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How We Hire roundup: Staff support

Written by: Marc Schultz
Published on: Feb 26, 2020

hwh roundup staff support

In our ongoing How We Hire series, we ask the HR leaders at nonprofits and other purpose-driven organizations about the ways they find, vet, onboard, and support their people.

Since the series began in 2016, we’ve gathered a range of insightful responses to the question, What’s something cool you do to support your staff? Below, find a few of our favorites (some slightly condensed for space).

If any pique your interest, be sure to click on the organization name to find the full How We Hire interview. (Or browse them all!)

Galileo Camps: Every single person at Galileo has a weekly one-on-one check-in with their manager where the employee drives the agenda. This truly puts each person in the driver’s seat regarding their development, with a manager whose goal is lifting you up so you can achieve your potential.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Atlanta: Every Thursday, we get together in a weekly huddle to update everyone on organization goals, share moments of gratitude and appreciation for our co-workers, and get real-time feedback from our CEO on any overarching questions.

World Wildlife Fund: A development budget that supports staff in pursuing opportunities like workshops, seminars, conferences, and exam prep courses. That’s in addition to in-house training we offer, like public speaking, that we find important to our people.

NeighborWorks: We offer 40 hours of paid volunteer leave to each employee, every year, to be used for philanthropic or community-based volunteer opportunities.

CARE USA: Our cross-training program: If there’s a department looking for temporary help, staffers can apply, in collaboration with their manager, to take the assignment. It’s a great way for staff to expand their skills and learn more about the scope of CARE’s work.

Goodwill Industries International: In our monthly all-staff meeting we discuss submissions from the company suggestion box, give a “thumbs-up” recognition to team members, and share milestones from our personal lives. This type of group sharing builds strong bonds among team members.

KIPP New Jersey: Our annual award ceremony, recognizing all our staff members. It’s a really fun night where all staff are encouraged to bring a significant other for a sit-down dinner and open bar. It’s one way we really go all-out to celebrate our folks.

H.I.S. BridgeBuilders: We’ve got a high level of workday flexibility, which helps many employees, like those who might be single parents.

Is there a staff-support practice making a big difference at your organization? Let us know – we may be able to share it with the Work for Good community.

Marc Schultz is communications editor at Work for Good.