Organizational Development

The gaps in employee skills that employers talk about the most are not technical, math, or reading problems. Instead, employers’ top concern is the lack of soft skills needed for success in almost every role. Soft skills such as planning, resolving conflicts, and handling change are just a few skills that employers are looking for in quality employees.

© North Carolina Center for Nonprofit Organizations, Inc. From Common Ground, a publication of the N.C. Center for Nonprofits, www.ncnonprofits.org.

In this publication, GEO offers background on what capacity building is, what approaches are working for grantmakers and their grantees, and how to tailor an approach that best suits the needs of nonprofits and communities.

Most procrastination-fighting techniques focus on changing your behavior: just get started, take action, any kind of action. But a recent study suggests a different approach: being kind to yourself.

An important aspect of any effective search strategy is the search structure, which refers to the people who will be involved in each hiring process and the roles that they will play. Developing an appropriate structure for each search will ensure that the hire is made in accordance with the needs, values, and capacity of your organization. In developing the search structure, you will want to make sure that the stages in the search process are appropriately designated. 

Doing good is tough work, and consensus shows that many do-gooders face more resource restraints than their private sector peers. With the stress of impressing your manager or your peers, the pressure to produce superb programs, and the weight of scrutiny from regulatory bodies, funders, and the general public, it's easy to burn out fast. 

10 Ways to Definitely Burn Out as a Nonprofit Employee (WildApricot.com, 2020)

Capacity building is not just about the capacity of a nonprofit today -- it's about the nonprofit’s ability to deliver its mission effectively now, and in the future. Capacity building is an investment in the effectiveness and future sustainability of a nonprofit. (National Council of Nonprofits)

What is Capacity Building?

Whether it’s a consultant to facilitate organizational planning, develop a capital fundraising campaign, or help the board and staff navigate an organizational merger, professionals can often provide the expertise we all need from time to time to better manage our nonprofits. There are many considerations when hiring and engaging consultants. This guide is meant to provide you with some basic tips for hiring, interviewing, and working with consultants to ensure that your experience is productive and worthwhile.

One of the most rewarding things about serving as a nonprofit board member is the opportunity it affords to help create positive change. This resource from BoardSource–11 Key Ingredients of Growth–presents 11 ingredients Billy Shore, founder and chief executive officer of Share Our Strength, identified as key to Share Our Strength’s growth and success during a difficult economic period. These ingredients include:

"Nonprofit employers face a unique set of challenges. They are always trying to do more with less — fewer staff members, less support, less funding. A combination of these pressures can result in poor employment practices, even when one thinks they are doing 'the right thing.' Engaging in best practices with nonprofit employees will result in helping to decrease employee turnover and retain high performers. It will also help identify problem employees who might otherwise fly under the radar or be the low performing 'hot potato' that gets passed between departments."

Use LinkedIn's services dedicated to nonprofits to find employees, recruit board members, volunteers, and donors, as well as bolster your organization's social media presence in local networks of professionals and institutions.

Learn more at: https://nonprofit.linkedin.com