Four Keys to Engaging Your Nonprofit Team—A Leadership Guide |
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Dear First name / community leader, When we pulled this piece together, we knew that the year could be a challenge and we were focusing our newsletter topics on ways to appreciate and engage staff. With all of the turmoil happening, being transparent, offering sincere gratitude, keeping clarity of goals and consistent in your approach to the work may seem kind of silly. And yet, we’re all looking for some way to be grounded. Someway to feel connected and looking to our nonprofit leadership teams to provide that direction. Building a strong, engaged nonprofit team is about more than just hiring great people—it’s about creating an environment where they feel valued, focused, and heard. Whether you’re working with employees or volunteers, engagement is the key to keeping your team motivated and mission-driven. At Nonprofit Professionals Now, we’ve seen how four simple leadership principles can make a huge impact: - Gratitude – A thoughtful “thank you” goes a long way in making team members feel appreciated and connected to the mission.
- Clarity – When roles, expectations, and goals are clear, employees and volunteers work with greater confidence and purpose.
- Consistency – Trust grows when leadership is stable, feedback is regular, and priorities don’t shift unpredictably.
- Ask & Act – Teams thrive when leaders not only listen but also take meaningful action based on feedback.
Your team deserves a workplace where they feel valued and motivated every day. Small leadership shifts can create lasting engagement and impact! Engagement isn’t about grand gestures—it’s about simple, meaningful actions repeated over time. By practicing gratitude, clarity, consistency, and ask & act, nonprofit leaders can build an engaged, motivated team that drives the mission forward. |
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- Melissa Mark, Executive Director, Washington Resource Conservation and Development Council
- Cassy Adams, Executive Director, ALS Northwest
- Lynn Renken, Executive Director, A Village for One
- Darrell Yuen, Senior Philanthropy Director, Joy Rx
- Chris Lucier, Chief Development Officer, Friends of the Children-Portland
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Building Blocks 2 Success (BB2S) (Portland, OR) is hiring a Program Director. Salary: $80,000-$89,000. Closes 2/19/2025. Immigrant & Refugee Community Organization (IRCO) (Portland, OR) is hiring a Director of Advancement. Salary: $130,000-$140,000. Closes 2/19/2025. United Way of Southwestern Oregon (Coos Bay, OR) is hiring an Executive Director. Salary: $80,000-$90,000. Closes 2/23/2025. |
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NPN is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We hire local talent at all levels regardless of race, color, religion, age, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation or disability, and actively foster inclusion in all forms both within our company and across interactions with clients, candidates and partners. |
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PO Box 83155
Portland, OR 97283, USA |
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