The People that Make Scale Possible

 

Michele Jolin’s report The Vital and Growing Non-Profit Sector, points out one hurdle to the scalability of social innovations/nonprofits, an issue of human capital - finding the right people.  “High-growth organizations report the challenge of finding qualified staff at every level, especially middle managers, has slowed their ability to expand, even when financial capital is available.”  I’ve felt this issue first-hand and am a firm believer that without the right people, all the money in the world is not enough to make an idea/innovation effective.  The people who carry it out are the ones who bring innovative ideas to life. 

Delotte’s Talent Edge 2020: Blueprints for the New Normal identifies that recruiting and retaining top talent is an issue even in the private sector.   Specifically, the report indicates anticipated talent shortages in 12 key areas such as R&D, strategy and planning, operations, finance, and IT among others.  While attracting qualified talent is a challenge in the private sector, imagine how much more of an issue it is in the nonprofit world?   Jolin’s report points to just one organization that is addressing the need (AmeriCorps) but only does so at the entry level. 

I was disappointed to see just one example of an organization that is making strides in this area in the report and was curious to see what else was out there.  While there is no one easy fix, the issue of scaling by attracting private sector employees to the nonprofits could be addressed by some of the following:

1.     Loan forgiveness for students who take on careers in the public sector (e.g.: the Stafford Loan Forgiveness Program, http://www.studentloannetwork.com/repayment/public-service-loan-forgiveness.php).

2.     Aggressive recruitment campaigns on college and graduate school campuses that traditionally prepare students for private sector careers.  Teach For America is an example of an organization that does this very well.   

3.     Adapting recruitment strategies similar those of highly selective private sector companies.  These companies tend to “advertise” their results and impact, sign-on bonuses, opportunities for career advancement, training, and incentives.