“Upper leadership tends to try to ‘save’ departing employees rather than push to retain them outright. HR is constantly fighting an uphill battle and some staffers communicate their needs but at times feel unheard". This is one of many quotes from nonprofit leaders who are struggling to increase retention rates in their organization.

According to a report published by Nonprofit HR, 42% of nonprofit leaders anticipated an increase in staff turnover rates from 2020 to 2021. For employees under 30, Black, and in entry-level positions staff retention is particularly difficult. While there are a variety of reasons for staff turnover, the most common reasons included lack of opportunity for growth, dissatisfaction with culture and compensation or a better opportunity presented. The cost of losing an employee can be anywhere from 25% to 200% of that employee’s salary. The issue may seem daunting, but there are tangible ways for nonprofit leaders to increase retention.

Increase salaries

According to a 2023 study, salary was the…

In many ways, the hallmarks of a strong grant proposal are the same as the hallmarks of any good piece of writing. Factors like conciseness, voice, emotional appeal, strong subject matter and more will serve just as well in a grant proposal as they would in a high school essay. 

But grant writing also leaves more room for creativity than your traditional essay. 

While many specifications for a grant proposal are up to the funder, a host of other factors are up to the grant writer. Key creative decisions in a proposal can make or break its success. Below are some suggestions for a stronger grant proposal. 

Understand the funder

Grant applications encourage taking your reader into account. When you know which foundation or agency is reading your proposal, the content and message of a piece of writing can be tailor-made to resonate with its intended audience. Important factors such as the grantmaker’s values and priorities influence how they perceive any message. By understanding the funder before even beginning the writing process, you have the opportunity to ensure your message is the one that will stick.

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The health of the social sector is dependent on the trust instilled by its clients and community members that their existence will continue to serve the relative needs of the community. The immediate and sustained economic and social impact the nonprofit sector contributes to the communities it serves relies on the organizations within to be financially savvy and well-equipped to sustain its institutions for many years to come. Below are strategies that can be implemented into an organization’s strategic plan or as a full financial sustainability plan.

Develop a financial sustainability plan

Start by painting a picture of your organization’s full operational costs, all your revenue sources and their level of reliability, and of your assets and cash reserves. Next, identify areas where you may be financially vulnerable. Do you have less than a month’s worth of cash reserves? Have you never heard of proper policies and procedures? Or maybe 99% of your funding is sourced from a single entity. Whatever it may be, realize those areas where opportunity lives and build a plan from there.

Develop financial policies and procedures

Financial policies and procedures can…

A nonprofit organization is only as successful as the staff behind the mission. Building a successful team means attracting the right people for the right job, but what is the value of attracting the right talent if you cannot retain them? According to the Internal Revenue Service, there are more than 1.8 million registered charitable organizations in the United States, and nonprofits have the third largest workforce of any U.S. industry.

What does this mean?

Well, more organizations means more jobs which leads to more vacancies and the increase highlights the need for effective recruitment and retention strategies. A survey of over 1,000 nonprofit organizations throughout the U.S. was conducted by the National Council of Nonprofits in 2021 and looked at the rate of open positions at a given time. They found that nearly a quarter have 9% of their positions open, 34% reported a rate of 10-19%, 26% reported a rate of 20-29%, and over a fifth of those surveyed reported over 30% of their positions being open. That same survey reported salary, childcare, policies, stress or burnout, and the draw of remote work as factors that contributed to the vacancy rates.

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Janey Pearl Starks is the Equity, Diversity and Community Engagement Officer at Mountain Park Health Center, a nonprofit community health center that aims to provide affordable healthcare to people from all stages and walks of life.

Pearl Starks was a part of the 2018-19 class of the ASU Lodestar Center’s American Express (AmEx) Leadership Academy. She was later admitted to the prestigious AmEx 2.0 Leadership Academy program at the Aspen Institute, comprising competitively-selected alumni of AmEx leadership programs…