Previous employer lied about why I left nonprofit

What is the name of your state? Vermont

Hi:

I recently stepped down from my position as Executive Director and Co-founder of a nonprofit because the person who owned the nonprofit was also the President of the Board (had his two friends as board members), was the primary funder of the nonprofit, and basically was running the organization through me. He is also the owner and President of a for-profit company that would directly benefit from the work of the nonprofit. I saw this as a conflict of interest. The PR firm that we hired confirmed my concerns and suggested that step down from the Board of Directors, allow a new independent board to form, and I asked that he permit me to run the organization (as I was supposedly hired to do). He did not want to do that. He told me by email that he was going to find another Executive Director that did not have a problem with the structure and objectives of his organiation. He also an email to the nonprofit's advisory board (whom I recruited), the other two board members who never spoke to me about any of this, just went along with his recommendation to replace me, and his entire staff saying that I left because I did not have the skills to take the organization to the next level (I was unwilling to send letters of inquiry out to independent foundations with that structure), and that my passion was different than what the nonprofit was interested in. These are lies. I have email documents to confirm my version of the truth, as well as two documents highlighting this conflict of interest and the suggested corrective action, written by the PR firm that we hired.

If I were to write to a couple of the funders (connected to the unscrupulous guy) to explain the truth about why I left, and they decided to pull the funding that they donated to the nonprofit as a result of hearing this information, am I opening myself up to any potential legal action?

I am starting an independent nonprofit to do the work that I feel needs to be done, and I could be damaged by the lies told about me, as two of these funders reside in the same state as I do and may be connected to others that my nonprofit would seek funding from.

What do you suggest?

Based solely on what you have written, and with the understanding that additional details might cause me to change my mind, I'm not convinced that your boss out and out lied. It looks more to me as if he's telling the truth as he sees it, which is not the same as you see it. If so, this is protected.

If you have additional details that would change my view, feel free to supply them.

Thank you for your response, however, I was not asking for advice on whether or not he lied out and out. Instead, I wanted to know if communicating the real reasons for my stepping down (to funders) would present any problems for me legally?

But, since you raised the issue, let me provide a few more details. First, I raised my discomfort over the structure of this organization from the beginning, which in my opinion was created primarily to build a stronger market for this businessman's company's products. He assured me that he wanted the nonprofit to be independent and credible. However, Up until the end he boldly asserted that the success of the nonprofit rested on his and his company's reputation and his ability to generate funding. I suggested a series of actions that we might take to create a clearer distinction between his for profit and this nonprofit, such as building the Board of Directors with independent people, he said he didn't want to lose control of the organization and risk being voted off.

There was never any mention of my alleged lack of skills, in fact, in the beginning, he told his staff that I was the perfect person for the job (that was until I actually tried to behave as the Executive Director rather than his employee by trying to resolve this sticky relationship situation). It became quite clear that despite his assurances that we were not his company's nonprofit, that everyone else knew otherwise, including one of his two board member friends who was going to present a workshop at a local business conference on the topic of for profits starting nonprofits and using our situation as an example, until I stopped him.

The bottom line is: I concurred with the PR firms recommendation that he step down as Board member, and allow a new independent board to be formed. I asked that I be allowed to take the organization forward with the mission and vision that I identified (he was unable to clarify what his was even at the end), and pay back his company the original seed money that they "invested". He was not willing to do this.

So, since I was the one who essentially forced my resignation in a sense, isn't it up to me to share why I left, not him to make up his own version to cover himself?

Also, he asked me to draft a seperation agreement, which we were both going to sign off on. I wrote two versions, and then he circumvented the process, wrote his own version of why I left and sent it out to his staff and the board members and a few other miscellaneous people. I feel like I have been slandered and want to attempt to repair some of the damage by sharing my truth. I also have emails and two PR reports to back up my truth.

Hope this gives a clearer picture of the situation.

Thank you.

Greenwoman, you will really need to consult with a local attorney to determine whether putting out your version of the truth will expose you to legal liability. The answer to that question will be very fact- and situation-specific. Additionally, I suspect you will also need to consider whether you will be putting your past employer/former boss in a position whether he feels the need to bring suit (even if he knows he won't prevail) simply to make a statement to members of the "community" you both work in about his actions. Meritless lawsuits have been brought for this and lesser reason many times.

And lastly, I think you also need to determine whether engaging in what will amount to a "PR war" will do you any good. Contributors and grant providers shy away from unpleasantness. They don't want their names associated with it and they sure don't want to get caught in the middle.

Thanks for your advice.

I agree with your feelings about the funders.

I do not think that he would be willing to take the risk to his and his company's reputation by filing a suit against me for standing up for myself. He has publicly stated that his company's mission is " We are committed to creating an exceptional workplace community, one that inspires honesty and trust, respect and compassion, and a spirited sense of play. A community that provides opportunities for growth and the freedom to realize our full potential."

Thanks again.

Naturally only you can gauge how likely he is to file suit but the mission statement may be exactly the reason he feels compelled to do so. Publicly airing your version of your employment experience will directly contradict the statement. If he believes allowing your version of events to go unchallenged will do greater damage to the organization/his credibility than if he brings suit, that's what he'll do. Plus, don't understimate the role ego plays here.

You make a good point.

I have no desire to publicly air my employment experience, rather to simply (briefly) explain why I left. As I am continuing in this work and starting my own nonprofit, I do not know how to get around revealing the reasons why I left.

What do you recommend?

(a) That you avoid airing all the dirty laundry simply for the sake of feeling vindicated. That inevitably backfires on the teller of the tale, regardless of whether there is any reason to be concerned about potential lawsuits. It makes others question the professionalism of the individual.

(b) That you use discretion and judgement in determining how much of the story to reveal to others and only then on a "need to know" basis. In some situations it may be okay to say "It was time for me to branch out on my own," or "Joe and I agreed to disagree on several key points" to the full story or some limited version thereof.

Sometimes the best option is to rise above the fray, keep your lip buttoned, and let your stature and demeanor talk for you.

Only you can judge which options are best used in which situations. Good luck.

Thank you.