How Nonprofit Leaders Can Build And Maintain An Engaged Team

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How Nonprofit Leaders Can Build And Maintain An Engaged Team

By Forbes Nonprofit Council | Forbes Magazine | October 18, 2023

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Between long, hard hours and an endless task list, working in the nonprofit industry can sometimes feel like thankless work. Over time, this may lead to nonprofit professionals disengaging and eventually leaving the sector.  While this is a challenge for many organizations, there are strategies that nonprofit leaders can implement to ensure their teams are connected and remain engaged in the work they do. Below, 16 Forbes Nonprofit Council members each share one approach they rely on to maintain a strong and motivated team.

1. Consider Each Individual Employee.  We pride ourselves on ensuring team members feel seen, valued, respected and heard. How do we do this? By employing individual consideration and speaking to the heart, which requires us to maximize engagement opportunities as much as possible through fun personal gatherings and by recognizing unique viewpoints, birthdays, holidays and personal victories—never missing an opportunity.
2. Showcase And Celebrate Successes.  The best way to sustain morale in any nonprofit when people are working hard is to purposefully look for ways to showcase results and celebrate shared successes.
3. Refocus On The Mission.  Bring it back to the mission! Nothing beats the experience of living the mission of an organization. When you are buried in spreadsheets, board meetings, donor proposals or other essential tasks, take time to live the mission. That might include a site visit or simply a phone call with those most closely working on the frontline of your organization. 
4. Make The Work More Real.  For the teams such as working on finance and development, so much of the work is done in front of a computer. Those long hours on spreadsheets and presentations can take a toll on anyone, so try to bring the team into the work in a physical way.
5. Regularly Convene To Share Challenges.  One useful way to boost morale is to regularly convene the team to share and discuss the challenges they face. Try to acilitate a discussion of innovative cross-departmental solutions with the team. It could lifts morale when team members identify guiding principles and practices that can solve the case today and address similar challenges that are reasonably expected to surface in the future.
6. Implement Opportunities To Explore Leadership Development.  Invest in team’s professional and personal development in various ways.  One of the way that could motivate and inspire a team is reading leadership books together. Every week, you can discuss one chapter, which provides insight into each team member’s worldview. Book studies are a great way to cultivate a shared mission and vision while also discussing different perspectives.
7. Build An Open Internal Culture.  Successful leaders of any organization build a culture of gratitude, transparency and communication at all levels.
8. Reconnect To The ‘Why’.  Reconnect your team to the “why” of your work. You could start each meeting by asking people to share a magic moment or a moment that made them stop and reflect on their work. These always set a positive tone for any discussion and remind the team of why they do this work. Also, schedule fun outings with team members so they can laugh and connect outside of the work.
9. Leverage Laughter.  But never at the expense of a colleague or client. This could strengthened the social glue that keeps the team working through tough tasks.

The others are:

Be A Role Model  

Give Employees Time Away

Show Your Appreciation

Implement Restoration Periods

Give Staff Ownership

Create Connection Opportunities For The Team

Foster Collective Belief In The Work

2 key takeaways from the article

1. Between long, hard hours and an endless task list, working in the nonprofit industry can sometimes feel like thankless work. Over time, this may lead to nonprofit professionals disengaging and eventually leaving the sector.  While this is a challenge for many organizations, there are strategies that nonprofit leaders can implement to ensure their teams are connected and remain engaged in the work they do. 
2. 16 Forbes Nonprofit Council members share one approach they rely on to maintain a strong and motivated team.  These are: Consider Each Individual Employee, Showcase And Celebrate Successes, Refocus On The Mission, Make The Work More Real, Regularly Convene To Share Challenges, Implement Opportunities To Explore Leadership Development, Build An Open Internal Culture, Reconnect To The ‘Why’, Leverage Laughter, Be A Role Model, Give Employees Time Away, Show Your Appreciation, Implement Restoration Periods, Give Staff Ownership, Create Connection Opportunities For The Team, and Foster Collective Belief In The Work.

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Topics:  Creativity, Teams, Leadership, Purpose