Nonprofit Congress

This was the theme of the recent Sounding taken by the Listening Post Project (LPP) of the Center for Civil Society Studies at Johns Hopkins University. The LPP is an “information platform” for the nonprofit sector created by the Center in collaboration with leading nonprofit umbrella groups to spot developing challenges to American nonprofits and disseminate promising responses.

The results of the Sounding challenge the assumption that nonprofits are losing out in the competitive market for personnel. Nonprofits of different sizes and fields appear to be coping with the recruitment and retention challenges they face and finding employees with the commitment, qualifications and willingness to work that they need. The conclusion of the Sounding has a refreshing note: “(D)espite their drawbacks, nonprofits have many advantages as places of employment”.

Last week I attended a Workforce Roundtable convened by the Center to deepen understanding of the results of the Sounding. There were memorable stories of success and succinct advice. I loved the story of the elder care facility where quarterly culture days were instituted to bridge the gap between those old folks from Kansas sitting in their wheelchairs and staff from across the globe who provide them daily care: food, music and traditional garb went a long way to bring African and Jamaican spirit to the workplace environment. Then there was the theater director from California who netted it all out: “Recruit, don’t just hire.” Go out to the college campuses turning out the people you need for your sector, whether it’s arts, the environment or social services. Let them know that the education they’ve gotten and for which they have incurred huge debt in many cases, is valuable! Affirm them and welcome them into your sector. I would add to that, if you are too small to do it yourself, ask your State Association to do it for you, to recruit on campuses with nonprofit curricula, and academic programs of value to those you serve.

Behind the Listening Post is the dedication, hard work and spirit of Lester Salamon, author of The Resilient Sector. He summarized the key thrusts of the Roundtable as follows:

• When recruiting, sell the nonprofit work environment and the ability to do work that reflects the candidate’s values. Recognize the advantages we have as nonprofits to connect with the sentiments of the new generation of leaders who want to do meaningful work.
• Think more creatively about how to bring people into the sector through focusing on the populations you are trying to attract and being very proactive; use internships and volunteer opportunities to create pathways to employment; be active recruiting and show up at job fairs and on school campuses; find other ways to engage the next generation through your own program offerings and collaborations. To make your organizations more diverse, really focus on engaging and building relationships by reaching out in new ways that bring diverse board members, volunteers, interns and staff into your organization.
• Redefine work and benefits through structuring work, both paid and volunteer, to fit your employee population’s lifestyles. Provide the flexibility that both young and old alike want that enable them to balance work with the rest of their lives. Examine your benefits in terms of what your employee population really needs. If they are single moms for the most part, then spend your benefit dollars in ways that target their needs.
• Invest in the HR function. There are many resources out there to help people with HR issues and we need to bridge the divide better between the HR experts and NP practitioners. For example, there are many tools available for free from the Society for Human Resource Management.
• Continue to advocate for loan forgiveness for students to remove financial impediments to their employment in the sector. At the federal level, keep your advocacy eyes on the College Opportunity and Affordability Act of 2008 (HR 4137) that provides loan forgiveness for many employees working “in areas of national need.”