Category: Staffing

Employees are the lifeblood of an organization and depend on their leaders.  In the for-profit world, some hiring decisions are easier because an employee’s value can be measured in dollars and cents.  In the nonprofit world the metrics used by managers to evaluate employee value are ambiguous.   Looking at employees through a more humanistic … Continue reading On hiring: job descriptions, hiring plans and how to let go

I once walked into an organization that hired us and found out that they had multiple board members who had been on the board for longer than some of my friends had been alive. A board being comprised of the same members for 40 some-odd years is a major red flag.   What that says  is that the organization … Continue reading When to give a board member the boot

In the nonprofit world where raising funds is a constant focus and there is external pressure from donors to keep administrative costs low, there appears hypocrisy. We have all heard Executive Directors exclaim that they need additional staff. While the reality of “too much to do, not enough people to do it” is a valid … Continue reading Hiring for Success

Have you ever woken up one morning and thought, “You know what? I want to be a lawyer,” and proceeded to show up in a courtroom to try a case? Or perhaps you decided to be a firefighter and then jumped on a passing firetruck and ran into a burning building? Probably not, seeing as … Continue reading You had one job: hiring a Development Director

Whether you’re a hiring manager or a candidate out on the job hunt, it can be difficult to know at what stage certain questions are appropriate. One of the most interesting (and foggy) areas is salary and benefits. We have seen several clients hiring new staff who are taken aback by salary demands being issued … Continue reading Timing is everything: Discussing salary and benefits

When I first started working at nonprofits in the early 90’s one of the things that struck me as odd was that many of the organizations I worked for or interacted with had many of their staff positions turnover every year or two.  While I worked at organizations with small numbers (6-10 staff members), it … Continue reading What it means when we lose staff- How to increase retention