17 Mar Making the Leap: Tips to Manage a 100% Remote Nonprofit Team

Making the Leap: Tips to Manage a 100% Remote Nonprofit Team

Before the pandemic, just over half of nonprofit organizations reported having employees working remotely. By July 2020 that number had increased to 75% according to a survey from the Professionals for Nonprofits (PNP) Staffing Group. What’s more, 61% of nonprofits in that same survey report that 100% of their staff were now working from home.

Most employers now recognize the benefits of a remote workforce including cost savings, reduction in absenteeism, increased productivity, employee retention, and access to a greater pool of talent. Remote workers are also increasingly reporting that they, in fact, want to make the move permanent. From a recent article by CNN Business, “Among Americans with jobs that can be done remotely, 59% say they still are working from home much or all of the time, according to a new survey released by the Pew Research Center.”

“Also, 61% said they are choosing to work from home if they have the opportunity. Pew researchers said they found that 60% of workers with jobs that can be done from home say they’d like to work from home all or most of the time when the pandemic is over if given the choice.”

For nonprofit leaders, making the decision to move remote permanently can be particularly challenging. In 2021, PNP released its nonprofit’s salaries and staffing trends, revealing that the top two challenges nonprofits faced were the inability to hold in-person programs and effectively manage remote workers.

Here are some tips for nonprofits that are ready to make a leap into managing a 100% remote team:

 Define remote work processes and expectations

Create a new chapter for your employee manual that outlines your remote processes, including expectations, boundaries, and basic etiquette. This should include a list of all the communication and collaboration tools your employees should have installed on their devices. Be clear about how the team should conduct themselves during video meetings, such as minimizing distractions. Some nonprofits may have flexible hours and only require their staff to check in at a scheduled time each day to report on the day’s productivity. At the same time, another organization may choose to maintain “normal” office hours.

 Leverage the latest communication and collaboration tech and tools

Communication and collaboration technology and software connect you to your workforce more effectively and also allow you to stay in contact with donors and beneficiaries. . Collaborative tools increase data security, allow teams to collaborate on documents in real-time, increase productivity, improve team communication, and reduce work duplication. These tools can also help you tap into a global talent pool when it’s time to hire.

 Establish communication channels and boundaries

Managing remote connections means using a combination of tools and software, such as email, messenger apps, project management tools, video conferencing platforms, and even social media. Unfortunately, the ease of communicating anytime there’s an internet connection can cause people to cross personal boundaries. Be clear about limiting communications to “work hours” and the expected response and turnaround times for emails, messages, and other notifications.

Prevent silos

When people become so good at their jobs, there’s a tendency for management to check in on them less and less. This is even more problematic with remote workforces because you don’t have those in-person, daily touchpoints that automatically come working in the office. If you’re not careful, people may begin working in silos, which increases loneliness, feelings of detachment, and miscommunication. Prevent this by communicating often. Look for opportunities for people to collaborate on projects. Every so often, invite your team to join a simple video call for no other reason than to catch up and have fun.

 Be open to feedback

Leadership must demonstrate its resilience and flexibility so that they can model it for the rest of the staff. Not everyone will adapt to working from home so easily, especially if their home environment is filled with distractions. Increase engagement and productivity by creating a work-from-home culture that values feedback. Encourage your team to be honest about their concerns.

Whether you choose to bring your employees back to the office, keep a remote workplace, or create a hybrid model in between, the above tips will keep you and your employees connected, collaborating and communicating to meet your goals.