Latest / The Nonprofit Podcast / Ep 214| Retain Your Top Fundraisers: 5 Simple Strategies That Cost Nothing

Transcript

Ep 214| Retain Your Top Fundraisers: 5 Simple Strategies That Cost Nothing · The Nonprofit Podcast

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_01: I came across a photo on socials the other day showing a nonprofit team gathered around a small trophy.
• 0:07
  SPEAKER_01: Their faces were lit up with so much joy and happiness.
• 0:10
  SPEAKER_01: And guess what?
• 0:12
  SPEAKER_01: Do you want to know what they were celebrating?
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_01: It wasn't big, it wasn't even a bonus.
• 0:17
  SPEAKER_01: They were simply just happy that someone noticed their efforts.
• 0:21
  SPEAKER_01: Like someone just finally chimed in and said, Hey, I see your hard work and it matters.
• 0:27
  SPEAKER_01: And it made me think about how our priorities can get mixed up sometimes, right?
• 0:31
  SPEAKER_01: We go out of our way to show so much donor love.
• 0:34
  SPEAKER_01: And yes, we should do that.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_01: The sending of notes, remembering birthdays, anniversaries, we're rolling out the red carpet for them.
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_01: But when it comes to our own teams, we often just expect them to keep going to push along until they burn out.
• 0:49
  SPEAKER_00: The Nonprofit Podcast, powered by DonorBucks.
• 0:53
  SPEAKER_01: Welcome back to the Nonprofit Podcast.
• 0:55
  SPEAKER_01: I'm Britt Stalker, your fundraiser coach over here at DonorBox.
• 0:59
  SPEAKER_01: Each week we bring you practical information, clear insights, and inspiration to help you raise more, reach further, and take your nonprofit to the next level.
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_02: And I'm Kara Oxperger, CEO of Grace Care Center Foundation, and your on the ground podcast correspondent.
• 1:17
  SPEAKER_02: Thanks so much for joining us today.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_01: Kara, hey, before we talk about anything else, so that photo that I opened the other day on LinkedIn, the team gathered around that trophy, that was you.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_01: That was your team, right?
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_02: It was, it was, yes.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_02: Recently, our staff team at Grace Care Center received a Culture of Good Community Impact Award.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_02: And it gave us an opportunity to celebrate something we don't always stop to recognize, and that's the people behind the mission.
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_02: So we shared this award with our volunteers and supporters.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_02: We posted about it on social media.
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_02: We even brought the trophy to a serving shift so that everyone could celebrate together.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_02: It really reminded me how much encouragement matters, especially to people who often go unrecognized.
• 2:03
  SPEAKER_02: So yeah, thank you.
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, you're very welcome.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_01: And I know you and I were talking about this just last week, why this topic really deserves its own episode.
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_01: You know, there are sector-wide numbers that are telling a different story, right?
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_01: Um, what are we seeing?
• 2:17
  SPEAKER_01: 20% turnover each year.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_01: Um, in other sectors, that's more like 12%.
• 2:21
  SPEAKER_01: I think there was another study, the social impact staff retention project, that said nearly seven out of 10 nonprofit employees are looking for a new job.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_01: And this kind of gave some pause for both of us, right?
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_01: Because we can talk about it maybe being a compensation issue or whatever issue, but these may not be pay problems.
• 2:42
  SPEAKER_01: They are about people feeling truly unseen.
• 2:45
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm so excited to be talking to you today, just to give our listeners some ways that they can encourage and support their teams better without spending too much money.
• 2:54
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, because you know, let's be honest, most nonprofits aren't sitting on this huge employee perks budget.
• 3:02
  SPEAKER_02: We're raising money to fund the mission, yet we're asking our teams to do meaningful, often challenging work every single day.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_02: And like I mentioned earlier, they often go unrecognized.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_02: And it's hard.
• 3:16
  SPEAKER_01: It is, it is hard.
• 3:17
  SPEAKER_01: And you know, there's so much research out there.
• 3:19
  SPEAKER_01: There's burnout, the heavy workload, feeling undervalued, which are the main issues.
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_01: And Kara, I would love to hear your thoughts.
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_01: The real question here is how do we help people feel appreciated out there, our dear listeners, when the resources are just so tight?
• 3:35
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 3:35
  SPEAKER_02: The good news is that building a healthy culture doesn't always require money, but it does require some intentionality.
• 3:44
  SPEAKER_02: Absolutely.
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 3:46
  SPEAKER_01: Kara's going to share five practical ways to help your team feel valued, to feel more connected to the mission.
• 3:52
  SPEAKER_01: Because many nonprofit employees aren't here for the paychecks, right?
• 3:55
  SPEAKER_01: They're here, and I'm talking to you listeners because you care, right?
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_01: And the sector, it is bleeding people right now.
• 4:04
  SPEAKER_01: Um, a lot of people are feeling invisible.
• 4:06
  SPEAKER_01: Kara, let's get to work and let's talk about those five practical ways for our teams out there.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_02: Let's do.
• 4:13
  SPEAKER_02: You mentioned turnover.
• 4:14
  SPEAKER_02: Turnover is expensive, it impacts morale, it impacts productivity, relationships, and ultimately mission delivery.
• 4:23
  SPEAKER_02: So the question becomes how do we help people feel appreciated when resources are limited?
• 4:30
  SPEAKER_02: Um, you know, I think sometimes we have opportunities as nonprofits that corporations don't.
• 4:36
  SPEAKER_02: And so one example for us personally was our service schedule.
• 4:41
  SPEAKER_02: So at Grace Care Center, we rely on about 250 volunteers every single week.
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_02: And over time we noticed a pattern around Independence Day, and then around Christmas, volunteer participation dropped significantly because it's a great time for families to travel.
• 4:59
  SPEAKER_02: Kids were out of school, routines changed, and we were putting in tremendous effort into staffing programs that are highly volunteer driven during those weeks when volunteer availability was low.
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_02: So we made a change.
• 5:13
  SPEAKER_02: We now intentionally shut down services for two weeks around Independence Day and then again around Christmas and New Year's.
• 5:20
  SPEAKER_01: Wow, that's a pretty significant decision.
• 5:23
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, it was.
• 5:24
  SPEAKER_02: It ended up being really good stewardship for everyone, though.
• 5:28
  SPEAKER_02: It's more efficient for operations, you know, it reduces the stress on volunteers, and it actually gives our staff permission to take some time off and breathe too, which is really important for them.
• 5:39
  SPEAKER_02: They aren't feeling like they are missing out on mission delivery or shut down so they can rest a little bit too.
• 5:45
  SPEAKER_02: And so they're not feeling like they're missing something important or leaving things shorthanded.
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_02: It's just a collective pause across the whole organization.
• 5:53
  SPEAKER_02: It feels really good.
• 5:55
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, thinking about this collective pause, obviously it's a win-win for the organization, for its staff, for the people that, you know, the nonprofits are serving.
• 6:04
  SPEAKER_01: But there's something really going on.
• 6:06
  SPEAKER_01: I was just in a coaching session a few weeks ago.
• 6:09
  SPEAKER_01: Small human service agency, yes, they have an unlimited PTO policy, right?
• 6:14
  SPEAKER_01: But as we both know, what happens in real time, they hadn't taken any PTO in two years.
• 6:20
  SPEAKER_01: And it's not, it's not because they weren't allowed, right?
• 6:24
  SPEAKER_01: But even the ED, they were honest about this.
• 6:27
  SPEAKER_01: They all felt that if they did take the PTO, number one, it didn't just look bad to the donors, but they it felt like they were abandoning the mission.
• 6:36
  SPEAKER_01: Um, would love to hear more of your input here.
• 6:40
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I think the best staff benefits come from looking at your operations a little differently.
• 6:46
  SPEAKER_02: I think that PTO is so important.
• 6:49
  SPEAKER_02: I know personally, I asked this year for my board instead of a bonus this year.
• 6:54
  SPEAKER_02: I asked for additional PTO time because I need that rest.
• 6:57
  SPEAKER_02: And yeah, you're not shortchanging the organization by any means.
• 7:00
  SPEAKER_02: You're making the organization stronger because your leaders are rested.
• 7:05
  SPEAKER_02: And that's very, very important.
• 7:07
  SPEAKER_01: Powerful, powerful, Kara.
• 7:09
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, so you've also found some ways to engage local businesses.
• 7:13
  SPEAKER_01: Tell me a little bit more about that.
• 7:15
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, this is one of my very favorite ideas because I think it's a win for everyone.
• 7:20
  SPEAKER_02: Many, many local businesses genuinely want to support nonprofits, especially those who are making their communities better.
• 7:27
  SPEAKER_02: And sometimes they can't write a large sponsorship check, but they're happy to provide some discounts or small perks for staff.
• 7:35
  SPEAKER_02: We've partnered with local businesses that offered gift cards or discounts or special offers for our team.
• 7:42
  SPEAKER_02: And it was really cool.
• 7:43
  SPEAKER_02: Recently, a local restaurant blessed our staff with some gift cards.
• 7:46
  SPEAKER_02: And it was such a simple gesture, but everyone loved just the opportunity, the luxury, I guess, of going out to have lunch together and even held a staff meeting there over lunch, which was really neat.
• 7:59
  SPEAKER_02: And so the business gained some exposure, some goodwill.
• 8:02
  SPEAKER_02: Our team felt appreciated.
• 8:04
  SPEAKER_02: They got a little free lunch.
• 8:06
  SPEAKER_02: It was a win-win overall.
• 8:08
  SPEAKER_02: I could see that happening with restaurants and gyms and you know, all kinds of things in the community, but sometimes you just have to ask.
• 8:14
  SPEAKER_01: For sure.
• 8:15
  SPEAKER_01: And now that I'm hearing more of what you're sharing, like these are community partnerships.
• 8:20
  SPEAKER_01: They don't cost much, right?
• 8:21
  SPEAKER_01: That's literally they they cost little to nothing.
• 8:24
  SPEAKER_01: And these community partnerships don't always have to be about fundraisers or fundraising.
• 8:30
  SPEAKER_01: You know, fundraisers are already really good at building these relationships.
• 8:34
  SPEAKER_01: So kind of redefining what other opportunities exist beyond securing the ask.
• 8:40
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, a true partnership is a give and take.
• 8:42
  SPEAKER_02: These organizations, just with these small gestures, are really caring for the people who are doing the work in our community.
• 8:48
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, absolutely.
• 8:50
  SPEAKER_01: Love it.
• 8:51
  SPEAKER_01: Well, let's move on.
• 8:51
  SPEAKER_01: We're getting there.
• 8:52
  SPEAKER_01: And I love all of this, Carol.
• 8:53
  SPEAKER_01: One of the simplest ideas you and I talked about recently uh is handwritten notes, right?
• 9:00
  SPEAKER_01: And fundraising, we uh it's like the golden ticket, right?
• 9:04
  SPEAKER_01: We treat it as essential.
• 9:06
  SPEAKER_01: And I always tell my clients, yes, send the note quickly, make it personal, make it feel very authentic and audacious.
• 9:13
  SPEAKER_01: Um, donors, what do we know about our donors?
• 9:16
  SPEAKER_01: They save these little notes.
• 9:17
  SPEAKER_01: I I know I have a donor, I sent them a thank you card.
• 9:20
  SPEAKER_01: I'm on an advisory board of a nonprofit.
• 9:22
  SPEAKER_01: They've had it since 2019 because we don't get those kind of memorable notes.
• 9:28
  SPEAKER_01: Do you think we we pour so much love with these notes to our donors?
• 9:33
  SPEAKER_01: Would these notes work for our staff too?
• 9:35
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, absolutely.
• 9:37
  SPEAKER_02: Um, I have actually a stack of donor uh handwritten thank you notes on my desk right now that need to go to the post office.
• 9:43
  SPEAKER_02: But yes, why wouldn't they work for staff too?
• 9:46
  SPEAKER_02: It could be so powerful when we talk about stewarding and recognizing our supporters.
• 9:53
  SPEAKER_02: We know that we can't do anything without our supporters, but we can't do it without our staff team either.
• 9:58
  SPEAKER_02: Absolutely, a handwritten note goes a long way.
• 10:01
  SPEAKER_02: Usually a couple times a year, I'll send staff members a handwritten note with a little uh t-shirt or a gift or something like that.
• 10:09
  SPEAKER_02: Like at the end of the year, we did quarter zips with the logo on it so everyone could could feel just a little branded and warm and cozy over the winter months with a handwritten note.
• 10:19
  SPEAKER_02: I've seen them on bulletin boards in some of our staff offices.
• 10:22
  SPEAKER_02: So handwritten notes are so important.
• 10:24
  SPEAKER_02: Don't overlook them for anyone.
• 10:27
  SPEAKER_01: No, and and like you said, for anyone that's basically your board member can write one, a supervisor, a volunteer, literally anyone part of your community, part of your mission, can partake in the fun.
• 10:38
  SPEAKER_01: Um is what you're kind of talking about, is that a card party that you hosted or so it's a little different.
• 10:44
  SPEAKER_02: We do do something called a card party.
• 10:48
  SPEAKER_02: Um, it's a super fun one.
• 10:49
  SPEAKER_02: What we do is I will put stationery in our welcome room where our care center friends, the people in our community who are coming for a little extra help, gather.
• 11:00
  SPEAKER_02: Um, I'll put markers and pens and that kind of thing out there.
• 11:03
  SPEAKER_02: We invite volunteers and our beneficiaries to write notes of encouragement to our staff members, our donors, our grantors.
• 11:12
  SPEAKER_02: And it's really neat.
• 11:14
  SPEAKER_02: And if you think about the impact of hearing directly from someone whose life has been changed by your mission, for nonprofit employees, that's really meaningful.
• 11:23
  SPEAKER_02: For those grantors and donors, it's very meaningful as well.
• 11:26
  SPEAKER_02: And the cards are not elaborate.
• 11:28
  SPEAKER_02: It's usually a note that says, thank you for showing up, thank you for caring, thank you for making a difference.
• 11:34
  SPEAKER_02: The most meaningful forms of appreciation are sometimes the ones that communicate simply, we see you, we value you, we're grateful you're here.
• 11:45
  SPEAKER_01: Priceless.
• 11:46
  SPEAKER_01: And again, we're talking about ideas that cost very little.
• 11:50
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 11:50
  SPEAKER_02: You know, that is the theme of today's conversation.
• 11:53
  SPEAKER_02: I have one more that I see in the nonprofit space all the time, especially in the summer months.
• 11:58
  SPEAKER_02: And I think a lot of really great nonprofits look at flexibility whenever possible.
• 12:03
  SPEAKER_02: So flexibility would be the next perk.
• 12:06
  SPEAKER_02: But some organizations have experimented with compressed work weeks where employees can work slightly longer days and earn, you know, every other Friday off or something.
• 12:16
  SPEAKER_02: That extra day can provide time for appointments, family responsibilities, or rest.
• 12:21
  SPEAKER_02: And that might make your organization stronger throughout the rest of the week.
• 12:25
  SPEAKER_02: Um, some organizations do a half day Friday in the summer.
• 12:29
  SPEAKER_02: And sometimes what nonprofits can't compensate for in money, they can make up for in flexibility.
• 12:34
  SPEAKER_01: And I think that's a huge perk.
• 12:36
  SPEAKER_01: For sure.
• 12:37
  SPEAKER_01: And equally as valuable as a financial benefit.
• 12:39
  SPEAKER_01: I know most of the sector, many women, right?
• 12:42
  SPEAKER_01: So that flexibility is such an amazing perk to really build that culture.
• 12:47
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, for sure.
• 12:47
  SPEAKER_01: And those are the moments that build culture.
• 12:50
  SPEAKER_02: Great.
• 12:50
  SPEAKER_02: I know in my personal experience when we talk about culture, it's really important to me.
• 12:56
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and I see a lot of organizations praise staff outcomes.
• 13:00
  SPEAKER_02: They raise this much money or they serve this many people.
• 13:02
  SPEAKER_02: And so that's a no-brainer.
• 13:04
  SPEAKER_02: But people sometimes feel valued when you recognize their input.
• 13:08
  SPEAKER_02: So what if you praise their initiative, their leadership, or like their creativity or their compassion?
• 13:15
  SPEAKER_02: It can be really meaningful to your employees to believe, hey, somebody notices my contribution or somebody cares about my opinion.
• 13:23
  SPEAKER_02: You know, it really helps people say, I belong here.
• 13:26
  SPEAKER_02: And when someone feels they matter, they see the purpose behind the pressure that they often feel.
• 13:32
  SPEAKER_02: And that helps prevent burnout and turnover for sure.
• 13:37
  SPEAKER_01: For sure.
• 13:38
  SPEAKER_01: And, you know, I know these are just five practical ways, but I hey, I think we covered a lot of ground today.
• 13:43
  SPEAKER_01: Recognition, flexibility, those organizational rhythms, redefining community partnerships.
• 13:49
  SPEAKER_01: And yes, those handwritten notes.
• 13:51
  SPEAKER_01: And again, this extends beyond the donor.
• 13:54
  SPEAKER_01: This has to do with building your culture within your nonprofit and with your staff.
• 13:59
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, absolutely.
• 14:00
  SPEAKER_02: You know, we talk all the time on the nonprofit podcast and in the nonprofit sector about how to make your supporters feel like they matter.
• 14:08
  SPEAKER_02: And it's no different for your employees.
• 14:11
  SPEAKER_02: People want to know that they matter.
• 14:15
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, to what you said earlier, Kara, they want to feel seen, they want to feel appreciated, and just all around supported.
• 14:23
  SPEAKER_01: And thank you for choosing to listen to the Nonprofit Podcast.
• 14:28
  SPEAKER_01: We're delighted you're part of this community.
• 14:30
  SPEAKER_01: Hey, your work matters, and we are honored to support it.
• 14:33
  SPEAKER_01: If you've enjoyed this episode, please share it, leave us a review, or subscribe to our YouTube channel.
• 14:38
  SPEAKER_01: Until next time, take that first step and stay inspired.
• 14:43
  SPEAKER_00: That warm feeling when you help someone, it's not just happiness, it's fulfillment.
• 14:48
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• 14:54
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• 14:57
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• 14:58
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