Improving Your Nonprofit's Work Culture: 4 Strategies
- Nonprofit Learning Lab
- 4 minutes ago
- 4 min read
This is a guest blog.
Nonprofits are used to doing more with less. This means many nonprofits’ employees are used to a fast-paced work environment, wearing many different hats, and sometimes working long hours. However, even if your nonprofit is strapped for resources, it can still have a positive work culture.
A strong work culture is essential for maintaining employee morale and trust, especially during times of change and uncertainty. When your employees know what is expected of them and feel supported at your organization, they’re more likely to stick with your nonprofit long-term, take an investment in their work, and go the extra mile to serve your community.
To help improve your nonprofit’s HR and culture, this guide will share tips for creating a work environment where employees can thrive.
1. Show appreciation.
Your nonprofit’s staff want to know their work is meaningful, and showing appreciation is an easy way to let them know their individual contributions are seen and valued. eCardWidget’s guide to employee appreciation provides a few recognition ideas that any organization, including nonprofits, can implement:
Gifts. Gift cards, free lunches, and branded merchandise from your nonprofit all make for small but memorable gifts. Show employees you appreciate them by providing little perks like these on special occasions, such as their birthdays or at the conclusion of a major project.
Employee spotlights. Give your employees a bit of public recognition and highlight the good work your team does through employee spotlights. These might be posted on social media, your nonprofit’s blog, or your email newsletter. Regardless of format, each spotlight should feature a photograph of the recognized employee and a description of their accomplishments that earned them the spotlight.
eCards. Electronic greeting cards allow you to deliver a fun, heartfelt message to your employees instantly via email, text, or social media. Many organizations that use eCards to appreciate employees will design cards to emphasize different organizational values, so employees know exactly what they’re being recognized for. This means that your nonprofit can celebrate employees for being reliable team members, showing compassion to others, or going the extra mile for a fundraiser.
When it comes to appreciation, there’s no need to pick just one recognition method. By showing your thanks in both big and small ways—from official benefits to saying “thank you” at the end of each work day—you can cultivate a culture of appreciation where employees know they’re valued.
2. Maintain transparent communication.
Even during turbulent times, employees will trust and stick with your nonprofit when they understand why leadership is making certain decisions and how various changes will affect their day-to-day work. This makes transparent communication essential.
While you don’t need to communicate every minute detail about your operations to employees, be sure to maintain transparency around:
Compensation changes. Having open, frank conversations about your nonprofit’s compensation practices helps employees understand how and why their benefits change. In particular, Astron Solutions recommends discussing direct compensation (salaries, overtime pay, etc.), indirect compensation (retirement benefits, paid time off, etc.), and if and when changes will be made to either form of compensation.
Organizational updates. Inform your employees when major changes happen at your organization, such as team expansions, leadership changes, or shifting priorities. While you don’t need to provide the exact details of why someone is leaving your organization or what your financials are after changing your program scope, keeping employees in the loop prevents confusion and anxiety.
Operational developments. While individual employees and teams have their own focuses, ensure they know about developments happening at other parts of your nonprofit. Doing so can help employees from different teams better understand and appreciate one another, while also potentially improving their own job performance. For example, by keeping your fundraising team up to date on your latest programming changes, they can better communicate your impact and goals to donors.
There are several ways to communicate updates to your nonprofit’s staff. You might have managers relay updates to their directs, host all-hands meetings, or send emails on an ad hoc basis to report major changes as they are finalized.
3. Get leadership involved.
Fundraising professionals understand the power of social proof in cultivating supporter involvement. The same general principles apply to your nonprofit’s work culture programs. When leadership and managers participate, the rest of your employees will feel incentivized to join in as well.
Encourage senior members of your nonprofit to participate in both casual and official work events. This can range from going out to dinner with employees after work to arranging structured activities, like having members of leadership spend a day working alongside your program volunteers.
The goal of leadership participation should be to form connections with employees. When your employees can connect personally with their managers and other senior staff, they’ll feel more comfortable in the workplace, which in turn improves teamwork, trust, and engagement.
4. Hire for cultural fit.
“Hiring for cultural fit” does not necessarily mean only hiring employees with the exact same backgrounds, skill sets, and life experiences. Rather, it means assessing whether candidates share your organizational values, would be able to work well with your current team, and have the capacity to thrive in your nonprofit’s work environment.
For example, if your nonprofit is hiring for a position that involves primarily independent work and decision-making, you might have trouble retaining an employee who values social connection and community. Assess the individual skills, values, and temperaments needed for individual positions and your nonprofit’s team as a whole before your next round of hiring.
You can assess candidates for cultural fit by asking open-ended questions about how they have responded to specific scenarios, like making a mistake at work, in the past. The right answer to questions like these will depend on your nonprofit’s unique work culture.
Additionally, remember that just as your nonprofit evaluates potential new hires during the interview process, candidates are also assessing your organization. Craft job descriptions and a hiring process that clearly communicate your nonprofit’s expectations, provide candidates with the information they need about the position they’re applying for, and respect everyone’s time.
Nonprofits with strong work cultures tend to have employees who are engaged, loyal, and passionate. Improve your organization’s work environment and prevent burnout by assessing your current communication and hiring policies. Then, refine your approach to improve transparency, provide benefits where possible, and instill personal connections.
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