Work Life
By: Heidi Hartley
Tags: Nonprofits, Management, Diversity, Management And Leadership, Organizational Culture

Work Life: A blog about organizational culture and management.

Sacramento, CA

Non-profits: Don’t sacrifice culture to be more competitive

I just spent the last four and a half years at the most amazing non-profit, before I was (sadly) laid off in September. I learned a lot and am grateful for my experiences. I miss my job, but now I finally have a free moment to reflect and collect my thoughts.

Hold-on. Let me get my megaphone:

Hey! Nonprofits, your culture is at the core of who you are. Your culture IS your primary differentiator. Don’t sacrifice it in order to compete with for-profit companies. The truth is that most for-profits can’t compete with you. They can’t do what you do, in the way that you do it.

Nonprofits have this idea that in order to compete with for-profit organizations they have to act just like them, looking to for-profits to see what they should be doing operationally and for recruitment. They have baggage about always being “one step behind” for-profits.

This is an unfortunate and detrimental perception and also, not true! Nonprofits ARE different from for-profit organizations. And that is what makes them exceptional. Nonprofits can offer employees things that most for-profits just don’t have. Work-life balance, for one, a mission-oriented workplace and a commitment to community. They can support career development and are better positioned to authentically focus on diversity, inclusion and belonging. They are more likely to take a stand on current issues and play a role in corporate social responsibility. They often offer better benefits and employees are more likely to have a voice in decision making. For the most part, nonprofits are more accountable and transparent in their business operations. Additionally, there are often more opportunities for professional development. But non-profits risk their unique highly-desirable and hard-won culture when they prioritize functioning like a for-profit over their culture. Specifically, when it comes to hiring.

The above mentioned positives enable nonprofits to attract top talent. Unfortunately, if that talent doesn’t buy into the culture, doesn’t engage with the culture, dismantles it or diminishes it, you run the risk of losing that leading edge. When nonprofits systemically hire people outside the organization, with no historical knowledge who haven’t demonstrated a true commitment, they run the risk of eroding the organization. When they hire people with a lack of belief and commitment to growing and strengthening the culture, over time the nonprofit’s foundation will crumble.

How to avoid “the grass is always greener” syndrome:

Leadership must live the example of the organization’s culture. They must fight tooth and nail to preserve the values of the organization. This means obtaining historical knowledge, representing P.O.C. and diverse backgrounds. To quote Anika Rahman, a contributor to Huffington Post — “Studies indicate that diversity can boost the quality of decision-making and that a diverse workplace encourages people to be more creative, more diligent, and harder-working. Studies have also shown that a more diverse staff can foster enhanced innovation.” ¹ Leadership should use their platform to advocate for the organisations values internally and externally, setting an example for managers. Managers must demonstrate work-life balance and they should feel empowered to be transparent in decision-making, including others at ALL levels of the organization in decision-making processes.

What can non-profit managers do to preserve culture and ensure a rich, diverse and dedicated internal talent pool?

Prioritize promoting internally

Develop mentorship programs

Offer trainings for staff development

Be cognizant of their own internal talent pool

Support inventive ways of doing things, be open to creative ideas

Give newer/younger/entry and mid-level employees a seat at the table

For-profit companies know that organizational culture is the big differentiator. Some are doing everything they can to create it, which is a very difficult thing to do in an authentic way. For-profits often won’t prioritize the expenses of investing in their people. Too often it’s just lip-service. And then there are the companies that don’t have it and don’t care. I was once at a for-profit that only made inconsistent, half-hearted attempts at engaging employees to create a better workplace. Their lack of commitment was obvious to everyone and their attempts never stuck. Either way, nonprofits have the edge over for-profits.

Culture is not built overnight. It must be deeply instilled and purposefully handed down when leadership changes. Nonprofits are better positioned to see that the entire organization thrives — enriching their employees’ experiences by dedicating themselves to preserving and growing their culture through recognizing their internal talent pool.

While your here, let me give a shout out to a few of my favorite nonprofits:

Mozilla: Read their pledge for a healthy internet.

San Francisco SPCA: Their mission is to “save and protect animals, provide care and treatment, advocate for their welfare and enhance the human-animal bond.”

Reveal: They “pour the necessary time and resources into unearthing original stories that hold people and institutions accountable for the problems they’ve caused or benefited from.”