Non-Profits – Hiring passionate candidates is most critical to your mission, right? Not so fast…

We all know hiring candidates who are passionate about your mission is important.  But from what I’ve observed, non-profit managers get so focused on that aspect of hiring, other critical items fall to the wayside.  This can include skills required for the position, lack of any experience and/or lack goal orientation. 

I’ve seen the gung-ho volunteer hired into a position with no previous experience, and now they hate their job and have turned into a disgruntled employee.  Too often, I’ve watched non-profits just “settle” for a candidate because they believe in the cause and think that will cure all.

From my perspective, there is a continuum with idealism at one end and accountability at the other. 

 

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Idealism                                                                                   Accountability

Obviously, hiring people who are passionate about our mission is important for many reasons.  But to truly be successful in meeting our mission, being passionate and idealistic is not enough.  We must have high expectations for performance and goal achievement.  Hiring people who are intrinsically motivated and highly accountable is critical to success in our VUCA world. 

For Cenikor, the changes in healthcare are realigning our industry and our vision for the future.  For almost all non-profits, philanthropic giving has been on the decline for several years due to the US economy.  There are many items that influence how non-profits are always striving to do more with less.

So for Cenikor and our highly goal-driven culture, when we interview for any position, the questions to determine idealism or mission of service are certainly high on the list.  But we are truly just right of center on the continuum.  We spend more time during interviews digging into accountability and how the candidate took ownership in their previous positions.  Were they upwardly mobile in previous positions, striving to achieve?  What were the goals for their previous positions and how did they hit or miss?  Do they take ownership for both hits and misses?

Ask the right questions during the interview to make sure the candidate is bought into the mission; this is a foundation.  But if you want someone who is going to get into their position and make it happen, look for ownership, accountability and goal achievement.  In addition to the skills and experience for the position, those are key traits you will need to achieve your mission!

Feel free to drop me a line if you want more info about our interview process or questions.

I hope you have an opportunity to serve and make a difference today!

Kellee Webb, SPHR

PurposefulHR@gmail.com

HR Focus – Employee Development vs. Personal Fulfillment

As a non-profit organization, we understand many people desire to work where they can serve, and that's why they apply with us.  They want work to be fulfilling and rewarding, not just in their job duties, but by helping others. 

In order to develop our team members who typically have a high drive to serve, we do have several of the standard leadership and career development programs in place, but strongly feel we should be doing more than just development for work/career.

We know many companies that give employees opportunity to volunteer and give back to help their communities and thereby increase personal fulfillment, but when jobs within your organization are already about giving back, how do you assist with further personal fulfillment?

Last year, we started sending out information to team members about opportunities about once a quarter on how they can contribute through various methods, including donations of money, time or effort: 

·         Charity Miles is a phone app where  you log any time you walk, run or bike, and you can choose a charity to which the program donates based on the miles you walk/run/bike. A personal fav because it also supports our wellness initiative. 

·         Giving Tuesday, which follows Black Friday and Cyber Monday during the holiday shopping season, focuses on the importance thinking of those in need during the holidays and donating on that day. 

·         We also do a toy drive during the holidays, and the toys are collected for the children of our clients who are in treatment, and unable to purchase something themselves.  It is amazing to see both the child’s face as well as the parent’s faces light up during the family visits!

·         iCitizen is a phone app that was shared with all employees who wanted be more aware of our political system, to know who their representatives are, to understand upcoming legislation, or who has voted on past legislation, and just to get more involved.  We had great response to this app.

Also last year, we also adopted a title one elementary school in Houston.  Our corporate office organized clothing drives, school supply drives, participated in clean up days and volunteered as “surrogate” moms and dads on the days they have Muffins with Moms and Donuts with Dads, so the kids do not have to sit alone on those days.  We also had spouses of team members show up for these events.  The gratitude from the kids and the school is so very genuine and rewarding, and we’ve already had more people sign up for next year.

And the efforts don’t stop with our staff, our clients work and donate as well.  During the holidays, our clients adopt families who are in need.  They will hold car washes and have other fundraising activities to give back to the communities where they are receiving services.  All while they are in treatment working on their own personal issues; they are truly an inspiration.

Giving back, no matter how you do it, gives your team members a sense of fulfillment and accomplishment, and they know they have contributed to something greater than themselves.

I’ll close with one of my favorite quotes:  

"I slept & dreamt life was joy. I awoke & saw life was service. I acted & behold, service was joy.” Rabindranath Tagore 

I hope you can give your team members an opportunity to serve and make a difference today!

Kellee Webb, SPHR

PurposefulHR@gmail.com