Problems, Skills and Training Needs in
Nonprofit Human Service
Organizations
Dr. Rick Hoefer
University of Texas at Arlington
School of Social Work
Previous Literature
• Nonprofit management is a:
Pressure
Cooker
2
Context
3
Context
4
Context
• At least that’s what we think is the current
context and situation.
• Still, I thought it would be important to:
• Ask Executive Directors.
5
Research Questions
• Respondents were asked
• What is the number one problem you
encounter as a high-level manager?
• How much need is there to improve each of
25 skills important to nonprofit managers?
• To what degree is formal training needed to
improve these 25 skills important to nonprofit
managers?
6
Methods
• Cross sectional mailed survey of human
service agency directors in Texas
• Sent out 148 surveys; received 65, for a
response rate of 44%
7
Demographics
• Gender: 69% female; 31% male
• They have been managers from 3 to 40 years,
with an average of just over 20 years of
management experience.
• Respondents come from larger organizations,
with over half working in organizations with
more than 50 staff members.
8
Topics of Number 1 Problems
• Which got the most responses?
–Sheer Overwhelm
–Staff Issues
–Money
–Staff Skills
9
What is the #1 Problem You Face?
Skills, 16%
Staff Issues, 35%
Overwhelm,
18%
Funding, 31%
N = 62
10
Typical Staff Issues Problems
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Communication between staff
Staff retention
Identifying hard-working staff
Keeping everyone motivated
Obtaining staff that is qualified
Personal conflicts
Hiring motivated and knowledgeable staff
11
Typical Funding Problems
• Adequate funding for programs
• Continuing need for funding--multi-year funding is unusual
• Ever decreasing funding from state and local sources
without relief from st
• ate standards including staff to client ratios and paperwork
• We are dependent on shrinking finances
(-17%) with a
20% increase in outcomes!
12
Typical Overwhelm Problems
• How to balance between all the different roles
and responsibilities: fund-raising, personnel,
board, etc.
• Telling our story—must have staff expertise in
social media, print media, audio or video,
picture taking, data collection and
interpretation, word something and legalize to
get the job done correctly and completely
• So much to do—so little time
13
Typical Skills Problems
• Staff professional development
• Business skills of middle managers
• Consistent communication that is properly
transferred across the agency
• Inadequate training—preparing social service
administrators to be effective managers
• Managers acting like managers
14
Question 2:
Which skills are most in need of
improvement?
15
5 Skills MOST in Need of Improvement
7.00
6.00
5.00
4.00
3.00
2.00
1.00
0.00
Manage
Conflict
Marketing
Negotiating
Manage
Stress
Plan Strategy
16
Other Skills and Mean Scores
• Evaluate Personnel
(5.23)
• Delegation (5.11)
• Manage Board (5.08)
• Evaluate Programs
(5.03)
• Budgeting (4.97)
• Grant Writing (4.94)
• Written Communication
(4.86)
• Leadership (4.86)
• Oral Communication
(4.66)
• Decision-making (4.64)
• Manage meetings (4.61)
• Work in teams (4.56)
• 6 more below 4.50
17
Question 3:
To what degree is formal training
needed to improve these 25 skills
important to nonprofit managers?
18
5 Skills MOST Important Through Formal Training
6.00
5.00
4.00
3.00
2.00
1.00
0.00
Budgeting
Plan Strategy
Manage
Conflict
Marketing
Evaluate
Personnel
19
Other Skills and Scores
• Evaluate programs
(5.25)
• Negotiating (5.14)
• Written communication
(5.10)
• Manage Board (5.05)
• Grant-writing (5.02)
• Leadership (5.02)
• Manage stress (4.92)
• Oral communication
(4.78)
• Supervising (4.78)
• Decision-making (4.76)
• Working in teams (4.73)
• Plan programs (4.70)
• Delegation (4.70)
• Rest are below this
20
Summary and Implications
• Human Service nonprofits in Texas are hurting
in four key areas:
21
Comparing Problems and Skills
Biggest Problems
•
•
•
•
Staff Issues
Funding
Sheer Overwhelm
Staff Skills
Skills Most Needing
Improvement
•
•
•
•
•
•
Manage Conflict
Marketing
Negotiating
Manage Stress
Plan Strategically
Evaluate Personnel
22
Comparing Needed Skills and Training
Skills Most Needing
Improvement
Skills Best for Formal Training
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Manage Conflict
Marketing
Negotiating
Manage Stress
Plan Strategically
Evaluate Personnel
Budgeting
Plan Strategically
Manage Conflict
Marketing
Evaluate Personnel
Evaluate Program
23
Implications
• The problems nonprofits have are not
necessarily easily addressed with job skill
improvements
• The overall need for additional funding
hampers being able to improve the situation
for maintaining and improving staff
performance
• BUT…
24
Implications
• Within the current context for nonprofits, we
can reach out to understand what skills ARE
needed most,
• AND
• Find ways to provide them, such as through
• Trainings, classwork, continuing education
courses, on-line training materials, etc.
25
Implications
• Given the rapidly changing (often mainly
getting worse!) situation, that even we as
educators are in, it seems clear that we will
need to step up to the plate to help out.
26