social impact community.
You may be matched with someone in a similar role, someone working on a shared challenge, or someone whose experience is completely different from your own. Part of the value is meeting people you might not otherwise encounter.
There is no expectation that every match will become a partnership, friendship, client relationship, or long-term professional connection. A thoughtful conversation can be valuable all on its own.
Begin With a Human Introduction
Start by sharing a little about who you are, what you do, and what is currently on your mind.
Your introduction does not need to include your entire career history. Keep it brief enough that both people have time to participate.
You might share:
- What brought you into the sector.
- The kind of work you are currently doing.
- A challenge or question you have been thinking about.
- Something you are hoping to learn.
- A recent win, experiment, or lesson.
Try to move beyond job titles and get curious about the human behind the work.
Let the Conversation Be Mutual
A Hive Chat should feel like an exchange, not an interview, consultation, coaching session, or presentation.
Both people should have space to ask questions, share experiences, and receive support.
Notice how much space you are taking. When you have been speaking for a while, pause and invite the other person into the conversation.
You can try questions like:
- “What has your experience been?”
- “Is there something you hoped we would talk about today?”
- “What are you seeing in your part of the sector?”
- “What would be most useful for you right now?”
You do not need to divide every minute equally. Simply make sure the conversation has room for both people.
Continuing the Connection
At the end of your Hive Chat, you may decide that you would like to stay connected.
You can ask:
- “Would you be comfortable connecting on LinkedIn?”
- “Would it be helpful if I sent you that resource?”
- “Would you be interested in continuing this conversation another time?”
A follow-up should always be mutual. There is no expectation that participants exchange contact information or agree to another meeting. When someone does not express interest in continuing, allow the conversation to end warmly and respectfully.
When the Match Is Not the Right Fit
Not every match will lead to an immediate spark, and that is okay.
You may meet someone whose work, experience, worldview, or communication style is different from your own. We encourage participants to remain open and curious whenever the conversation is respectful.
However, you never need to stay in a conversation that feels unsafe, discriminatory, aggressive, or inappropriate. You may end the call and tell the Hive team what happened.
Joining a Hive Huddle
What Is a Hive Huddle?
A Hive Huddle is a small group conversation centred around a shared topic.
It is not a webinar, panel, presentation, training session, or formal networking event. You are not joining to sit silently while one person teaches the group.
Each Huddle includes a central topic and a few optional prompts to help the conversation get started. The real value comes from the experiences, questions, and ideas that participants bring into the room.
No one is expected to arrive as the expert.
Come Ready to Participate
Hive Huddles work best when everyone contributes.
You do not need to prepare a presentation or have a perfect answer. Simply come ready to introduce yourself, listen with curiosity, and share when you feel comfortable.
During the conversation, you may be invited to:
- Share an experience related to the topic.
- Respond to a conversation prompt.
- Ask the group a question.
- Offer a resource or idea.
- Reflect on something another participant shared.
- Name a challenge you are still working through.
Participation matters, but no one should be pressured to share private or sensitive information.
Keep Introductions Brief
Introductions help the group understand who is in the room, but they should not take up most of the conversation.
Share your name, role or organization, and one detail that connects you to the topic. Avoid delivering a lengthy biography or description of every program and service your organization offers.
A useful introduction might sound like:
“My name is Jordan, and I lead volunteer engagement at a community health organization. I joined because we are trying to create better ways for volunteers to feel connected to one another.”
That gives the group enough context to begin a meaningful conversation.
Make Space and Take Space
Some people naturally speak quickly or feel comfortable entering group conversations. Others need more time to reflect before they contribute.
A strong Hive Huddle makes room for both.
If you tend to speak often:
- Pause before responding to every question.
- Notice who has not had an opportunity to contribute.
- Avoid interrupting or speaking over others.
- Invite another voice into the conversation.
- Leave space for silence.
If you tend to hold back:
- Know that your perspective is valuable.
- Give yourself permission to contribute before your thought feels perfect.
- Use the chat, when available, if that feels more comfortable.
- Let the host know when you would like to speak.
The goal is not for everyone to speak for the exact same number of minutes. It is for everyone to have a real opportunity to participate.
Share the Conversation
A Hive Huddle is not a free consultation with several people at once.
Please avoid:
- Redirecting every question toward your own work.
- Dominating the conversation with one challenge or story.
- Interrupting participants repeatedly.
- Correcting every point you disagree with.
- Offering advice before understanding what someone needs.
- Turning the discussion into a debate you need to win.
- Expecting the group to solve an issue for you.
Share your experience as one contribution to a larger conversation. Ask before offering extensive advice, particularly when someone is discussing a sensitive challenge.
Listen to Understand
Try not to spend the time while someone else is speaking planning what you will say next.
Listen for the experience underneath their words. Ask questions that help the person go deeper rather than shifting the attention back to yourself.
Helpful responses might include:
- “Can you say a little more about that?”
- “What did you learn from that experience?”
- “Has anyone else encountered something similar?”
- “What kind of support would be helpful?”
- “I had a different experience. Would it be useful to hear it?”
Listening well is one of the most valuable contributions you can make to a group.
Respectful Disagreement Is Welcome
Meaningful conversations do not require everyone to agree.
Participants may have different opinions about leadership, fundraising, workplace culture, technology, equity, community engagement, or the future of the sector.
When you disagree:
- Respond to the idea rather than attacking the person.
- Ask questions before assuming someone’s intent.
- Speak from your own experience.
- Avoid generalizations about communities or groups of people.
- Stay open to changing your mind.
- Recognize when an issue requires more care than the time allows.
The goal is not to eliminate tension. It is to move through differences without harming or humiliating one another.
Keep Personal Stories in the Room
Small groups can create space for honest and vulnerable conversations. Protect that trust.
Do not repeat someone’s personal story, workplace concern, or identifying information outside the Huddle without their permission.
You may say:
“I was part of a conversation where we discussed the importance of clearer boundaries.”
You should not say:
“Jordan from a particular organization told us that their executive director is creating a toxic workplace.”
Share the learning, not the person’s private information.
Do Not Pitch the Group
Our no-solicitation expectations apply fully to Hive Huddles.
You may explain your work when it is relevant. You may also share a resource when it genuinely supports the conversation.
Please do not:
- Use your introduction as a sales pitch.
- Drop promotional links into the chat without context.
- offer a service every time someone mentions a challenge.
- Request meetings from every participant.
- Copy participant information for future outreach.
- Send the entire group a sales message afterward.
- Treat the Huddle as access to a list of potential clients.
A helpful resource is offered without pressure. A pitch is designed to move someone toward a sale. Please know the difference.
The Goal Is Connection, Not Perfection
You do not need to resolve the entire topic before the Huddle ends.
A successful conversation may help someone:
- Feel seen or understood.
- Hear a perspective they had not considered.
- Find language for a challenge.
- Discover a useful resource.
- Meet someone they would like to know better.
- Leave with a new question.
- Feel less alone in their work.
That is enough.
Guidance for Hive Huddle Hosts
Your Role as a Host
A Hive Huddle host is there to welcome people, support participation, and help the conversation remain respectful and connected to the topic.
You do not need to be the leading expert in the room. You also do not need to provide an answer to every question.
Your role is to create the conditions for a good conversation.
Begin by Setting the Tone
At the beginning of the Huddle:
- Welcome participants.
- Briefly introduce yourself.
- Name the topic and purpose of the conversation.
- Remind everyone that the Huddle is participatory.
- Mention confidentiality and the no-solicitation expectation.
- Invite short introductions.
You might say:
“Welcome, everyone. This is a small, informal conversation rather than a webinar, so your experiences and questions are an important part of today’s Huddle. We ask everyone to protect personal stories shared here, avoid pitching, and help make room for every voice.”
Use the Prompts as a Guide
Conversation prompts are there to help, not to create a rigid agenda.
You do not need to ask every question or move through them in order. Follow the energy of the group while keeping the conversation reasonably connected to the main topic.
When the discussion begins to drift, you can gently bring it back:
“That is an interesting connection. I would love to bring us back to the question of how this shows up in our organizations.”
Help Everyone Participate
Notice who is contributing and who has not yet had an opening.
You can invite participation without putting someone on the spot:
“We have heard a few perspectives. Is there anyone who has not spoken yet who would like to add something?”
Avoid repeatedly calling on a quiet participant by name. People should have the choice to pass or contribute in another way.
Redirect With Care
Hosts may occasionally need to interrupt or redirect behaviour that is affecting the group.
You can say:
- “I want to pause so we can make room for another voice.”
- “Let’s allow them to finish their thought.”
- “I am going to bring us back to today’s topic.”
- “Before we offer solutions, could we ask what kind of support would be useful?”
- “I want to remind everyone that this is a no-solicitation space.”
- “Let’s step away from generalizations and speak from our own experiences.”
Clear facilitation is not unkind. Protecting the group is part of creating a welcoming conversation.
Close the Conversation Thoughtfully
Leave a few minutes at the end for participants to reflect.
You might ask:
- “What is one idea you are leaving with?”
- “What is something you want to keep thinking about?”
- “Did you hear a resource or perspective you want to explore?”
- “What would make a useful next conversation?”
Thank everyone for their time and contributions. Remind participants to complete any feedback form they receive so that future Huddles can continue to improve.
Do not pressure people to exchange contact information. Participants can choose whether they would like to continue a connection.
When Something Does Not Feel Right
You May Leave a Conversation
Your comfort and safety matter.
You may leave a Hive Chat or Hive Huddle when someone is behaving in a discriminatory, aggressive, sexual, threatening, harassing, or deeply inappropriate way.
You do not need to debate the person, educate them, or remain until the scheduled end of the conversation.
End the call and contact the Hive team when you are able.
Tell Us What Happened
Please use your feedback form or contact The Nonprofit Hive team when you experience:
- Aggressive selling or repeated solicitation.
- Harassment or discriminatory comments.
- Threatening or inappropriate behaviour.
- A serious breach of confidentiality.
- Repeated interruptions or disrespect.
- Unwanted or inappropriate follow-up.
- A participant recording without permission.
- A no-show.
- Any interaction that made you feel unsafe or concerned.
Include enough information for us to understand what happened. We may contact you privately if more context is needed.
How We Respond
We take community concerns seriously and review them with care.
Depending on the situation, we may:
- Clarify expectations with a participant.
- Provide a warning.
- Restrict someone’s access to future conversations.
- Remove someone from The Nonprofit Hive.
- Take other steps needed to protect the community.
We may not always be able to share every detail of our response, particularly when another person’s privacy is involved. However, reports help us identify concerns and make more thoughtful decisions about community safety.
The Hive cannot guarantee that every conversation will be a perfect match or that participants will share the same values, experiences, or perspectives. We can promise to listen when something goes wrong and to keep learning how to care for this community.
Our Community Promise
The Nonprofit Hive works because people enter these conversations generously.
We do not expect every Hive Chat to become a friendship, every Hive Huddle to reach a perfect conclusion, or every connection to lead to a collaboration.
We ask each person to show up with care, curiosity, and respect for the humans sharing the room.
Listen generously. Share honestly. Respect people’s boundaries. Leave space for different experiences, unfinished ideas, laughter, uncertainty, and unexpected connection.
Together, we can build a nonprofit sector where people feel more supported, more connected, and less alone in the work.