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Young Talent Speaks: Attracting and Retaining in the Nonprofit Sector
Retention of bright, capable employees has always been an issue for all organizations and has long been talked about in the private sector. But the challenges to nonprofits can seem even more daunting, given their smaller budgets and fewer resources. What does it take to keep today's educated, energetic young people happy in the nonprofit sector? We asked seven of them to tell us about their experiences.
They told us that there are several factors that contribute to their job satisfaction, including opportunities to expand their skills (both on-the-job training and formal outside expertise), regular pay increases, a personal alignment with the mission of the organization, good management (including coaching and mentoring), a structured career path, and an atmosphere of respect, honesty, and flexibility, where they feel valued and integral to the team.
Each contributor was asked, "From your experience, what can the nonprofit sector do to attract and retain young talent?"
We invite you to share your experiences of working in the nonprofit sector. What attracted you to your organization? What do you wish you could change about your job? What has your organization done to attract and retain good staff? Send your thoughts to sophist@isoph.com.
- Becca Bracy, 30, associate director, The Broad Foundation, Los Angeles
- Amy Atlas, 32, director of university relations, eEducation Group, Los Angeles
- Nicole Humphrey, 29, research analyst, Los Angeles County Children and Families First Proposition 10 Commission
- Melissa Wickman, 27, planning and development director, Inner-City Games, Philadelphia
- Cindy Levey, 32, manager, health promotion and education, L.A. Care Health Plan
- Christopher Knauf, 32, litigation staff attorney, Western Law Center for Disability Rights, Los Angeles
- Deborah Raucher, 32, housing coordinator, Tenderloin Housing Clinic, San Francisco
Becca Bracy, 30, associate director, The Broad Foundation, Los Angeles
The fall after I graduated from college I accepted a job at Partners in School Innovation, a San Francisco Bay Area not-for-profit. My salary was less than my previous year's tuition. True, I went to an expensive university, but by any standard I was clearly not taking this job for the money. I stayed with that organization for three years, and have continued to work primarily for not-for-profit organizations since then. I have had better and worse experiences along the way, but the high-quality organizations have been able to provide three key elements that have kept me committed to this career track.
First, I am drawn to organizations with a compelling vision and mission for doing the work I care most about.
Second, they offer explicit, structured professional development opportunities. At Partners in School Innovation, I worked full-time in a school four days a week and had a full day of structured professional development once a week. I learned everything from instructional strategies and educational reform models to meeting management, conflict resolution, and situational leadership, all in a classroom setting in our offices, led by the co-directors or experts they brought in. The organization later hired a director of professional development.
Third, challenging and unique work experiences are necessary--especially for people at the beginning of their careers. As a recent college graduate interested in education reform, I was thrilled to work directly with the principal of a large urban elementary school and her leadership team on their top priorities for whole-school change. While I knew that the hours were long and the pay was not great, I had incredible job satisfaction because I was working on an initiative that had real potential to make a difference for the communities I cared about.
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Amy Atlas, 32, director of university relations, eEducation Group, Los Angeles
I spent five years working at a nonprofit organization while in my 20s. While many of my friends were making their mark in the corporate world, moving up the ladder and earning higher and higher salaries, I felt stuck in an organization where my talents were developed--but only to a point--and my energy level was dampened by lack of opportunity.
Though I was not particularly happy in my work, I felt grateful to have secure employment while I figured out what I really wanted to do with my life; the 40-hour week allowed me the flexibility to take classes unrelated to my job and to attempt to discover what kind of career I wanted. While I was doing this, however, the organization lost out on the opportunity to keep me long-term. I was not offered professional development or opportunities for advancement. Neither my title nor my responsibilities changed during my five years there, and, unfortunately, I was too inexperienced to know that I could expect more.
That organization lost out on my potential leadership when I took a position in the corporate world, joining the booming Internet economy. It was not the money and stock options that drew me away, but the lure of expanding my skills and being in an environment where good work and high energy seemed to be better rewarded. In the corporate sector, I have found exactly what I'd been seeking. I would certainly consider going back to a nonprofit, but only to an organization that provides opportunity for advancement and has the will to invest in its people.
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Nicole Humphrey, 29, research analyst, Los Angeles County Children and Families First Proposition 10 Commission
In my opinion, nonprofits have trouble retaining young talent for three reasons. The first is the lack of professional development. Skill building and the opportunity to grow as employees and individuals are important in any field, but especially important in one that relies on people who feel passionately and personally about their work. Some organizations think that conferences, training, and skill building are frills that they can't afford. I think they can't afford not to make their staff feel good about themselves. I stayed at my last nonprofit job an additional six to nine months because of the training I was offered there.
Second is pay. Most people who choose the nonprofit world will tell you that they don't go into it for the money (which is good because there isn't much money there). They, however, still need to meet basic needs, and a realistic salary is important. If you look at the nonprofit workforce, the staff is primarily young women. While nonprofits may not be able to pay high salaries, family-friendly policies (working at home, telecommuting, child care on site, etc.) can go a long way toward creating the kind of non-cash goodwill that keeps people at a job. Days off, bonuses, and salary increases help too.
Third is good management; real management takes talent, skill, and perseverance. Bad managers are weeded out through "the market" in the private sector (most of the time), but the emotionally attached nonprofit employees often expect mediocrity or worse in management. Processes like quality improvement and evaluation can help improve the effectiveness of an organization or program, but honest assessments of the management systems and personal relationships can provide an enormous key to the problem of turnover in nonprofits. Management is not a synonym for "I care about this place" or "I've devoted myself to low-paying jobs," and too often this commitment (is it martyrdom?) is more damaging to a talented staff than low pay or long commutes or any of the other commonly cited reasons for turnover. Coaching, organizational development consulting, and honesty are badly needed approaches in this sector.
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Melissa Wickman, 27, planning and development director, Inner-City Games, Philadelphia
After graduating from college, I was hired as a program associate for a private operating foundation in Los Angeles even though I had no grant making experience. Fortunately, my supervisors perceived training as a valuable asset for their staff. In turn, my understanding and productivity increased thanks to my continued education and the realization that my supervisors cared about my personal and professional development. I worked with the organization for three years and would have remained longer had I not been required to relocate to the east coast.
After my move, I had the opportunity to work as a project manager for a consulting firm that provided services to nonprofit organizations. In that situation I received no training. Although I tried my best with the available resources, I experienced little growth and a lot of frustration. Consequently, I decided to leave after only six months.
At this time, I serve as a planning and development director for a growing nonprofit organization where I am responsible for fundraising and program evaluation. Thankfully I am once again working under a supervisor who encourages her staff to participate in professional development as a way to increase our skills, strengthen our organization, and achieve our mission of improving the lives of our clients. My formal professional development is a combination of workshops, courses, and conferences. Of course, all of these can be cost-prohibitive, so we are active in applying for scholarships and grants to allow us to participate.
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Cindy Levey, 32, manager, health promotion and education, L.A. Care Health Plan
I believe that nonprofits offer great opportunities in professional development for young people. In order to attract and retain talented staff, nonprofits should emphasize both the mission of the organization, as well as the job skills that can be gained by joining the team. This development should be made available to staff through cross-training, mentoring, and meeting staff interests. In the end, nonprofits will benefit from an even more talented and professional staff that can work more effectively together toward the organizational mission.
My experience as executive director of a small social service center in an under-served neighborhood in Los Angeles set an excellent precedent for learning and challenges in my professional life years later. The position was most satisfying for its exposure to all aspects of running an organization and for the excitement that comes from keeping abreast of, and on track with, multiple programs, projects, and people. The experience was most challenging in relation to the lack of training, commitment, and accountability of the board of directors. This is often an issue in small organizations with little funding for full-time staff and a solid staff structure. While I gained an opportunity to develop and refine board members' skills and the organizational mission, board member support was not consistent or enthusiastic. My own motivation to move forward was not sustained or fostered.
In my present position as manager of a team of masters-level health educators at a large mission-driven health care organization, I have the opportunity to be creative and innovative in programming backed by financial and management support. My organization offers in-house training in Excel and Access, as well as both in-person and online training in an array of management specialties. The organization also pays for outside training and conferences when necessary and applicable to work. The positive effects of supportive management and the availability of team members' support with varied expertise make the planning and implementation of projects satisfying, outcome-oriented, and successful.
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Christopher Knauf, 32, litigation staff attorney, Western Law Center for Disability Rights, Los Angeles
It's not surprising that nonprofits have trouble retaining young professionals, especially in urban areas where the cost of living is much higher than a nonprofit can afford to pay. In my view, unless nonprofit staffers are die-hard, true believers in the cause, or have financial resources from a spouse or family, economics will tend to drive them out, particularly when thinking about starting a family or buying a home. In my case, I'm not sure how long I'll be able to devote myself to a public interest career given the high cost of living in Los Angeles.
Other than the financial issue, I have very high job satisfaction. My job as a disability rights lawyer, which I have held for three years, offers me new challenges every day, provides me with training and room for growth, and, ultimately, is simply very fun because of the wonderful people I work with. As professional staff (as opposed to administrative staff), I have a fair amount of freedom to shape my work and responsibilities--I take cases I want to take, my opinions are always considered, and I therefore feel greatly invested in the work we do. If my work were routine or rote, I definitely would not have lasted as long as I have.
As a lawyer, I have mandatory continuing education requirements. Most trainings are done outside the office, but we do sometimes hold in-house trainings. The trainings I attend are generally very helpful and provide me with significant skill and career development. As a result, my job satisfaction is enhanced by the quality of these trainings. If I did not attend them, I would lose out on many opportunities not only to enhance my skills, but also to network with other lawyers. Many lawyers in my field attend the same trainings, so it's great to be able to share experiences and otherwise network and socialize.
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Deborah Raucher, 32, housing coordinator, Tenderloin Housing Clinic, San Francisco
There are three things that can help retain employees in the nonprofit world. The first is continuously offering increased responsibilities to valuable employees. In my case, Tenderloin Housing Clinic (THC) is a very dynamic agency, which is always expanding and developing new programs. When new programs have been created, I have been given an opportunity to help form and eventually oversee them. If the agency is not expanding, this can also be accomplished by promoting people internally. Especially if the organization is larger, positions that become vacant should be advertised first among existing employees and valued employees should be encouraged to apply. Another way to increase responsibilities is by reorganizing job descriptions. At THC we undergo a reorganization probably at least once a year in order to restructure people's jobs to meet their needs. If management knows that somebody is feeling bored they will sit down with them and discuss what new responsibilities they would like to take on to make them feel more satisfied with their job. An example is a colleague of mine who wanted to move from being the administrative coordinator to being the fiscal coordinator. When she made her wish known, THC decided to pay for her to take basic accounting classes. Organizations need to be flexible in order to accommodate structural changes and not get stuck in a rut, where they cannot change with the needs of the organization and its employees.
The second is money. Although nonprofit employees are generally not motivated primarily by money and don't expect to achieve salaries on par with the private sector, recognizing that someone is valuable by giving them a raise can go a long way towards retaining them.
The third is to create a pleasant work environment that makes people want to stay. Offering as much flexibility as possible, including employees in decision-making processes, and being responsive to employees' concerns all create an environment in which people feel valued and satisfied. A rigid or oppressive environment won't generally keep talented people for very long.
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