Hopefully, you’ve experienced a great first day at a nonprofit. You ended the day inspired and felt like you made a good choice about where to work.
You also might have experienced a bad, indifferent or awkward first day of work at a nonprofit — and logged off for the night treading water in a sea of doubt.
Luckily, nonprofits have lots of ways to ensure new team members get a great start with the organization, according to Melanie Lockwood Herman, executive director of the Nonprofit Risk Management Center in Leesburg, Virginia, which recently created a website with free HR and risk materials, including a guide to onboarding new team members.
“Hiring a new team member is one of the most important decisions any nonprofit will make,” Herman says. “There are some important steps nonprofits should take to ensure their new employee has a great introduction to the organization — and those steps don’t end on the first day or the first week. The most important step is to take time to plan a thoughtful onboarding experience; new hires will know right away if you’ve been intentional or if you’ve relegated the process to the bottom of a dreaded to-do list. Don’t ruin the good impression you made during the hiring process with a faux process.”
Here are some ways to give your new team member a great start with your nonprofit.
Make your new employee feel welcome before the first day. If it works with your new employee’s schedule, invite them for a virtual or in-person tour of your headquarters or a location where services are delivered. If your employee will relocate for the role, this visit could include a tour of a local point of interest.
Make the first day memorable. Cover the basics an employee would need to know to avoid mistakes on their second day. But just as importantly, provide at least one specific positive experience the new employee will be eager to share with friends and family at the end of Day One. Share a “quick win” assignment the employee will be able to complete and feel good about on their first day or week.
Craft remote orientations with special care. Pre-record a welcome video with an introduction from each team member that appears in the new employee’s email inbox on the first day. Make sure each welcome message includes the new hire’s first name and other information that will make the message feel personalized.
Continue to educate your new employee about the organization after orientation. Onboarding can take a full year. Throughout that time, work with your new employee to discuss and share insights on big questions like “What do we believe in around here?” “What is my role?” and “Who are my partners?”
Crafting a meaningful onboarding journey for a new employee starts with intention and continues with careful planning and thoughtful execution. That work can bear fruit in a meaningful and rewarding tenure for an employee who helps your nonprofit grow.
