Research tells us that most nonprofit fundraisers leave after 16-18 months. Penelope Burk of Cygnus Applied Research, Inc. found that it costs nonprofits $127,650 every time a fundraiser needs to be replaced. Here are some retention and succession planning strategies for combating nonprofit turnover.
Nonprofit Retention Strategies
In 2019, 1000 nonprofit workers were questioned for a study done by Bloomerang and Mazarine Treyz of Wild Woman Fundraising. From the results of that study, we compiled a few basic strategies to help nonprofits retain more employees and volunteers.
1. Acknowledge That There is Life Outside of Work
2. Provide Fair Pay
Offering competitive compensation can be a challenge for nonprofits, especially for smaller organizations on tight budgets. If this is the case, consider offering other benefits like flexible work hours. A study by Global Workplace Analytics found that over 35% of employees would choose flexible work hours over a pay raise and almost 10% were willing take a pay cut to get that flexibility.
3. Offer a Supportive Work Environment
When asked what was important in terms of workplace qualities, among the top ten requests were a flexible work schedule, paid continuing education, supportive supervisor and board, top quality tools and software, and on-site childcare.
Consider these things when thinking about ways to improve the workplace to retain employees at your nonprofit.
4. Offer Training and Development Opportunities
Her advice: Start giving less experienced staff more opportunity now. 50% of senior professional fundraisers Burk surveyed will retire within the next decade. When the baby boomers leave, the next generation of fundraisers has to be ready to take their place. Training less experienced staff to shoulder more responsibility now not only satisfies younger employees and persuades them to stay, but it also gives their bosses some much-needed relief right now.
About the Author: PartnerHR is part of the Silent Partner Software family, a company dedicated to providing exceptional software and services to nonprofits. PartnerHR software is built by a team who is dedicated to help bridge the technology gaps in nonprofit human resources and management. With over 25 years of service, Silent Partner continues to help organizations streamline HR management with easy to use, cloud-based HR software designed and priced specifically for nonprofits. Learn more.
