People: The Impact of Technology on Staffing
The past three years have brought significant changes and challenges, leading to a need for highly qualified and strategic staff. This shift toward professionalization in nonprofit technology staffing has resulted in a pool of specialized talent that requires a different approach to management and recruitment. As we enter 2023, nonprofits must understand these dynamics and adapt their hiring strategies to attract and retain top talent in the field.
In recent years, Salesforce expertise emerged as a career path in the nonprofit sector. Many professionals see nonprofits as an opportunity to gain valuable and marketable experience in the field. The good news for nonprofits is that there is a rich pool of talent available, with an additional influx of experienced professionals entering the field after the recent layoffs from the tech world. However, managers face the challenge of how to retain staff as attractive opportunities abound.
In our experience, employees who administer enterprise technologies are not satisfied with just mastering their current responsibilities. They are more likely to seek out ongoing professional development opportunities, certifications, and new challenges. As a manager, it’s important to be prepared to support the development and professional growth of your team to retain motivated talent.
Heller Tip:
At your nonprofit, consider providing your team with access to support for the most technically challenging parts of their roles. This balances costs by leveraging your current staff while also ensuring they are using their time and talents most effectively, and that they feel supported along the way.
Minimizing The Impact of Staff Attrition
Retaining staff is a critical challenge for many organizations, particularly in the nonprofit sector where the estimated annual turnover rate is 19%, higher than the all-industry average of 12%. Development staff, who play a key role in building and maintaining donor relationships, often have an even shorter tenure, staying in their roles for an average of just 16 months. To mitigate the impact of staff transitions, organizations can leverage technology to ensure continuity and efficiency. Technology and knowledge management can help you hold onto your institutional knowledge and minimize the impact of staff turnover.
Here are a few tips on ways you can leverage your technology to help you manage staff attrition:
- Train multiple staff members in key functions and processes within your technology systems to ensure continuity in case of staff turnover.
- Establish data entry guidelines and protocols to ensure that data is entered consistently and accurately.
- Implement a comprehensive technology training program to provide new staff with the skills they need to quickly get up to speed and feel confident in their roles. This will help to minimize disruption and ensure that the organization continues to run smoothly.
The Impact of Change Management
Staff can be tempted to leave during critical changes at your organization. Change management has been proven to reduce disruption and improve retention during these periods.