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Recruit and Retain Quality Nonprofit Employees

(Sept. 8, 2008) Organizations hoping to hire quality employees need to sell prospects on the big picture—focusing on rewards that come in other forms than a big paycheck, according to a recent roundtable of nonprofit recruiters, workforce experts and nonprofit practitioners assembled by Johns Hopkins University.

With their budgetary constraints, nonprofits are advised to emphasize the organization’s values, mission and unique factors such as geographic location or work time flexibility. Experts say that nonprofits need to be proactive in recruiting young talent eager to make a difference, and focus on developing their skills and ensuring a rewarding work atmosphere.

One roundtable participant noted that a major difference between nonprofits and for-profits is that for-profits recruit while nonprofits hire. The report notes that innovative strategies of seeking and cultivating the next generation of nonprofit workers include the following:

• Internships to find and train new talent and instill a commitment to the charity’s mission
• Online postings on sites like Craigslist.com that reach young people locally and nationally
• Job fairs that allow for one-on-one contact and the chance to explain what the organization is all about
• Re-thinking positions, such as hiring a less experienced person and training them, building their skills and easing them into the responsibilities of the full position

The roundtable also shared their success with various adjustments to the work environment, such as re-designing benefits to more closely suit younger employees (benefits to single staff, for example). Flexibility in areas such as work hours and remote working was also recommended. Other organizations gathered focus groups of employees to determine their level of work satisfaction to improve employee retention.

Volunteers are often highly skilled and roles should be adjusted accordingly, the panelists noted, such as allowing for leadership or other roles beyond basic office work.

Mutually Beneficial

A prevailing theme of the Johns Hopkins report is the idea that employers look at how they benefit their employees beyond a paycheck. A nonprofit’s attention to its employees’ career goals, values and aspirations means the staff will be more satisfied and committed to the cause and the organization.

Tied in with employee satisfaction is the existence of an active and professional human resources department that functions beyond clerical duties, participants noted. A nonprofit can also take steps to better connect its existing HR program with employees.

At the conclusion of the roundtables, six key strategies were identified that could help with nonprofit recruitment and retention:

1. Recognize the advantages that work in the nonprofit sector offers
2. Invest in the HR function
3. Better connect nonprofit practitioners to existing HR resources
4. Take a more flexible approach to the definition of work
5. Address the financial impediments discouraging young people from working in the sector
6. Build stronger relationships with diverse community organizations

To read more about these strategies, visit the Johns Hopkins Listening Post Project website.

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