Staffing & Human Resources

Study: Exciting (and Scary) Nonprofit Communications Trends
July 11, 2016 at 11:26 am

Does your work in the nonprofit sector excite you? It should. Does it worry you? It should do that, too. NonprofitMarketingGuide.com’s “2016 Nonprofit Communications Trends Report” highlighted some of the big reasons why—from the positives, like embracing new opportunities and reaching more donors, to the negatives, like financial restrictions and unrealistic workloads...

Into the Sunset: Why Your Nonprofit Should Consider Exit Agreements
July 8, 2016 at 10:58 am

Part of good succession planning for your nonprofit should include the following question: What should we do if a longtime CEO is planning to leave? An exit agreement may be a good answer for your organization. There generally are four reasons nonprofit boards explore an exit agreement. These reasons correspond to the type or focus of the agreement...

So You Want to Be on Top—Going From Fundraiser to Leadership
June 30, 2016 at 10:33 am

At some point, usually after dealing with a seemingly uninformed (dare I say "stupid"?) request from someone who is higher than you on the organizational chart, you probably have fanaticized about being in charge. Maybe your ultimate goal is to manage the complete fundraising program, or you may have your sights set on the "corner office."...

10 Points for a Midyear Personal Checkup
June 29, 2016 at 11:32 am

It is midway through the year. I am in disbelief! Next week, I will share a midyear checkup list for your fundraising. You are in the trenches. This is noble work—a great calling. But I have yet to meet a fundraising professional who did not feel a bit overwhelmed. The average tenure in our profession—well, it’s less than three years...

15 Ways Directors of Development, MGOs Should Work Together
June 27, 2016 at 10:40 am

We often are asked our opinions on the ideal relationship between the leader of the development department and the major gift officer (MGO). Here is what we think, organized by category of work on the left and the two roles to the right...

Wounded Warrior Project Names Army Vet CEO
June 22, 2016 at 12:44 pm

About five months after CBS aired harsh criticism of Wounded Warrior Project (WWP), which led the nonprofit to fire its CEO and chief operating officer, the organization has announced its hiring of a new leader...

Getting People to Do More By Giving Them Less
June 22, 2016 at 11:53 am

Turnkey digs deep into the psychology of motivation. We use recognition with our clients to install and grow intrinsic motivation. If I am intrinsically motivated it means that I perform a behavior because I believe it is the right thing to do. If I am extrinsically motivated, however, I perform a behavior in hopes of a reward, typically a monetized reward...

Fundraising Staff Retention Made Easy
June 20, 2016 at 11:04 am

Those of us who were able to go to college have it pretty well off in the United States these days, with unemployment levels for graduates holding at less than 3 percent, which is to say full employment, or pretty close. Listening to the news and our presidential candidates, it certainly does not feel that way. But…

The Joy of Working for a Nonprofit: How Much Is It Worth?
June 10, 2016 at 7:00 am

A nice, fat paycheck is all well and good, but new research has revealed a surprising price tag on the job satisfaction that comes with working at a nonprofit organization: almost $40,000! The study, which was published in the Journal of Economic Psychology, compared the happiness levels of people who worked at nonprofit organizations with…

How Understanding PTSD Can Revolutionize Nonprofits
June 8, 2016 at 10:13 am

Believe it or not, an understanding of what causes post-traumatic stress disorder tells us a lot about what motivates people. How? We in nonprofit can make people feel necessary. We can give them purpose. We can give them ways to show competence, and to be part of something bigger than themselves. We can make them happier than they were before while accomplishing important goals for humanity...