The nonprofit sector is expanding and nonprofit employment opportunities continue to grow. The 2015–2016 NonProfit Salaries & Staffing Report indicates more than a third of added staff is in the area of program management and program delivery. Second only to fundraising, filling program positions with talented and capable staff is now viewed as the most difficult challenge. Building a talent pipeline can be difficult. Nonprofits tend to wait too long to reach out for help. This can have a devastating effect on operations, especially in smaller nonprofits where two or three people oversee daily operations and a large portion of fundraising efforts. But this is not just a small organization problem. Even the larger nonprofits delay decisions—whether it be letting someone go, bringing new executives onboard, or, building an effective talent pipeline. Inc. writer Lee Colan, author of 5 Steps to Building a Successful Talent Pipeline, says that the strength of your current and future talent is a great predictor of your business’s success. He offers 5 steps to build a talent pipeline: Plan. Start with analyzing the future needs of your organization and conduct a “what if” analysis. Attract. Build a strong brand so that potential candidates want to…

PART 2 OF A SERIES The hit TV show, Mad Men, aired its final episode on May 17, 2015 after a seven season, 92 episode run. It’s taken a little longer for the proverbial “Kelly Girl” image of temporary staffing to complete its run, but we’re almost there. Today, nonprofit organizations rely on temp or contract workers for just about everything, including event management, donor data, field ops and HR. These individuals are career-driven with high skill sets and are adept at networking. For many nonprofits, it is a great way to test the candidate’s cultural fit before making a position permanent. Kristy Lewis, Temp Services Manager with PNP Staffing Group, says most clients—almost 70%–hope that the temp will ultimately become a permanent employee. Many professional nonprofit temp/contract workers are associated with well-respected nonprofit talent agencies like PNP Staffing Group. PNP offers health insurance benefits for individuals who work a minimum of 35 hours per week and have at least 1,560 staffed hours per year. Paychecks and HR support services are also managed through the agency. On a typical day, 110-115 temps are actively working, with some clients using 4-5 temps at a time. Almost 70% of PNP’s temp staffing…

You may want to change the world and love your job working in the nonprofit sector, but that doesn’t mean that you don’t have to pay your bills on time. So when those salary survey participation offers show up in your inbox—or that of your boss—it’s a pretty good opportunity to learn something. Believe or not, most employers want to pay their staff competitive wages. The cost of training can be high, and turnover is rough on everyone. Knowing what the competition is paying for similar jobs is important to attracting and retaining happy staff. Understanding the bucks and perks being offered down the street can help you when it comes time to negotiate a compensation package. Recent reports note that the Supply/Demand rate stands at 1.4 unemployed persons for each advertised vacancy—so a little homework is in order. Ranjita Chattopadhyay is a writer for Paycheck India. And although you may not be contemplating a move to India, he didn’t mince words about the value of employees, employers, and candidates reading salary reports. In his article about the importance of salary surveys for the employee and employer, Ranjita summarily writes: “The most valuable information that employees get out of such…

Worrying about the finer details of hiring can sometimes seem unimportant.  You are extremely busy and have a million things to think about every day. Besides, you are the one offering a job, so candidates should impress you, not the other way around, right? Think again. The job market is becoming more and more focused on employee engagement. If your interview process isn’t stimulating, or your benefits aren’t attractive, you might not be doing enough, especially when compared to the competition. Going into an interview without a robust hiring & retention strategy is like a professional sports team failing to train correctly and then showing up hoping to win. Many organizations tend to think they are doing a pretty good job at engaging potential (and current) employees. They don’t see a reason to change. When it comes to professional sports, coaches try everything they can to win, including changing their game plans, and subsequently, attract the most talented stars to join them. Top Five Reasons Superstar Candidates Turn Down Job Offers     5. Salary is not enough What’s the cost of paying someone $10k more than planned against: a) not attracting the right candidate and being caught with no one…

One of the biggest expenses for most companies is staffing. It’s no different for nonprofit organizations. But it’s not always the cost that results in sleepless nights. How do you really know that you have found the perfect person for your organization? And, do you really need to to add another full time employee? Nonprofit organizations tend to rely on full time employees, alongside an army of volunteers and interns. This reliance is based on the resource patterns of the past, and it could be boxing you in. Right now, most nonprofits are entering and reviewing data to close out year end. Event planning season is right around the corner. And all of the technology and CRM upgrades — let’s not even delve into that abyss. These activities all have something in common — there is a seasonal or project-specific need. Smart Executives Meet Smart Staffing Agencies Smart staffing agencies provide alternatives. Gayle Brandel, CEO of PNP Staffing Group, has built her company around the needs of the nonprofit sector for twenty years. Clients can contract project-based temps who are specialists in everything from data entry, marketing, event planning, even donor development. And if you are losing sleep over finding…