One of our core values at the National Council of Nonprofits is “Honoring the Nonprofit Workforce,” which reflects our deeply held belief that “Nonprofits and their employees should have the respect and the resources needed to get their work done.”
That core value shapes our work creating and curating information to assist frontline nonprofits with their operations and capacity-building. For instance, in 2022 and 2023 we’re publishing this series of articles describing creative approaches to the workforce shortage crisis that can elevate equity, address burnout and stress, and discover, nurture, and develop talent in nontraditional ways.
Creative approaches to the nonprofit workforce shortage
Our initial article from 2022 exploring approaches that nonprofits are trying, with resources on prioritizing equity, addressing stress, and nontraditional ways to discover, nurture, and develop talent.
The four-day work week
Adam Jespersen shares Montana Nonprofit Association’s experience and tips from their first year of a four-day week.
Performance evaluation: a tool for retention
Evaluation is a tool we can use to engage and understand our workforce more fully. In the case of executive directors, it’s a fiduciary responsibility of the board. Laurie Wolf offers seven tips and a few "what-not-dos."
Military spouses: untapped talent for nonprofit employers?
Nonprofits struggling to recruit talent should check out the Military Spouse Fellowship Program, which matches military spouses with employers during a paid fellowship.
Employer Branding – A Communication Imperative for Nonprofit Organizations
Atokatha Ashmond Brew of Nonprofit HR shares ways to make your nonprofit's "employer brand" compelling for potential employees.
Creating a culture that cares
Heather Iliff of Maryland Nonprofits shares about her organization's "This is the Moment to Care" campaign. "The first step is not easy, but it’s simple – we open our hearts, we do our own work, and all else will follow."
Strengthening your nonprofit through more equitable and inclusive hiring practices
Simple changes to your hiring processes can help make your team more diverse—and help fill job vacancies in this era of significant workforce shortages in our sector.
How and why nonprofits are supporting the mental health of their employees
Nonprofit initiatives to address burnout and protect employee mental health show that nonprofits can lead the way on employee wellness and work-life balance.
It's time to consider making hybrid work permanent
With nonprofits finding it difficult to fill open positions and seeing employees lured away by higher-paying jobs, it’s important for nonprofits that can accommodate it to engage hybrid and remote employees.
Partnerships to support nonprofits and interns
For nonprofits, interns can become future employees or colleagues, making internships a key entry point into the sector. This article covers some of the benefits of - and resources on - internships.
Hire with your values
We experimented with the advice from our own article on Employer Branding and incorporated our core values into our job descriptions with great success! Read our story.
Expanding access to affordable child care
A challenge for nonprofits trying to recruit and retain staff is the shortage of affordable child care. This article discusses solutions enacted in five states and D.C. and others on the horizon.
Many state nonprofit compensation reports share guidance on how to set compensation (including executive compensation), as well as state-level (and often regional) data on salaries, traditional and non-traditional benefits, bonuses, and more. They help nonprofits advance equity, align compensation with organizational values, establish sound management practices, and respond to emerging trends like remote work. Find them for most states here.