Can You Avoid Nonprofit Burnout?

Sometimes there’s a story we tell collectively. When nonprofit colleagues were asked for their candid suggestions on how to avoid burnout, they got right to the core. Having worked in the trenches in some way with each of these pros reconfirmed for me that there’s nothing like the camaraderie and resourcefulness of those who work in this sector. We can’t do it alone, but we can certainly get through the demands and unexpected challenges of this work with dignity, recognition, and zeal. 10 Tricks to Avoid Burnout: Stay on mission. Remind yourself of the organization’s purpose and keep your eye on the prize. A long-time development colleague shares that her team shares “mission moments” at each monthly staff meetings. “With all the complaints, hustle and bustle of the day-to-day work,” she says, “it brings us back around to ‘why we do what we do’. You remember the reason you are here and picked this job.” Protect your private time. It’s inherent–you will work seven days a week sometimes. “You have to be realistic about what kind of work load you can handle, and actually make sure you take time off, away from the job, to focus on friends and family,”…

Hiring at Nonprofits: How to Stop Missing out on Top Talent in a Candidate-Driven Market

The last 12+ months have demonstrated significant description across virtually every job market, including the nonprofit sector. Many nonprofits, struggling to keep their operations afloat amid global pandemic turbulence and economic downturns, reduced their workforce. Others maintained existing staff but were unable to bring in additional resources during the market upheavals. As a result, most nonprofits across multiple mission verticals assumed a “do more with less” mentality as they waited out a prolonged stretch of hiring uncertainty.  Staffing Industry Data Shows Hiring Trends Are on the Upswing Recent statistics suggest that the hiring waiting game may finally be over. Data released in The Palmer Forecast predicts a 45% increase in demand for temporary workers in Q2 2021 — with further signs of recovery ahead. Additionally, the U.S. The Labor Department reported that in March 2021, nonfarm payroll employees rose by 916,000, a significant increase over the original estimate of 618,000 jobs. Other industry reports predicted that staffing revenue in the U.S. will grow by 11% in 2021 to reach almost $135 billion — finally surpassing pre-pandemic levels in 2019.  Hiring in a Candidate-Driven Market Challenges Nonprofits Competing for the Same Talent The recent hiring shifts in the nonprofit sector make it highly likely that…

Success at Work, Wherever Work Is

The global pandemic has forever changed the way U.S. employees work. Remote work was an established business model before COVID-19 became part of our everyday vernacular. However, the last 14+ months have reinforced just how successful a remote work environment can be — even for companies that once resisted letting their staff members work from home. A recent Forbes article, 5 Statistics Employers Need to Know About The Remote Workforce, outlined several compelling reasons why remote may have turned the corner from alternative option to mainstream method. Some statistics outlined in the article include: 74 percent of workers surveyed expect remote work to become a standard option 61 percent or staff polled prefer being fully-remote 97 percent of employees don’t want to go back to working in their office full-time The Forbes report also noted that having a remote work option currently serves as the biggest draw for attracting top talent. The article doesn’t indicate whether those polled were looking for full-time or partial at-home environments. However, it does show that today’s job seekers want at least the option of working remotely when looking for a new opportunity — or they will elsewhere. The Current Candidate-Driven Job Market Means U.S. Workers…

Hiring in the Remote Era: The Remote Interview Tools and Questions You’ll Need for Success

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Remote Interview Tools: What To Consider For Success at Your Nonprofit Setting your nonprofit organization up for remote interview success begins with having the right remote interview tools ready before you even post the job opening. Most essential tools will fall under one of these three specific categories: Nonprofit organizations across every vertical have always leveraged remote interviewing and hiring practices to find top talent. Previous generations of nonprofit managers typically sourced nonlocal candidates as part of a relocation process to bring hired workers within commuting distance of the office. However, the last two years have redefined traditional work models, with remote workers becoming more the norm than the exception for many nonprofit organizations. Nonprofit Employees Have Embraced The Work From Home Trend The remote work trend was initially fueled by a global pandemic. Working from home was further accelerated by an unprecedented candidate shortage, where nonprofits leveraged a remote model as a recruiting tool in a heavily competitive market. Now, more than 26 months after COVID first reached the U.S., working from home has proven long-term staying power because, for many nonprofit organizations, it has a proven track record of success. As a result, today’s nonprofit managers no longer…

The 3 Non-Negotiable Attributes All Employees Want from their Workplace

The paradox of recruitment challenges persisting — and indeed worsening — during a period of stagnating market growth has never been more evident than today. Despite grim global economic predictions and the soaring cost of living, all kinds of employers are finding it harder than ever to attract and hold on to the right talent. As quickly as they are bringing new hires through the front door, disillusioned and disengaged employees are slinking off out the back. For some it’s because they are burnt out, still ill from COVID-19, determined to reset their work-life balance, retire early, or start fresh somewhere new and less expensive. For others, the salary gap is the issue they can no longer ignore. The rising costs of energy, fuel, groceries, mortgages, rent and just about everything else means they can no longer accept a pay scale that seems to be tipped the wrong way in the context of rampant inflation. Whatever the reasons, where in “normal conditions” the average staff turnover each year is 20%, today it’s running at 30%, which suggests that something is very wrong. Even those who stay, for fear of being without an income as the threat of recession looms, are…