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Top Five Interview Questions To Ask!
Dana Scurlock, the Director of Recruitment from Staffing Boutique, discusses the 5 key questions to ask potential job candidates. She describes the need to go beyond surface-level questions and dive into more meaningful inquiries, asking these questions in a way that reflects the organization's culture and values, to find the right fit for your organization.
The first question discussed was about work-life balance. Dana highlights how this has become a critical topic in recent years, with candidates expecting employers to offer a balance between their personal and professional lives. She suggests organizations ask candidates how they define work-life balance and explore what it means to them personally, considering their unique circumstances and needs.
The second question centers on self-care and how candidates manage their own well-being. Dana emphasizes the importance of creating a safe space for candidates to discuss their self-care needs and suggests that organizations should consider implementing self-care measures for their current employees.
The third question investigates the candidate's tenure at previous positions. Dana notes that while long tenure at one organization used to be preferred, the current job market has led to shorter job durations. She advises NPO’s to ask candidates about their reasons for leaving previous positions and look for patterns on their resumes.
The fourth question focuses on the support candidates need to excel at their jobs. Dana stresses the importance of candidates feeling that the organization is committed to providing them with the necessary tools and support for success. She suggests organizations tailor this question to fit their specific needs and position requirements.
The final question is about candidates' career goals for the next five years. Dana points out that this question can help organizations understand whether the candidate's goals align with the organization's mission and whether they are committed to the long-term success of the organization. She also suggested giving candidates time to think about their answers to provide more thoughtful responses.
Letting The Community Know What Your NPO Does!
Julia Patrick, CEO of the American Nonprofit Academy, shares her insights about the importance of nonprofits effectively communicating their missions and activities to the community, underscoring the importance to build awareness, foster collaborations, and secure support. The conversation looks into the reasons behind this need for improved communication and practical steps to achieve it.
Julia explained that her motivation to address this issue arose from her experiences in distributing prestigious funding opportunities. She found that seasoned nonprofit professionals often lacked a comprehensive understanding of what various nonprofits were doing in their community, even though they acknowledged their positive impact. Co-host Jarrett Ransom adds that missions and programs can change over time, making it crucial for organizations to keep their communities informed about their evolving roles.
Julia introduced the concept of a "leadership list" – a curated database of stakeholders, opinion makers, community leaders, partners, vendors, and more. This list serves as an asset for marketing and communication, helping nonprofits stay connected with key figures in their community and share their stories effectively.
The interview also explored the role of board members and executive leaders in promoting the organization's mission within the community. Julia encouraged the nomination of these individuals for community awards to raise the profile of the nonprofit and attract potential donors and collaborators.
Additionally, Julia discussed the significance of a fact sheet summarizing key impact metrics and fast facts about the organization. This sheet can be shared digitally, posted on the website, or distributed in print to help control the narrative and ensure accurate information reaches the community.
In a surprising twist, Ransom proposed using email signature blocks to link to the fact sheet, providing an additional avenue for community members to access essential information about the nonprofit.
Nonprofit's Questions This Week!
From donor’s worries to board tech failures, Julia Patrick and guest host Muhi Khwaja CFRE from Fundraising Academy, tackle a range of questions that shed light on unusual issues nonprofits face:
Bridging the Technology Gap: The conversation began with a common dilemma – older board members struggling with meeting technology. Muhi Khwaja suggests a hands-on approach, emphasizing the importance of patiently guiding members through the tech landscape. The key takeaway: making the user experience easier is vital for technology adoption.
Navigating Donor’s Alarming Declaration: The pair offer guidance on handling concerns about donors whose values may not align with the nonprofit's mission. Their approach involves thanking concerned donors for their input, investigating the issues raised, and making decisions consistent with the organization's core principles. A very interesting situation. . . .
Expressing Board Service Requirements: The hosts addressed a question about enforcing board service requirements. Their advice emphasizes the need for clear agreements, proactive communication, and the role of board liaisons in tracking and managing these requirements effectively.
Building Confidence in Fundraising: Asked by a viewer about his confidence as a fundraiser, Muhi shares his personal journey. He credited mentors, role models, and a variety of experiences as contributing factors. His key message was the importance of continuous learning and seeking guidance throughout one's career.
Affordable And Creative Donor Stewardship!
The CEO of Productive Fundraising, Chad Barger, leads this captivating primer on donor stewardship, done with creativity and affordability in mind.
Chad begins with highlighting a key issue: too many nonprofits prioritize acquiring new donors and overlook nurturing the ones they already have. The key to retaining donors? Consistent, multi-channel communication. It's not enough to rely solely on emails and social media, and Chad emphasizes the power of physical mail, especially personalized die-cut postcards, which will stand out from the crowd at the mailbox and create memorable experiences for donors.
Board members also play a crucial role in stewardship. Chad suggests involving every board member, regardless of their fundraising comfort level, in this process. He shares brilliant strategies, like assigning board members to thank donors during events or having them make donor thank-you calls, which can lead to a significant 39% increase in future donations.
Chad's advice doesn't stop there. He encourages organizations to take donors behind the scenes, offering immersive experiences to connect them with the cause. Whether it's a tour or hands-on involvement, these experiences create powerful connections.
Lastly, for donors who are more challenging to engage, Chad recommends using the power of our smartphones. He provides a fun example of personalized video messages directly from staff members which can be a game-changer in making donors feel appreciated and involved.
So, the key message: Don't worry about being too small; worry about being silent when it comes to donor stewardship. Get creative, involve your board members, and use every tool at your disposal to delight your donors.
The $25 Donor Experience Experiment!
Our host welcomes James Goalder, the Partnerships Manager at Bloomerang, to discuss an intriguing topic: the $25 donor experience experiment. The experiment aimed to explore how nonprofit organizations interact with donors who make small $25 donations. The conversation highlights the importance of providing a positive donor experience to retain and engage supporters, offering insights and actionable recommendations for NPO’s and NGO’s to enhance their donor interactions.
James begins by explaining the research was initiated by a friend and colleague, who used to donate $25 to various organizations and track their responses. James decided to conduct a similar experiment but focused on national accounts, including Feeding America, Humane Society, Boys and Girls Club, Habitat for Humanity, Free Clinics, and Meals on Wheels.
The experiment involved James donating $25 to 50 organizations in each category, across all states. He assessed the online donation process, including the ease of finding the donate button and the functionality of the donation forms. After donating, he evaluated the thank-you process, which led to several noteworthy findings.
James revealed that the donor experiences varied significantly among organizations. Some had streamlined and user-friendly processes, while others had broken links and frustrating experiences. He emphasized the importance of organizations reviewing their online donation process from a donor's perspective and fixing any issues.
One significant discovery was that only 10% of organizations offered payment options other than credit cards, such as ACH bank draft, Apple Pay, Google Wallet, or Venmo. James highlighted the importance of diversifying payment options to accommodate donors who may not have credit cards.
Furthermore, James discussed the impact of landing pages after donations. About 58% of organizations redirected donors to third-party pages, which can be disorienting and reduce the chances of engagement. James stressed the value of keeping donors on the organization's website after a donation, making it easy for them to explore further.
Regarding post-donation engagement, James found that less than 1% of organizations followed up with invitations to volunteer or attend events. He suggested that organizations should take advantage of these opportunities to engage and retain donors.
In terms of thanking donors, James observed that less than 20% of organizations sent hard copy thank-you letters. He encouraged organizations to implement a purposeful and diverse communication strategy, involving emails, personalized messages, and thank-you phone calls.
Finally, James recommends that organizations periodically review their donor communication cadence and seek feedback from donors to improve their processes. He emphasizes that this evaluation should happen whenever new technology tools are introduced or at least on an annual basis.
Why You Might Not Find Nonprofit Accountants
The shortage of accountants in the nonprofit sector is discussed with Jerilyn Dressler, Director of Strategic Partnerships at YPTC.com (Your Part-Time Controller). Jerilyn highlighted the challenges nonprofits face in hiring and retaining accounting professionals, especially those with CPA (Certified Public Accountant) qualifications. She pointed out that many CPAs are nearing retirement age, and there's a shortage of students majoring in accounting.
The conversation covers the differences between accountants and CPAs, with Jerilyn explaining that while CPAs handle annual financial statements, audits, and regulatory filings, accountants work with organizations throughout the year. She stressed the importance of having professionals with nonprofit-specific expertise, as nonprofit accounting involves unique rules and regulations not found in for profit accounting.
Jerilyn also shared statistics from the American Institute of CPAs, indicating that 75% of CPAs reached retirement age in 2020, contributing to the shortage. Additionally, she discussed efforts to attract younger talent to the accounting profession by highlighting the potential for technological advancements and AI adoption in accounting roles.
The conversation emphasizes the critical role of finance and accounting teams in nonprofit organizations, as they are involved in every aspect and decision-making process. Jerilyn encourages NPO’s to bridge communication gaps between departments and leverage their tech to streamline processes and attract and retain accounting talent.
This quick episode ended with Jerilyn sharing her personal journey into accounting, highlighting the versatility of an accounting career, suggesting it’s an attractive option for those considering a career change or just entering college.
Cost-benefit Analysis At Nonprofits
Angela D. Barnes, MBA, CFRE, the interim vice chancellor at Indiana University East, discusses cost-benefit analysis, highlighting the need for nonprofits to modernize their blueprints and adapt to the changing landscape by leveraging data and tech. This insightful episode offers a fresh perspective on time management and cost-benefit analysis within NPO’s, encouraging transparency and data-driven decision-making.
Angela emphasizes the importance of analyzing how individuals and teams spend their time. She suggests starting by listing tasks, categorizing them, and recording the hours spent on each. This exercise helps identify where time is being invested and whether it aligns with the organization's goals.
The lively conversation jumps into how data can reshape decision-making within nonprofits. Angela shares a powerful example of an employee who discovered they were dedicating an excessive amount of time to an event that contributed insignificantly to their fundraising goals. Armed with data, this employee was able to advocate for change within the organization.
Angela provides practical advice on creating a task assessment spreadsheet, including columns for tasks, categories, hours spent, and recommended hours, which can help individuals and teams evaluate their work and pinpoint areas for improvement.
The episode touches on the benefits of automation, simplification, and integration in streamlining tasks and achieving greater efficiency. Angela suggests that organizations should consider conducting these assessments regularly and even provide data insights to new team members to help them navigate their roles effectively.
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