The Future of Workforce Development for Nonprofits

At long last, I’ve transcribed my notes from the ASAE Volunteer Leaders Retreat last November in Omaha.

Workforce development for our organizations comprises recruiting and retaining talent.

Biggest challenges for associations in talent management:

1.       Attracting diverse qualified candidates

2.       Assessing skills in interviews

3.       Identifying characteristics of an ideal new hire

3 Keys to Retention

1.       Promotion opportunities

2.       Competitive compensation

3.       Satisfaction with their managers

Core elements of a workforce plan:

1.       Flexible systems

2.       Professional management strategies

3.       Engaged culture

4.       Diversity and inclusion initiatives

5.       Impactful reward structure

How do we define our current and future workforce?

1.       Use data to understand who should be part of your workforce now and in the future

2.       Develop recruitment and retention plans with associated process improvement strategies

3.       Collect and analyze workforce metrics.

How do we ensure that we build a diverse workforce?

1.       Address bias in recruitment process

2.       Perform data analysis of D&I management policies

What rewards does the workforce find compelling that are effective and equitable?

1.       Data informed salary structures

2.       Benefits relevant to the association, geography, workforce, etc. For example, one Montana organization offers discounts to outdoor sports stores and offers days off to fish and do other outdoor activities

3.       Connect mission outcomes with work. Connect things that people are doing with changes happening in the world

How do we create an engaged culture that makes people feel happy and heard/respected?

1.       Develop high functioning managers

2.       Identify channels for two-way communication between staff and leadership (e.g. stay interviews to see what’s energizing or sapping staff)

3.       Create a core management and mission strategy. Hold people accountable, but support them as well

4.       What will you do if your best performer is your worst behaver?

How to cultivate and encourage talented professionals

1.       Career and job pathways

2.       Communication plan around the community of associations

How do we plan for change in the workforce and the way we work in light of the gig economy and the onset of intelligent systems like AI and machine learning?

1.       Deploy tech solutions that allow working from anywhere

2.       Review process employment law related to gig economy

3 Aha! Moments

1.       Why not use “stay interviews” rather than exit interviews? It’s a way to retain staff and make positive changes before people get jaded

2.       The gig economy is here to stay, and so is remote work

3.       What will make us make significant changes? Ask yourself, “Am I dissatisfied enough to make a significant change?”

Volunteer successes and challenges

1.       Going back to the same old volunteers for everything—pluses and minuses

2.       No succession planning for volunteers

3.       Good volunteers but no bench

4.       What about volunteers who won’t transition out because they like power or claim ownership?

5.       For volunteers who become staff, thought process has to shift

If you can only do 2 things in workforce planning:

1.       Document all processes that are part of your organization’s recruitment efforts

2.       Look at workforce elements of every part of your strategic plan

Rewards and Recognition: Are you being thoughtful about who you have and who you are trying to attract?

1.       One way to recognize staff is to promote their leadership in industry groups or acquisition of certifications (in the case of ASIS, that includes leadership in ASAE, ANSI, ASBPE, etc., and certifications like CAE and PMP).

Some talent acquisition hurdles:

1.       Tight market at bottom: salary wars, ghosting interviews, lack of talent, etc.

2.       Tight market at top: Lots of good competition for CEOs, though there is need for talent elsewhere in C suite, such as CFO

3.       Meeting Diversity and Inclusion goals

4.       Lack of resources to hire

5.       Need for immediate staff

6.       Remote work = global competition

7.       Jaded staff members taint new employees

8.       Fear of “good” turnover

9.       High competition in DC

Future of Volunteerism (10+ year horizon)

1.       Technology dominates

a.       Automation

b.       Communication

2.       Diversity of talent

a.       As population ages, need to rely on older workers as volunteers

b.       Increasingly diverse USA

3.       Flexible roles/structures

a.       New business models

b.       Gig economy

c.       Project-based

d.       Create “job descriptions” for volunteers and match them to ideal opportunities

4.       Need to overcommunicate to volunteers and appreciate them

5.       Blurring of staff/volunteer roles

6.       Reduce friction in obtaining/orienting volunteers

a.       Explaining ROI

b.       Incentives but accountability

c.       Interview people to see what work experience would be most valuable

Some ideas for volunteerism in the future

1.       Onboard volunteers with 3-5 minute video clips on specific topics (such as how to make travel plans through travel service provider and sign up for security updates on app)

2.       Create and update specific volunteer role descriptions

3.       Look for unconscious bias in job descriptions

4.       Look for opportunities in the philanthropic world