Nonprofit HR News

Engagement – An Employee and Employer Benefit: Four Pro Tips from the Field

by Tamara Rasberry, SHRM-CP, PHR Employee engagement is a hot topic in the workplace right now, and for good reason. Not to be confused with employee satisfaction or happiness, employee engagement refers to the extent to which an employee is mentally and emotionally invested in their work and the organization. It has been proven that high engagement levels benefit both individuals and organizations. Some of the benefits of high engagement...

Six Ways to Use Talent Analytics to Improve Nonprofit Hiring Decisions

How is your nonprofit utilizing data? If your nonprofit is among those interested in making actionable talent analytics a priority, where should you start? Here are six high impact actions you can take to begin using data to drive better people practices today. 1. Identify which types of employees are a flight risk and use that data to inform future recruitment and retention practices It’s no secret that turnover is...

2018 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act Scheduled to Take Effect Mid-May

  As you may know, the 2018 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was signed into law late in 2017. While this new bill provided a tax break for businesses, the overall outcome of the law is proving to be problematic for nonprofits, as shown in our blog article on how the new tax law affects pre-tax transportation benefits for nonprofits. The new law requires employers to pay taxes on...

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...

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...

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...

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...

Last Year’s Impact: 2017 by the Numbers and a Look Ahead at 2018

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...

Accelerating Nonprofit Board Diversity

We recently discussed the issue of elitism in social sector leadership and proposed a few potential solutions. However, this problem isn’t exclusive to leadership staff; the vast majority of nonprofit organizations lack diversity on their boards as well. That is especially concerning because developing a diverse leadership team, recruiting and retaining a diverse staff, and serving a population with diverse needs and backgrounds are all more difficult with a...