5 Top Tips to Boost Your Nonprofit’s Employee Engagement

Engagement is a common topic of discussion in the mission-driven sphere, but most of these conversations focus on constituents, such as donors, board members, volunteers, and supporters. There’s another key group in the nonprofit community that’s often overlooked—employees.

Regardless of what type of nonprofit you run, your employees handle everything from event marketing to tax prep. They’re a crucial part of your organization’s backbone, and without them, you wouldn’t be able to further your mission. It’s just as worthwhile for you to focus on keeping employees engaged as the rest of your constituents.

If you’re not sure where to begin, we’re here to help. Let’s look at five tips to boost your nonprofit’s employee engagement and encourage them to keep up their good work.

1. Hire employees dedicated to your mission.

When people are genuinely interested in their role and what their employer is trying to accomplish, they’re often more engaged with their day-to-day responsibilities. As a nonprofit, this means that during the employee recruitment process, you should keep an eye out for candidates who have:

• Passion for your cause

• Nonprofit work experience

• Volunteer experience

Usually, you can find this information on a candidate’s resume. However, if a candidate lacks these characteristics, it doesn’t necessarily mean they’re not a good fit for your nonprofit. During the interview process, ask them these questions to identify their interest in your mission:

• What excites you about working for us?

• Can you share any experiences you’ve had where you worked toward a goal similar to our mission?

• How do you believe your skills and experiences can support our mission?

• Which one of our core values is most important to you?

• Tell us about a time when you had to advocate for a cause you believe in. What was the outcome?

• What do you hope to achieve from a career in the nonprofit sector?

• What would you like to know about our nonprofit or its culture?

• If you are hired, what steps will you take to familiarize yourself with our work and the communities we serve?

The answers given by each candidate will provide you with a better idea of their affinity for your mission, which is a great predictor of how engaged they’ll be with their role and responsibilities.

2. Implement an incentive program.

To improve employee engagement and encourage employees to work hard, your nonprofit should offer more benefits than simply a paycheck. Astron Solutions recommends implementing an incentive plan, which is a type of employee compensation structure that uses rewards to motivate team members to achieve specific goals.

Here are two examples of incentive programs to include in your plan:

• Bonuses. With this incentive, all employees will have the opportunity to work hard in exchange for a merit-based bonus. Be upfront with staff members about what the range of their bonus is. For example, you could let them know that their yearly bonus will be between $0 and $10,000, depending on their work performance.

• Vacation days. This incentive program works similarly to bonuses, but instead of earning extra funds, employees will receive extra vacation days instead. For instance, you might give staff members extra vacation days after the close of a large fundraising event that they worked hard to host.

In addition to incentivizing hard work through these programs, review employee compensation from a holistic perspective. Look through the other benefits and perks you offer, such as wellness programs or flexible work arrangements, and consider how to improve them for a better employee experience.

Let’s say your nonprofit is small and employees need to wear many hats, which can lead to high workplace stress. In that case, you might take MassageBook’s advice and choose robust health insurance that covers additional services such as massage therapy, allowing employees to get relief from their physical stress symptoms.

3. Establish a supportive work culture.

Stress is one of the biggest predictors of employee disengagement, with 33% of workers saying it makes them less engaged and 41% reporting that it makes them less productive. Help your employees care for themselves and keep them motivated by taking thoughtful steps to establish a supportive workplace culture.

Here are a few tips to start:

• Promote clear communication.

• Encourage collaboration.

• Design welcoming workspaces.

• Emphasize work-life balance.

• Facilitate social connections.

Additionally, be on the lookout for ways you can help your employees out. For example, businesses often invest in technology to streamline and automate tasks—a massage business might purchase massage software, a thrift store might look into point-of-sale systems, and so on. Your nonprofit might benefit from one of these:

• Donor management software

• Fundraising software

• Volunteer management software

• Event management software

• Marketing and communications tools

With the right tools, you’ll make it easier for employees to handle their tasks, resulting in less work stress and higher productivity.

4. Recognize and reward high performance.

Think back to the last time your boss (or anyone else!) said that you did a good job. How did it make you feel? Probably pretty great—it’s nice when your hard work is acknowledged, and you’ll feel incentivized to continue performing at a high level. The same principle applies to your nonprofit’s employees.

Aside from the incentives we mentioned above, you can also recognize high performers with:

• Certificates, plaques, or trophies

• Social media shoutouts

• Team celebrations, such as parties and dinners

• Personalized gifts, like gift cards, massage vouchers, and office supplies

Additionally, encourage peer-to-peer recognition to ensure that top performers are acknowledged and improve work culture. This form of recognition allows your employees to take a more active role in fostering a positive workplace culture and building a sense of community with their coworkers. If you want to make this process easier, consider implementing a formal peer-to-peer recognition program where employees send recognition eCards or write notes on a dedicated “bravo” whiteboard.

5. Provide professional development opportunities.

Increasingly, employees are looking for job opportunities that allow them to grow and advance their careers. 94% of employees stay longer in companies that invest in their professional development, and 70% of workers say learning improves their sense of connection to a workplace.

Meet your employees’ expectations by providing professional development opportunities such as:

• Training workshops

• Mentorship programs

• Certifications and continued education

• Professional development budget

You can also send your staff members to relevant events and conferences so they may discover more skills and insights into their roles. For example, let’s say that members of your fundraising team are interested in exploring new strategies to secure more funding for your organization. Send them to in-person conferences or virtual panels where they can learn more about other forms of fundraising to tap into, such as legacy giving or donor-advised funds. They’ll be excited at the prospect of growing within their roles, and your nonprofit benefits by gaining access to new knowledge and strategies.

---

Just like donors, board members, and volunteers, employees are crucial to your nonprofit’s long-term success. Prioritize keeping them engaged to build a community eager to help you further your strategic goals. Over time, you’ll develop a positive employer reputation that attracts valuable talent, ensuring you always have plenty of support for your mission.