Despite a number of open positions, many sectors are continuing to struggle when it comes to acquiring new employees—and these challenges are not limited to just hiring. The ongoing nature of the Great Resignation means that organizations are also still working on strategies for retaining their staff. In both cases, these situations are leading to current employees having to shoulder a growing amount of work, which is unsustainable if leaders want to hire and retain the people on their teams.
As organizations that must stretch every available resource, nonprofits must foster a workplace environment that makes staff members and their needs a top priority. To prevent current team members from shouldering an even heavier workload, 14 Forbes Nonprofit Council members offer tips on how nonprofit leaders can address a staff shortage and implement solutions that benefit all sides.
Members of Forbes Nonprofit Council share strategies leaders can use to handle and address staff shortages.
Photos courtesy of the individual members.1. Foster Open Communication
Being short-staffed is nothing new in the nonprofit realm, so leaders must be willing to face the challenges associated with staffing. Creating an open line of communication with your team and leadership is key. Your team should also be aware of any staffing opportunities and have an understanding of what leadership is doing to address any issues. Expanding volunteering opportunities can also help. - Christopher Dipnarine, 4MyCiTy Inc.
2. Perform An Internal Assessment Of Needs
A time of austerity or being short-staffed can actually be a great time to assess your needs, confirming your priorities and your capacity to meet those needs and priorities. Ask yourself if there are opportunities to consolidate roles. Also, consider whether you can engage volunteers (particularly in advisory board or council member capacities) in new and different ways to extend capacity and increase impact. - Yolanda Watson Spiva, Complete College America, Inc.
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3. Hire Volunteers And Interns
Welcome volunteers and interns who don't yet want to commit but believe in the cause. They will support your professional team. The cost-benefit of time spent delegating responsibility pays off in increased productivity, less stress and more team spirit. It also creates a reservoir of goodwill with your stakeholders and builds a pipeline of people with experience for later. - Puvan Selvanathan, Bluenumber
4. Identify Roles And Gaps
One of the practical things we have done is identify who does what on a team and what areas are uncovered. When that happens, we then understand what parts of the work could be subcontracted or done on a gig basis. Use platforms like Upwork and Fivver to relieve some of the burdens for items that can be quickly managed outside the organization. - Erin Mote, InnovateEDU
5. Check In With Your Staff
I think it is important to bring this issue to the forefront by openly discussing how the current team is managing the workload. It is also an opportunity to evaluate the work. Consider what must be done, what should be done and what could be done as resources allow. Bringing the team together to evaluate the options and path forward is a way to boost morale, ownership and empowerment. - Sterrin Bird, Salesforce
6. Be Transparent
The truth is employees don’t perform at their best in an environment with limited resources. Leaders should mention the elephant in the room by recognizing out loud with their team that the organization is in a transitional period and hiring new staff members is a top priority. Thereafter, leaders should also consider promotion opportunities for those staff members expected to cover any vacant roles. - Dr. Lilian Ajayi-Ore, Global Connections for Women Foundation
7. Ensure You're Properly Compensating Employees
The most practical thing we can do to recruit and maintain talent is to pay them properly. Combined with a focus on company culture, compensation in the social sector should match our for-profit equivalents. Martyrdom is a horrible business model, and it's past time to change the way we see nonprofit payroll. Turnover is much more expensive than an industry average salary. - Sarah Evans, WellBeyond
8. Offer Flexibility
Offer more flexibility wherever and whenever possible. For example, consider job sharing to allow two employees to work in the same position and split the work. We know that remote or hybrid work is the norm these days but so is contracting with agencies or individuals to work temporarily to ease the load until more permanent solutions are found. - Kimberly Lewis, Goodwill Industries of East Texas, Inc.
9. Leverage The Gig Economy
Platforms like Fiverr and freelancer.com allow nonprofits and small businesses to outsource project work to subject matter experts without adding an additional burden on existing staff. As a bonus, this outsourcing is an opportunity for current staff to gain experience supervising contractor work and experience project management. - Christina Allrich, Beta Gamma Sigma
10. Tap Into Your Network
Leverage the relationships of your existing board members and volunteers and their passion for your organization. They all have an extensive network of friends, family and associates. They can also speak to the impact of the organization and champion the mission and movement. - Courtney Smith, Detroit Phoenix Center
11. Have A Conversation With Board Members
Talk to your board to help them understand that things may take longer, some ideas may require more education and relentless prioritization is a real thing. Make sure the board understands the circumstances and appreciates—in a very open way—the staff that is working on delivering the mission of the organization on their behalf. Embrace the issue and embrace your people. - Magdalena Nowicka Mook, ICF (International Coaching Federation)
12. Divide Up Tasks Based On Importance
Begin dividing up all employee tasks into the three categories of “must have,” “nice to have” and “optional,” using whatever labels make sense in your context. The point is to make sure that you have clearly communicated the tasks that cannot be allowed to fall off the table. Often, we respond to overwork by going after low-hanging fruit, but those simpler tasks may not be mission-critical. - Gloria Horsley, Open to Hope
13. Provide Tools
Streamline the burden for your team by utilizing every possible resource. There are so many affordable platforms that can assist your team in assigning tasks, tracking deliverables and communicating effectively. Shouldering a heavy workload is common when working in a nonprofit environment, so it's critical to provide the right tools to help get the work done. - Jessica Hall, American Eagle Foundation
14. Stay Focused On The Big Picture
Keep your team focused on the big picture by looking for big opportunities and setting up a positive and healthy organizational culture. Staying focused on big wins will generally translate into small wins that add up to getting to the bigger prize. Winning, positivity, encouragement and empowerment can serve as the fuel to accomplish more when the human capital tank may be running a little low. - Aaron Alejandro, Texas FFA Foundation
