Staffing & Human Resources

Nonprofit HR surveyed 362 nonprofits on staffing, recruitment and retention practices for the “2015 Nonprofit Employment Practices Survey.” With 49 percent of nonprofits reporting an increase in staff size in 2014 and 50 percent expecting to create new positions in 2015, the survey projected nonprofit growth in 2015 that could outpace the corporate sector. However, this growth could aggravate some already pressing issues...

When I first began my career in fundraising, I was told to exceed expectations. I also was told that I should promote customer service. Always prepare for the unexpected because you never know who will walk through the door. Your ultimate success depends on it...

An Army veteran has been named to the position of interim chief operating officer of the Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) after a major shakeup at the nation's largest veterans charity in the wake of investigations into allegations of questionable spending and a culture of fear at the Jacksonville, Florida-based nonprofit. Former CEO Steven Nardizzi and former Chief Operating…

The business of improving the world can be a tough place to build a career. Our boards and leadership often ask us to accomplish more with less. From providing services to building relationships with volunteers and donors, the nature of our work is demanding. Many of these activities must happen outside of standard business hours...

I had the honor of recently attending a volunteer reception hosted by the Indiana Division of The Salvation Army. Attendees ranged in age from 4 to older than 90 years old. I knew many of the attendees as they participate in a variety of volunteer activities each year...

You have a key position open and it’s been open for a while, a problem that’s hurting your organization. Thank goodness you also have a stack of resumes. But as you pore through the pile, filtering out the clear “no ways,” you get discouraged. There are only a few resumes left. You meet them in…

When I embarked on my own in fundraising consulting I had only one client that I served as a sole practitioner. I soon realized that I was missing the synergy of a team. Collaboration is important. We all have different skills. So, as we developed our team, we also looked for redundancy. We didn’t want just one person with a unique set of skills. We wanted backup...

As your organization works to secure support and strengthen your impact, your efforts often come down to one key element: transparency. A twofold ingredient, transparency is expected externally by donors who seek proof of your results, and internally by your staff to best understand how to drive total impact forward. Forward-thinking organizations take steps to…

A few days ago I received a phone call from a business acquaintance. In the course of the conversation, he talked about how frustrating it was to serve the nonprofit community when some organizations act so unprofessionally toward his firm. I replied that just the night before, in the final class of the semester for the graduate students I teach, I had gone over the 20 things that—if they forgot everything else—I hoped they would take from the class. One of those learnings was, “A nonprofit is not a business. But if you don’t run it like a business, you will go out of business.”...

The CEO of an animal welfare nonprofit stepped down last month after being criticized for allegedly purchasing a puppy from a breeder instead of a shelter. Former employees and volunteers have described the decision as the final straw in a series of issues with the top executive....