nonprofit career trends: implications for 2013 and beyond
TRANSCRIPT
Nonprofit Career Trends:Implications for 2013 & Beyond
Tara Kirkland & Tara Levy
2012 TEXAS NONPROFIT SUMMIT SEPTEMBER 21, 2012
All contents © Greenlights for Nonprofit Success
G R E E N L I G H T S . O R G
GREENLIGHTS.ORG TEXAS NONPROFIT SUMMIT - 2012
SESSION AGENDA
▸ Data Overview
▸ Generational Transitions at Work
▸ Top 5 Trends in the Evolving Nonprofit Workplace
▸ Recommendations and Responses
▸ Action-Planning
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RESEARCH: WHERE DOES THE DATA COME FROM?
▸ Greenlights surveys▸ Young Nonprofit Professionals Network▸ Nonprofit HR Solutions
▸ …and a lot of extra reading!
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WHET YOUR DATA APPETITE▸ Job creation:
43% increased their staff size in 2011 (34% in 2010) 43% plan to create new positions in 2012
▸ Job transitions: Most nonprofiteers under 55 have been in their
current position for 2 years or less 25% estimate will stay in current position 1 year or
less; 40% say 2-4 years
▸ Career commitment: 63% committed to career in the sector Generally not interested in traditional professional
leadership roles (ex: only 22% interested in ED role)
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TRADITIONALISTS
▸ Born before 1946
▸ Now, 66 and older By 2020, youngest will be
75, some still in workforce!
▸ Shaped by WWII
▸ Loyalty, dependability, sacrifice
▸ Respect for authority (Photo: George C. Marshall Foundation)
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BABY BOOMERS
▸ Born 1946 – 1964
▸ Demographic “bulge”
▸ Shaped by Cold War, TV (home) & “the computer” (work)
▸ Nonprofit Founders
▸ Competitive, work long hours
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GENERATION X
▸ Born (1965 – 1979)
▸ “Latchkey kids” self-reliant
▸ Shaped by: MTV, AIDS, Fall of Berlin Wall, the cell phone
▸ “Baby Busters” who openly questionauthority (“cynical”)
▸ Free agents
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MILLENNIALS (GEN Y)
▸ Born 1980 – 2000
▸ Shaped by: Google, Facebook, instant access to info Major event: 9/11
▸ Value “immediacy,” community, tolerance
▸ “Work as part of life”
▸ 46% workforce by 2020!
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GENERATION 2020
▸ First members enter Workforce post-college in 2020
▸ “a generation unplugged”
▸ Life lived online
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PROFESSIONALIZING THE SECTOR▸ Nonprofit jobs are now a career path.
More than 1/2 have advanced degrees
▸ Compensation is the biggest gap. 1/3 of our respondents are “unsatisfied” with
their salary more than any other aspect of their position and career
34% of organizations cited “inability to pay competitively” as biggest challenge to staff retention
66% of new nonprofiteers have student loan debt (30% have $50,000+)
▸ “Compensation should be aspirational.”
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KEY QUESTIONS▸ How can organizations find and plan
resources to make this significant additional investment in their staff?
▸ What kinds of compensation are valued by nonprofiteers, in addition to base salary?
▸ How can nonprofits promote and leverage the professionalization of the sector?
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GROW, CHURN REPEAT
▸ Sector growing again:43% of nonprofits are adding staff
▸ Retirement & resignations increasing sector wide across US Central Texas EDs – almost 50% leaving post in
4 yrs or less
▸ Churn continues in Central Texas: Most under 55 have been in current post 2
years or less 80% of Millennials say will stay in current job
no more than 4 years
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GOT TALENT?
▸ Staff retention? What’s that?!? 75% of nonprofits nationally have no plan in place
▸ Whither the “Career Ladder?” 50% of non-EDs surveyed
were unsatisfied with“opportunity for advancement”
▸ Key question: How can we retain and develop an increasingly mobile talent pool, even without competitive salaries and clear promotion opportunities?
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GOT TALENT?
“Personnel is a sucking bog… I spend a lot of time working
with this person or this department or this team, and
now it’s good, and then then get a new job. They’re like, “thanks
for the training, bye!”
Executive Director respondent,Daring to Lead 2011 Survey
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THE FRENCH REVOLUTION, PART DEUX
▸ “Flatter organizations incentivize collaboration, help leaders push each other to improve, and give new leaders a better chance to succeed in their new roles.” (YNPN) Working in teams cited as the top motivator for
millennials
▸ Increased focus on results, not titles 78% do not want the ED job 67% want to be a leader
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KEY QUESTIONS▸ How can nonprofits evolve our leadership
to be more team-driven and inclusive?
▸ What other elements of nonprofit structures can be adapted to distribute authority and promote participation?
▸ How can we incorporate staff strategically into idea generation and decision-making throughout the year?
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BLURRING BOUNDARIES
1. The digital workplace blurs boundaries.
Individuals generate “content” & expect access to platforms used personally• “the hyperconnected”
Organizations are responsible for managing privacy concerns
KEY QUESTION: How does a nonprofit make it easy for employees who expect connectivity while protecting brand, securing accuracy & appropriateness at the same time?
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BLURRING BOUNDARIES
2. “Weisure” time – work and leisure are viewed as one and the same…
Millennials “networked by nature”
48% say friends at work = very important
Workplace should address life issues? Younger workers want continuous skill development,
for work to build better “life skills”
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BLURRING BOUNDARIES
3. Flexible worktime – desired, yet delicate
Flextime & Flexplace “Third Places”
Survey says: increasingly desirable “The third rail” of benefits?
KEY QUESTION: How can nonprofits increase flexibility, but maintain fairness and make sure work gets done?
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ABOVE ALL THINGS, BE GOOD.▸ Across generations, there is a commitment
to making a difference “Although many young nonprofit professionals seem
sector agnostic, they are just as mission-focused as ever.” (YNPN)
97% of full-time nonprofit leaders 55+ want to make a contribution to society even after leaving current position
▸ Doing good is top professional goal 85% want to make an impact 83% want to be involved in something important 80% want to feel good about their work 79% want to improve their community
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KEY QUESTIONS▸ Can you connect all of your
organization’s jobs to your organization’s mission?
▸ How can you cultivate your staff’s commitment to the success of your mission and cause, and to the success of the community as a whole?
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COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS
Organizations▸ Budget for COLA and
merit raises, as well as bonus rewards
▸ Implement creative, mission-driven incentives
▸ Recognize that compensation goes beyond salary
▸ Tuition reimbursement
Individuals▸ Make the case early▸ Ask before budget
cycle process begins▸ Add value—and keep
track of it!
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TALENT MANAGEMENT
Organizations▸ Regularly evaluate
performance; ensure “stars” are rewarded meaningfully Open to innovative proposals like “side hustles”
▸ Prioritize leadership development (needs now, next 3 – 5 years)
▸ Creative ways to add “rungs” to career ladder?
▸ Be prepared: succession planning for inevitable departures
Individuals▸ Set 1, 3, 5 year career
goals & chart a course to get there
▸ Find mentors (in & outside your org)
▸ Seek out professional development (current job & next rung up!)
▸ Prove you can handle a promotion through “above & beyond” performance
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MORE DEMOCRATIC AND FLAT
Organizations▸ Regular, clear
communication▸ Build a culture that
supports staff development and team building
▸ “Treat staff as a key stakeholder.” (YNPN)
▸ Revise org chart and consider alternative models
Individuals▸ Regular, clear
communication▸ Champion new ideas
and practices▸ “It’s up to you as the
employee to create the job you want, to identify what the company is missing, and what the company needs, and be that.” (Forbes)
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BOUNDARY BLURRING
Organizations▸ Clear social media
guidelines to clarify expectations
▸ Can org culture, policies allow for more connectedness, flexibility?
▸ Effective flextime programs must be fair, performance-based
▸ Can your org become a resource for “life” issues?
Individuals▸ Over-communicate to
make sure you understand workplace expectations
▸ Champion new ideas and practices that create community
▸ Model accountability, “mission first” attitude Track performance
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MISSION-DRIVEN GOODNESS
Organizations▸ Connect job
descriptions and evaluations to impact
▸ Support and promote employee involvement in the community as whole
Individuals▸ Again, consistent,
clear communication to demonstrate accountability and expectations
▸ Find clarity about what gives you satisfaction and meaning
▸ Ask good questions during interview process
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KEEP THE CONVERSATION GOING!
▸ Go to http://501community.org/TXNS
▸ Find this session and subscribe
▸ Ask us questions, comment on the session, and share your own ideas on career trends