(Image: View Apart)
We all know that nonprofit work can be some of the most challenging work around, and we all know the fallout when morale is low: burnout, underperformance, and turnover.
We also know there’s a long list of possible solutions: Strategies for keeping people engaged and attracting talent only seem to multiply. To help identify the approaches most valuable to nonprofit workers, we put the question to those most likely to know – nonprofit workers themselves.
In an anonymous online forum dedicated to nonprofit work, Work for Good asked what qualities, strategies, and processes make a nonprofit an “employer of choice.” Below, find a rundown of their most upvoted and agreed-upon approaches.
And no matter what efforts you take to keep your people happy and productive, be sure to highlight them in every job posting – the talent you want will be looking for them!
Better compensation.
Unsurprisingly, the most frequent and popular response was a bid for paying more. Two phrases jumped out: “FAIR wages” and “thriving wages.” Besides the obvious value of better pay – that morale can’t be fixed “if your people are worried about how they are going to pay their bills” – one respondent pointed out that “your organization cannot be a net positive in your community if your people are suffering in order to do the work.”
Also wrapped up in calls for better pay were calls for “quality healthcare benefits,” including mental health coverage, and a generous PTO policy that includes genuine encouragement to use it – that is, without “demanding to know why [you’re] taking the time off.”
Manageable workloads.
One pro noted that they had worked for well-funded, high-paying nonprofits but were doing the job of two or more people: “No amount of money made that acceptable.” Instead of hiring more people, these nonprofits would push “a ‘gritty’ narrative to glorify internal mess” or “a culture of toxic positivity.” The result? For this pro, it was a breakdown, mental health leave, and exiting the industry. “Don’t try to gaslight employees into thinking things are ok when they’re not,” they advised. “Be honest, be real, be solutions-oriented.”
Building on this point, a nonprofit hiring manager emphasized the importance of giving employees “wide latitude to get their jobs done however works for them” and providing them with “time for creativity and meaningful collaboration.”
A culture of respect.
Another popular response asked for “recognition that we are professionals working professional jobs.” After this respondent left the sector, they discovered that “the thing I love about my for-profit job is the degree of respect for the fact that I know my [stuff] and how much work that takes.” Part and parcel of this idea, as another respondent put it, is to make sure employees “have meaningful input into important decision making.”
Another popular point on the cultural front: Flexibility in scheduling that allows workers to get to important appointments when needed, as well as “time to rest.”
Quality managers.
Pros rallied around a call for managers who are properly trained for the role. Given a livable wage, said one pro, what determines whether they stay or leave is a manager who is “collaborative, fair, trusts me, and wants to see me succeed and develop.” Other respondents pointed to the importance of management that provides positive feedback and doesn’t get caught up in “meaningless rules and bureaucracy.”
One nonprofit manager summed up their role in maintaining staff morale like this: “Stress comes from the gap between what you can and cannot do,” but “the need for our work will forever be greater than our ability to serve it.” That’s why managers must make sure to “acknowledge what we cannot do (actually save the world) and laud ourselves for what we can do.”When morale is low, this manager’s nonprofit gives staff the time they need to self-heal and build back. In addition, they plan – and budget for – thoughtful staff field trips, hold regular coffee-and-bagel staff meetings just for socializing, and provide extra days off for holidays. “Morale will always rise and fall,” they said. “It’s never perfect, but I’ve retained my senior crew for the eight years I’ve been here.”
Marc Schultz is communications editor at Work for Good.
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