Appreciating Non-Profit Employees

One of the most important things a non-profit organization can do to retain employees and boost productivity is to actively show their appreciation for them. While appreciating employees should happen year-round, now is a good time for non-profits to plan a celebration of National Employee Appreciation Day, the first Friday in March (March 3, 2017). It’s not hard, it doesn’t need to be expensive, and it could have big payoffs.

Employee appreciation is important for any organization, but especially for non-profits. Surveys indicate that employees who feel appreciated are more productive and less likely to leave their current employer. For example, a report in the June 28, 2016, Gallup Business Journal says “employees who do not feel adequately recognized are twice as likely to say they’ll quit in the next year.” Forbes Magazine columnists, David Sturt and Todd Nordstrom, state in their March 2, 2015, column “We know that appreciation is the number one thing (37%) people say causes them to do great work.”

This is particularly relevant for non-profit organizations, whose employees often receive lower compensation than they would in a for-profit organization. While non-profit employees frequently choose because they care about the mission of the organization, over time, a lack of appreciation from management and the board of directors can turn them away. Fortunately, there are many easy and low-cost ways to show your appreciation on a regular basis.

While consultants can help you design and implement formal employee appreciation programs, there are many simple, but powerful things you can do-starting right this minute-and you already know most of them, so it’s just a matter of taking the time to actually do them.

• Say “Thank you.” Say it often. Show your appreciation for hard work, special effort, and every day contributions, such as being on time every morning to greet clients.
• Send a note. Keep a stack of blank note cards in your desk. Any time you notice something you appreciate, immediately write that employee a note stating specifically what you appreciate about that person and their work (Don’t wait until tomorrow-it’s too easy to forget. Do it now.) Make a photocopy for the employee’s personnel file.
• As a non-profit, you may not be able to offer monetary bonuses, but using flexible scheduling as a bonus may be more valued anyway. For example, let everyone leave early before a holiday weekend or make summer Fridays a half day. In our experience, you’ll more than make up the time lost in more productivity during the week.
• Take employees to lunch for their birthday-or for no reason at all. Let the guest pick the restaurant.
• When you go out for coffee or to pick up lunch, ask your employees if you can bring them anything or if they would like to go with you.
• Invite employees to board meetings on their employment anniversaries and have the board recognize their accomplishments.

Now that you have some ideas for recognizing employees every day, let’s make a big deal out of next week’s National Employee Appreciation Day. It’s a relatively new holiday, so your employees probably don’t have any expectations for the day, but you can be sure they will notice if you do nothing at all. The important thing is that you celebrate the day in some way and that your appreciation is sincere. Whether you have an all-day event (yes, you really can take all day, once a year, to appreciate your employees) or just bring in lunch, we suggest a party. Everyone loves a party! Just be sure your employees know you are throwing the party for them. Here are a few ideas:

• Use a theme such as “You Rock” or “Spring Fever” to help you plan. Give each employee a small themed gift such as a small stone paperweight with a “Thank you” note under it or flowers. Hold an air guitar competition or cook out on the grill even if it is snowing.
• Hold the party in the morning, then offer everyone the rest of the day off. We heard about an organization that asked employees a week or so before National Employee Appreciation Day how they would spend a perfect afternoon. Once all the ideas were submitted, management then told the employees to make those plans because they had the afternoon off to make it true.
• Laugh. Laugh a lot. According to the Mayo Clinic, laughter increases oxygen intake and releases endorphins, both of which relieve stress. Relieving stress while telling your employees how much you appreciate them sounds like a win-win.
• Distribute a list of all employees with space next to each name. Before or during the Employee Appreciation celebration, ask each employee in your organization (or in each office if your organization is large) to such an employee award for each person. Possible awards include Rookie of the Year, Silent Partner (for someone who gets a lot done but doesn’t say much), Early Bird (the person most likely to be first in the office). Encourage people to make up awards (only complimentary ones, no sarcastic or hurtful awards allowed). Compile the ideas, vote on awards, and create a certificate for each person.
• While celebrating with food, even if it’s a potluck instead of catered, ask your employees for their suggestions on improvements for the office, whether it’s décor or procedures or what to do for fun at the next office social event. LISTEN to what they have to say, express your appreciation for their ideas, then IMPLEMENT as many of their ideas as you can. For those you can’t reasonably implement, let the group know why and brainstorm together other ways to solve them particular issue the idea was aimed at fixing.

These are just a few of the possibilities for National Employee Appreciation Day. This year, it falls on March 3, 2017, so you still have plenty of time to organize a simple (or elaborate) but meaningful celebration that lets your employees know how much you appreciate them. Even if your non-profit organization has only one or two employees, it’s important to celebrate their contributions to the important work you do.

About

Chris Bouchard is a creative coach who helps artists and non-profits position themselves for success and realize their full potential. An accomplished grant writer and fundraising consultant, Chris started his business in 2013 to help small non-profits through the sometimes overwhelming prospect of navigating the world of social business. To contact Chris, please visit his coaching website at http://www.cbouchard.com