Our Perspective

• Frustrated by work environment: 46%
• Lack of recognition: 36%
• Unsupportive environment: 29%
• Unrealistic expectations: 28%
• Personality conflicts: 18%
• Values not same as organization’s: 14%

Source: AFP/CPRN Survey of Fundraisers, 2002

8 steps to keeping the employees you want to keep

1. Create a commitment to retention
President/CEO sees retention as a priority; retention process integrated into organization’s mission & values; every manager must buy in

2. Make retention a systemic initiative and a part of every manager’s job
Develop clear, measurable guidelines; use a balanced scorecard approach; include a line in supervisor’s job description; hold managers responsible to regularly review potential employee problems; start at hiring cycle

3. Provide defined personal growth opportunities
Includes challenges and opportunity for growth, cross-training that enables individuals to learn within job and education opportunities by teaching others

4. Involve people in an enterprise greater than themselves
Help employees build something great; managers must inspire employees to be their best

5. Make rewards competitive
Compensation is viewed as a measurement of value that an organization places on individual as a contributor to organization; pay at least average salary for work in relevant area

6. Demonstrate respect
Listen to people’s ideas; give people your time — don’t manage by e-mail or memo; “walk your talk;” let people know that what they are doing is important

7. Add a dose of fun
Create celebrations and a special event for employees; stop to smell the roses; appoint a “director of fun”

8. Build in differentiators
Differentiate your organization from competition: provide small but important benefits that stand out in minds of employees; show you truly care

From “Tools for Retaining your Top Talent,” a presentation by Jean Crawford to the AHP* Canada Conference, June 2004.
*Association for Healthcare Philanthropy