Prioritizing Social Sector Talent to Achieve Organizational Goals

  The most impactful and successful organizations are deliberate about how their work is organized, how their work is carried out, and how they use and develop their talent to achieve effectiveness. A capable team –– with the right tools, a clear understanding of mission and goals, and support from leadership –– can maximize your organization’s impact. On the flip side, if your organization fails to build a healthy culture and engage employees effectively, you can be sure your mission will suffer. Referring to our recent discussion regarding where your organization currently sits on the Talent Sustainability Continuum, if your

Where is your Organization on the Talent Sustainability Continuum?

  As nonprofit organizations strive to achieve a greater impact, unfortunately, talent remains a fairly low priority across the sector. This is a mistake. People are the primary drivers of nonprofit performance and impact. The most impactful and sustainable nonprofit organizations are those that understand just how interdependent organizational sustainability and talent sustainability truly are. Your organization simply cannot be sustainable without strong, intentional and integrated talent strategies and practices. To achieve talent sustainability, you need: Intentionality. To be truly intentional with your talent practices, understand that talent sustainability is not just a nice-to-have — it is an asset to be

7 Inspiring Female Nonprofit Leaders to Watch in 2018

According to the Chronicle of Philanthropy’s “Untapped Potential of Women in Nonprofits” report, 57 percent of women working in the sector –– and 72 percent of women aged 18 to 24 –– want to someday be CEO of a nonprofit. This is not the case in the private sector. In another study of for-profit companies, only 31 percent of female millennial respondents said they wanted to be a CEO. It seems that, despite some existing gender leadership and pay gaps, nonprofits will be at the forefront of women in leadership in the years to come. In honor of Women’s History

Nonprofit Leaders Discuss Pay, Power, Privilege: Gender Equity in the Social Sector

  Data clearly demonstrates that the gender pay gap and leadership inequalities remain prevalent in the nonprofit sector. Even though women make up 75 percent of the nonprofit workforce, women represent only 48 percent of board members and 42 percent of board chairs, according to the 2017 report, Leading with Intent. GuideStar’s 2016 Nonprofit Compensation Report found that female CEOs of nonprofits were paid 8 percent less than their male counterparts. And in the workforce as a whole, in 2015, women earned 83 percent of what men earned, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of both full- and part-time

Effective Talent Practices That Sustainable Nonprofits Share

When describing your nonprofit, does the word “sustainable” come to mind? How do you know if your organization is truly sustainable? According to Nell Edington, “nonprofit sustainability occurs when a nonprofit attracts and effectively uses enough and the right kinds of money necessary to achieve their long-term outcome goals.” Further, she says, “Nonprofit sustainability means that a nonprofit board and staff know what they want to accomplish, develop a smart strategy and business model, and use money as a tool to make it happen.” With this definition in mind, many nonprofit leaders may think of sustainability from a purely financial

The New Tax Law: Good for Business, Bad for Nonprofits

  Late in 2017, the largest tax reform bill in three decades was signed into law. A portion of the new the tax law is meant to significantly lower business taxes in the hope that lower business taxes would translate into more money for employees. However, the new tax law also cuts tax deductions for businesses, stating that with the lower tax brackets, employers will no longer need small tax deductions. One of these eliminated deductions was pre-tax commuter benefits employers provided to employees. Historically, both employees and employers have saved on taxes by contributing to commuter benefits on a

Department of Labor Adopts “Primary Beneficiary Test” for Unpaid Internships

  How should employers determine whether unpaid interns are entitled to compensation? On January 5, 2018, the U.S. Department of Labor issued the new “Primary Beneficiary Test” to help employers determine whether unpaid interns should be classified as employees under the Fair Labor Standards Act. The new test requires employers to consider these seven factors:  Both parties understand that the intern is not entitled to compensation. The internship provides training that would be given in an educational environment. The intern’s completion of the program entitles him or her to academic credit. The internship corresponds with the academic calendar. The internship

Nonprofit Diversity, Equity and Inclusion 2.0: Assessing Where You Are Today and Defining Where You Want to Be

  We frequently discuss the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in nonprofit organizations from boards and leadership all the way to entry-level employees and volunteers. As we’ve stated before, to maximize DEI in your organization, you must first understand and appreciate the value a diverse team of leaders, staff and volunteers brings to your organization’s mission. Additionally, achieving true DEI means taking into account more than just race, gender, sexual orientation and age. You must also consider diversity of ability, background, experience and thought. With all of this in mind, what does achieving each component of DEI look

Using HR Metrics for Nonprofit Strategy and Planning

HR metrics––also commonly referred to as an HR scorecard or dashboard, workforce and compliance statistics, key performance indicators (KPIs) or HR analytics––allow your organization to gather information from the past and present to forecast the future. These metrics can add strategic value to leadership decision-making by measuring the cost and impact of your talent related programs, and in turn, helping you improve organizational development, employee effectiveness and competitiveness as an employer. When you can see the quantitative impact of HR’s actions, you can provide that data to board members, donors, funders, staff and other key stakeholders to advocate for changes