4.2 - Operations Report
Operational Updates: #
- After two weeks of research and collaboration with IT support, we resolved a critical issue that prevented the download of CRM data, which is essential for our reporting and directory uploads.
- We began migrating our website hosting from HomelinkCS to PMPro, the provider of our open-source CRM database.
- This move will streamline our operations by consolidating our website hosting and CRM database under a single provider, PMPro. This should lead to better integration, improved performance, and more efficient management of our systems.
- Garrett launched a new CE app owned by AIBD and hosted on our WordPress website.
- He is currently looking into importing all the historical data from our former CE app platform.
- Alongside his typical duties for AIBD, this marks the second of two large "builds" Garrett has accomplished this fiscal year.
- Rusty has taken on a side hustle in drafting. So far, it doesn't seem to have affected his performance as Certification Director.
- Finally, Raven has been grieving the loss of her cat, Trevor. She finally had to have him put down after a long fight with a brain infection.
- Please ping her if you feel compelled.
Report to the Board of Directors on Chief Staff Officer Temporary Pay Status and Payroll Actions#
Overview#
This report summarizes the temporary compensation steps taken beginning March 1, 2026, the legal and governance reasons for those steps, and the board action requested at the May 6, 2026, meeting.
The purpose of the interim payroll actions was to maintain compliance with federal wage-and-hour laws while the board considered a formal temporary change to the compensation structure.
Beginning March 1, 2026, compensation was voluntarily paused to reduce association expenses during the current budget period. Subsequent review of federal wage-and-hour guidance indicated that a chief staff executive of a 501(c)(6) association performing ongoing operational duties should be treated as an employee, not as an unpaid volunteer or independent contractor, and that hours worked must be compensated in compliance with minimum wage and overtime rules.
The purpose of the interim payroll actions was to maintain compliance with federal wage-and-hour laws while the board considered a formal temporary change to the compensation structure.
Beginning March 1, 2026, compensation was voluntarily paused to reduce association expenses during the current budget period. Subsequent review of federal wage-and-hour guidance indicated that a chief staff executive of a 501(c)(6) association performing ongoing operational duties should be treated as an employee, not as an unpaid volunteer or independent contractor, and that hours worked must be compensated in compliance with minimum wage and overtime rules.
Actions Taken#
To correct that issue promptly and transparently, payroll was resumed on the April 15, 2026 payroll cycle with payment for all hours worked during March at 14.00 dollars per hour. On April 30, 2026, during the payroll cycle, hours worked through April were also paid at 14.00 dollars per hour, using the same payroll pattern applied to other employees, with standard payroll processing and withholding through the association's payroll service.
The results were 91.61 hours ($1282.54) and 77.01 hours ($1078.14), respectively.
The results were 91.61 hours ($1282.54) and 77.01 hours ($1078.14), respectively.
These payments were made so that hours already worked would not remain unpaid while awaiting the next regularly scheduled board meeting. Federal guidance recognizes back pay as the mechanism for correcting unpaid wage obligations, and nonprofit compensation guidance requires that compensation for top management staff be approved by the board or another properly authorized body.
Why This Was Necessary#
The Fair Labor Standards Act does not allow employees of private-sector organizations to “volunteer” unpaid services in the same staff role they normally perform, and nonprofit guidance similarly warns that employees generally may not volunteer the same type of services they are employed to provide. For a chief staff officer continuing to direct day-to-day association operations, the safer legal assumption is that the role remains employment and must be paid accordingly.
Florida's current minimum wage in 2026 is 14.00 dollars per hour, and non-exempt employees must also receive overtime pay for hours over 40 in a workweek. Paying at least minimum wage through payroll, therefore, reduced the organization's exposure while preserving ordinary payroll tax reporting and withholding.
Governance Considerations#
While operational payroll processing addressed immediate compliance concerns, setting or changing the compensation of the association's chief staff executive is generally a board responsibility. Nonprofit governance guidance states that executive compensation should be approved by the board of directors or a properly authorized committee and documented in meeting minutes.
Accordingly, the actions already taken should be viewed as interim compliance steps pending formal board review. The requested board action on May 6 is to ratify the temporary compensation arrangement effective March 1, 2026, confirm the non-exempt hourly basis for the temporary period, and authorize its continuation through June 30, 2026, unless modified earlier by further board action.
Requested Board Action#
The board is asked to adopt a resolution that:
- Ratifies payment of all hours worked from March 1, 2026, through April 30, 2026, at 14.00 dollars per hour, processed through regular payroll.
- Confirms temporary classification as non-exempt hourly staff for this limited period.
- Authorizes continuation of that arrangement through June 30, 2026, with all hours recorded and processed through payroll in the same manner as other staff.
- Confirms that any overtime, if incurred, will be handled in accordance with applicable wage-and-hour law.
Closing#
The interim actions were taken in good faith to balance budget realities with legal compliance and to preserve a clear payroll record before the board's next scheduled meeting. Formal ratification by the board will align governance, payroll practice, and wage-and-hour compliance for the remainder of the temporary period.