Tip #1069: Keep Your Nonprofit Team Motivated

This Tip offers nonprofit organizations six strategies to keep your nonprofit team motivated when exhausted and overworked.

It can be hard for your team to stay motivated when they’re understaffed, overworked and exhausted.

So, how do you turn things around when you have a limited budget, you can’t find more volunteers, and you can’t pay more to your staff?

Here are six key strategies to consider to keep your nonprofit team motivated:

1. Remind the team regularly of the impact that they have.

• Provide success stories so they understand their work has tangible results.
• Showcase beneficiaries so they have a personal connection to the people they help.
• When possible, take them to service sites so they can see the results of their efforts in action.

2. Set the team up for success.

• Make sure that their roles and responsibilities are well-defined so they have no confusion.
• Provide complete and clear instructions so they know what you expect from them.
• Establish reasonable performance expectations so they can meet them.

3. Provide training and development.

• Ensure they have sufficient training and practice so they know what to do and how to do it.
• Offer training for professional development so they feel you are invested in their growth.
• Delegate responsibilities and decision making authority so they know you value their expertise and trust their capabilities.

4. Ensure open communication.

• Have frequent meetings where they can voice their thoughts and concerns openly and honestly so they feel they have a say in what goes on.
• Offer constructive feedback about their input so they know you hear them.
• Keep the lines of communication open so they are aware of how the organization is handling different situations.

5. Maintain a positive and psychologically safe culture.

• Celebrate what the team accomplishes so they know you recognize their efforts.
• Ensure psychological safety so they don’t worry about being vulnerable or making mistakes.
• Promote diversity and inclusion so they all feel respected and valued.

6. Offer incentives and benefits.

• Provide extra vacation days or other incentives so you can reward their dedication and hard work.
• Offer flexible work schedules or remote work options so they can maintain a work-life balance.
• Write letters of appreciation and/or highlight their achievements in the organization’s newsletter.

Implementing one or more of these strategies can help your team stay motivated.

What do you think?

May your learning be sweet,

Deborah

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