Now more than ever, it’s essential that nonprofit leaders build a strong, adaptable team. But how do you find, keep, and mold top talent that aligns with your organization’s mission? Today’s guest, William Vanderbloemen, shares key strategies for building, running, and maintaining a great team that is dedicated to your organization’s values and mission. 

Rob’s guest, William Vanderbloemen, is the Founder and CEO of Vanderbloemen. His company specializes in helping churches, schools, and nonprofits find leaders who fit their mission and culture. Vanderbloemen’s mission is to help teams not just fill a position, but build leadership that will last for the long haul. 

William explains the importance of creating a strong organizational culture and emphasizes that this culture should be clear and intentional from the start. He believes that organizations need to adapt to changing environments while staying true to their core values. William shares that hiring the right people is not just about filling a role, but finding individuals who are aligned with the mission of the organization. He adds that it’s important for leaders to clearly explain to potential staff members, what makes their organization unique. William touches on the critical role of clear communication in leadership. If leaders seek honest feedback from their staff, then they must develop a culture of giving and asking for feedback regularly. Finally, he believes that resilience and flexibility are key traits for leaders to develop in order to navigate the challenges of today’s world. 

Guest Links:

Connect with William on LinkedIn 

Vanderbloemen.com  

Be The Unicorn book

Culture Tool 

This Episode is sponsored by:

Links to Resources:

Want to work with a leadership and life coach, check out Rob’s website https://robharter.com/

If you have any suggestions for the show, email [email protected]

For more episodes and to subscribe to our newsletter, check out https://nonprofitleadershippodcast.org/ 

Join the discussion over on Rob’s LinkedIn page

Summary

William Vanderbloemen discusses the importance of recruitment and retention in the nonprofit sector. He shares his experience starting Vanderbloemen, a cause-based search firm, and emphasizes the need for nonprofits to prioritize soft skills when recruiting new staff. He also highlights the significance of clearly articulating the organization’s mission and values to attract the right talent. Additionally, Vanderbloemen emphasizes the role of a healthy organizational culture in recruitment and retention, and suggests using tools like theculturtool.com to assess and improve culture. In this conversation, Dr. Rob Harter and William Vanderbloemen discuss the importance of organizational culture and employee satisfaction in the nonprofit sector. They explore the eight cultural values that shape behavior within an organization and how to assess and improve culture. They also discuss the impact of culture on employee retention and the need for organizations to adapt to the changing expectations of millennials and Gen Z. The conversation highlights the value of feedback and collaboration in creating a positive culture, as well as the importance of balancing professional development with organizational efficiency.

Takeaways

Recruiting the right people at the right time is crucial for staff retention in nonprofits.

Soft skills, or human-to-human skills, are essential for success in the nonprofit sector.

Nonprofits should clearly articulate their mission and values to attract the right talent.

A healthy organizational culture is key to recruitment and retention in nonprofits. Assessing and improving organizational culture is crucial for nonprofit organizations to create a healthy and effective work environment.

Understanding the cultural values that shape behavior within an organization can help identify areas for improvement.

Employee satisfaction and well-being are key factors in retaining staff, especially in a generation that values career mobility.

Involving staff in the decision-making process and addressing their feedback can lead to a more engaged and committed workforce.

Balancing professional development with organizational efficiency requires identifying the right timing and opportunities for growth.

Quotes

“Businesses may or may not have a value that drives them. Why do they have a better solution for staffing than the people who are living for a cause?”

“Soft skills, H2H skills, are the ball game in nonprofit.”

“The ones that succeed are the ones that say, ‘Here’s the one thing we do that very few people do.'”

“We’re all the same age or skin color or gender, but we are all the same in our behavior around our eight cultural values.”

“What is the biggest rock that we’re getting right of these eight areas? What are we just really doing well?”

“If you focus so much on your culture that you could get six or seven years instead of four or five, because the cost to replace a staff person, it takes time, it takes energy, you lose momentum, it takes money.”

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Background

03:01 Recruitment and Retention in the Nonprofit Sector

06:16 The Importance of Soft Skills in Nonprofits

11:56 Articulating Mission and Values to Attract Talent

15:22 The Role of Organizational Culture in Recruitment and Retention

17:33 Assessing and Improving Culture

19:36 The Impact of Culture on Employee Retention

22:40 Addressing Employee Satisfaction

27:12 Adapting to the Expectations of Millennials and Gen Z

29:45 Creating a Feedback-Driven Culture

31:45 Balancing Workload and Professional Development