Earlier this week, I wrote about the five top reasons nonprofit retention can be difficult. If you want to read the article in greater detail, view the full post here. However, in brief, the five reasons are as follows:
- Money
- Excess work
- Leadership
- Communication
- Mobility
Let’s go a little deeper into each of these challenges for managers. In short, we’ll discuss a few ideas to help you do better by your team. Further, it’ll ultimately help you develop your organization.
Money
It’s important to remember that aside from your database of donors, one of the most valuable aspects of your nonprofit is your team. They’re the ones who are assisting you in executing the mission. Money is a motivator, particularly for team members earning $20,000 or $30,000+. That’s a range where many nonprofit people—especially those starting—get paid.
One of the best things you can do for nonprofit retention is paying competitive salaries. But, how do you do it if you don’t have the funds you need? Well, there are a couple of things you can do. For example, you can ask a major donor for investment in capacity building, including salaries. Also, you could hire a proven fundraiser with expertise as an excellent generalist or major donor work. That alone is a significant investment to make, along with giving them the funding for a serious fundraising operation.
Excess Work
If want to understand a little about what nonprofit teams have to do, spend a bit of time inside LinkedIn or Facebook groups. You’ll realize the great expectations placed on nonprofit people with no remuneration. Late nights and weekends without pay are a common occurrence, which is one of the reasons that many charities experience high turnover.
As a nonprofit leader who cares about their team members, you should be transparent with your employees that there is no expectation (yes, say it) for them to stay late or work long weekends to ensure that a project or event takes off. In other words, plan accordingly to minimize late night or weekend work. Once in a while, it does happen, and when it does, even if you don’t legally have to comply with labor laws regarding overtime pay because of the size of your nonprofit, show your team you care. Give them a monetary bonus for their time or comp time to exchange for the additional hours.
Nonprofit Leadership
Unfortunately, leadership is something that has to get learned. Although people are instinctively natural about leading others, in business, becoming an excellent leader takes patience, experience, and, yes, learning.
If you’re serious about becoming a leader, and as a nonprofit executive or manager, this should always be something you are striving for, then educate and inform yourself. Take lessons on leadership. Read articles and books. And, if you’re genuinely committed to the idea of having people follow your lead because you evoke the leadership skills to get people fired up, then hire a coach. All of these types of training will help you with your team members and your board members who also need nonprofit CEOs to be leaders.
Communication
Good communication is vital, especially when you want to lead a team of people to go beyond what they think is possible and execute on the improbable. Although we live and operate in the digital age, the reality is that the best communication still happens face-to-face.
Make it a point to walk around the office each day and connect personally with your team members because it helps build relationships and trust. Being a nonprofit manager who takes the time out of their busy schedule to chat for a moment or two personally and see how employees are doing with their jobs or project will go a long way. One of the things I always tell my managers is to listen. Listen. Listen. Listen. Ask questions. Let them do the talking, and you listen. By doing it, you will see that your team will trust you and follow your lead easier in time.
Team Mobility
Most nonprofits are small operators, and the reality is that many will not be able to grow to scale. That means that there will be inevitable turnover as team members seek better growth opportunities. However, if you feel that you want to improve nonprofit retention and you have the right people on board to do it, then offering work development and growth opportunities will go a long way toward retaining your employees.
If you see a team member or two who is ambitious and puts in double effort, make sure you provide growth opportunities. Remember, sometimes people can make lateral moves, and they’re happy to have the chance to learn something new. It’s essential to speak to your team members and understand their goals and where they see themselves in the future. For instance, if you see someone on the program team but interested in becoming a fundraiser, figure out creative solutions to make it happen within your organization. Cross-train people and provide professional development opportunities to ensure employee retention.
Managers understand that it costs less to improve nonprofit retention than people go. If you have a good team on hand, the best thing you can do is give them the resources for success. And also to address some of the top issues that could cause them to leave your organization for another one.
© 2019 Shoes With Heart. All Rights Reserved.
