Nonprofit Adviser

Sara Cole

For many nonprofits, hiring — and keeping — top talent is a struggle that won’t quit, according to a new survey conducted by the Center for Effective Philanthropy. Nearly half of charity leaders who responded said they were having “some difficulty” or “a lot of difficulty” filling job openings. Sixty percent of respondents cited concerns about staffing — such as burnout or losing employees to nonprofits offering higher pay — as their organization’s biggest challenge.

In a new article, my colleague Ben Gose rounds up tips from leaders to help you recruit quality employees and hold onto them, without offering new benefits and perks you can’t afford to keep up.

One simple step is to engage staff in ways that make them feel valued. Last year the Duluth Area Family YMCA, in Minn., held a “staff-only innovation challenge” that invited employees to submit ideas for improving the charity’s work, Gose reports. The group invested up to $100 into each winning idea. One of the charity’s swim coaches suggested an underwater camera so instructors could record underwater strokes. Another employee sought funds to build bookshelves that would feature works about inclusion and diversity.

“The innovation challenge was good for our culture, and it was good for our business,” says Sara Cole, the organization’s CEO.

Read Ben’s article to get all the advice. For more detailed guidance on finding and keeping high-performing employees, sign up for the three-part training series, Build a Thriving Nonprofit Culture. The next live session, Attract, Motivate, and Retain Top Talent, airs June 18. All sessions are available on demand after the live event, and the series is offered at no cost thanks to a grant from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. We hope you’ll join us.

Enjoy your week,
Lisa Schohl
Senior Editor, Advice

Tip of the Week

When appealing to donors at year’s end, do not send emails without permission. You may see a short-term boost from this tactic, but research shows worrying signs of long-term disengagement from people who receive emails without their permission. Fortunately, this trap is easy to avoid, writes Chris Maddocks, senior vice president at Blue State. He recommends organizations focus on trust-based advertising and fundraising. Instead of buying lists of individuals who haven’t supported your nonprofit, he says, invest in brand-building, petitions, or lead-generation through content marketing, which allow people to raise their hands in support of a given issue or cause. For more advice, read 3 Traps to Avoid in Year-End Fundraising, and for guidance on crafting your 2024 year-end strategy, join our July webinar.

New Grant Opportunities

Your Chronicle subscription includes free access to GrantStation’s database of grant opportunities.

Pet Adoption: Petco Love’s application cycle for animal welfare organizations performing sheltering and adoptions is currently open. Support is provided to the following types of organizations in the United States: 1) animal control agencies and nonprofit organizations responsible for animal control sheltering; 2) SPCA and humane societies and other nonprofits that perform sheltering and adoptions of companion animals and operate primarily out of an animal sheltering facility; and 3) nonprofit organizations that are primarily foster-based rescues. Application deadline July 31.

Sports: The Kids Run the Nation Grant Fund, an initiative of the Road Runners Club of America (RRCA), provides financial assistance to running clubs, schools, and community-based nonprofit organizations throughout the U.S. for youth running programs. Programs should have kids running regularly, more than once each week for multiple weeks (as opposed to participating in a one-time event), and should be structured running programs incorporating educational topics and running activities. Grants range from $500 to $1,000; application deadline August 1.