Whether your nonprofit is staffed solely by volunteers, or
positions at least partially paid, your people are your organisation’s most
valuable asset. Your staff is the creative engine for identifying problems and
finding new solutions to hard questions as well as accomplishing all of the
hard work that benefits your service community. Without them, it’s impossible
to create meaningful impact.
Despite their importance to achieving your goals, many
nonprofit’s neglect their staff’s needs, and the results show up as a loss of
worker productivity, donor engagement and your beneficiaries’ satisfaction.
To keep your staff on task and fully engaged, you must look
after them, and find ways to increase the enjoyment that they experience
working with your organisation. The following strategies can boost
your team’s morale and keep them motivated to help your NFP meet its objectives
and goals.
Spruce up the
Workspace
The environment that we work in can have a direct, immediate
impact on our energy levels, mood and sense of well-being. Give your team a
boost by investing in quality lighting, including natural sources of light, and
ensuring that they have the tools, material and equipment that they need to
perform their work well.
This means investing in quality, ergonomically designed
desks, chairs, computers and other hardware for office workers, and providing laptops and other mobile devices for workers that telecommute or
otherwise work off-site. Invest in current software and other upgrades to
ensure that your best people don’t become frustrated by hanging apps and lost data that sap willpower and decrease productivity.
Do Something
Different, Exciting, and Fun as a Team
Team building exercises are great for increasing comradery
and morale and helping your people learn how to cooperate and collaborate with
one another. You could do something simple, such as hosting an office party or have
a potluck at work, where everyone contributes a dish to a group meal, but why
not make this event something to truly remember by hosting an offsite event.
If you have the budget, schedule your staff to take a joint
field trip to a local amusement park, enjoy a picnic together on the beach.
Whatever activity you choose, take steps to ensure that it is something that
most of your staff will enjoy.
Perks and Rewards
Have Their Place
While they should never take the place of just compensation
that is due to your staff, partnering with third parties to offer meaningful
rewards for exceptional service and dedication can help you show your staff
that you do truly appreciate their effort and hard work.
To make sure that your rewards program is hitting the
mark, conduct a survey to find out what types of rewards most
appeal, and then work on incorporating as many of these ideas as
possible into your program.
Be Flexible with Time
Commitments
Another way to show your team that you understand their
needs and value them for the unique people that they are is to offer schedules
and time commitments that take into consideration real-world needs. Look for
ways to allow team members to trade shifts and tasks to help them be able to
meet their commitments to your nonprofit and their personal lives. Try to allow
as many of your staff as possible to work remotely and offer multiple shifts
and ranges of time for your people to have as many opportunities to work
helping out at your NFP into their other obligations.
Provide Praise and
Public Recognition
Everyone likes to have their hard work acknowledged and an
appropriate level of gratitude expressed for their effort. Use your social
media channels to give shout-outs to your team, host awards ceremonies, and
otherwise publish notifications of your staff’s dedication to your
organisation. In addition to these larger, more public efforts, never neglect
an opportunity to “catch” your people doing something right and offer them
praise on the spot.
Whether it’s a firm handshake and a heartfelt thank you
spoken out loud or sending thanks in an email on a daily basis, let your team
know how much their work means to you and your nonprofit! The more you can express your gratitude to your people, the more likely they will be thankful for the opportunities that your organisation offers them to help your
service community!
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