Non-Profit Leadership: More Challenging Than Ever
An old friend came to visit me here in Mexico a few weeks ago for some much needed R&R. She has spent her entire career as a dedicated nonprofit professional. Last fall, she began a new job at a large public university.
The first night, over margaritas, I asked, “How’s the big new job?”
“It’s been challenging,” she said. “I spend nearly all my time managing people — not fundraising, which is what I love to do.”
She’s not alone; it’s a common theme. Nonprofit leadership has never been easy, but since the pandemic, the rules have changed, the hurdles are higher, and the problems are bigger.
Just think about how different things are since 2020. The pandemic hit and now, there is no playbook. The only thing we know for sure is, “that’s the way we’ve always operated” doesn’t work anymore — we are building the plane while flying it.
In particular, two big things have shifted:
Thing #1: Changing Expectations About Compensation and Culture
COVID-19 didn’t just alter how and where we work.It also shifted expectations regarding the extent to which employers are involved in employee care and well-being.
The pandemic was a time when we all became more vulnerable and open. We got to know each other’s families, living situations, and personal lives. There was a lot of checking in and concern regarding our coworkers’ emotional stability.
That increased amount of handholding is now baked into the job of a leader. The pandemic may be over, but the expectation that employers will continue to be much more individual-focused — as opposed to mostly team-focused — isn’t going anywhere.
The challenge, even beyond the extra time and effort required, is not all managers have the skill or desire to do what is needed. Many were tolerant during the pandemic but now want to return to “the way things used to be.”
Well, it ain’t happening. Today’s younger generation of workers has always wanted more freedom, more support, more opportunity … pretty much more everything. COVID-19 has only accelerated and solidified that orientation. And not just for them, but for all of us.
Thing #2: Talent Retention Is Harder
Nonprofits have always been under-resourced by staff and by budget. That’s just the nature of the work.
Now, with unemployment at record lows and staff expectations as described above, staffing has become a revolving door. Average tenure for a fundraiser at a nonprofit is about 16-24 months, a reality that represents a lot of wasted effort in hiring, onboarding, and training when the person in whom you’ve invested leaves for greener pastures.
Oh, and I almost forgot to mention… today’s workforce consists of five generations (sometimes on the same team!), from the "silent generation" all the way down to last year’s new grads. Good luck planning an offsite that meets everyone’s dietary requirements, let alone developing a sense of belonging and a commitment around a shared goal and strategy.
The fact is, today’s managers need to be psychologists… but they lack the formal training.
Some Solutions…
Be candid.
About what your organization is and isn’t. That’s the best hope you have of bringing in people who are the right fit. Otherwise, they are going to turn around and leave, and you’ll be right back to square one. As Brené Brown has said, Clear is kind; unclear is unkind.
Change quickly.
We used to set goals at the start of the year and see how we did at the end. The world is changing too fast and the territory is filled with too many unknowns for that approach. Today’s successful leaders assess, evaluate, and pivot continually.
Position the team for success.
That means setting realistic goals and doing all you can to help your team thrive, whether through mentorships, flexible work arrangements, professional development, etc. Whatever is needed to keep your people learning, growing, and performing at their best. And not leaving!
We Are Not Going Back
All of this is here to stay.As managers, it’s up to us to do the adapting.
Read as much as you can, take professional development classes, and educate yourself about the generations you are less familiar with.
We need to figure this out so we can retain our employees, grow our nonprofits, and succeed as leaders!
P.S. Researchers recently reviewed 69 articles focused on the management implications of the Covid-19 pandemic that were published between March 2020 and July 2023 in top journals in management and applied psychology. The review highlights the numerous ways in which employees, teams, leaders, organizations, and societies were impacted and offers lessons for managing through future pandemics or other events of mass disruption. Read it here.