Staff Shortages Hurt More Than We Think
Malini Sekhar, Associate
July 2010

A recent survey conducted by Johns Hopkins Center for Civil Society Studies highlights the strain that the current recession has placed on the nonprofit workforce across the nation.

Nearly 40 percent of the nonprofit organizations who participated in the survey felt they lacked the adequate staff to effectively deliver their programs and services. This is particularly troubling at a time when many communities facing economic hardship are in greater need of those programs and services.

A few of the findings of the survey, which you can view in its entirety here, include:

• Close to half of the respondents (49 percent) have recently refined job descriptions, which the report asserts is likely a euphemism for assigning additional responsibilities and increasing workloads of current employees.
• Nearly 40 percent of those surveyed had implemented a salary freeze, and 36 percent had suspended filling new positions.
• There is more dependence and pressure placed on volunteers and part-time workers to sustain levels of operation.
• Arts and culture groups have been especially hard hit – over half of the museums, theaters, and orchestras that were part of the survey reported more reliance on volunteers, an increase from the 34 percent reported overall.

American nonprofit organizations face and continue to adapt to challenging economic conditions. But as demands for certain services intensify, staff burn-out is likely to grow and limit what nonprofits can provide and accomplish in those communities they serve.

Schultz & Williams is a national consulting firm based in Philadelphia; providing management, fundraising and marketing consulting for nonprofit organizations, along with full-service direct marketing, database and creative/production services.