3 Practical Tips to Improve Your Nonprofit's Onboarding Process
Most people form a first impression in just a tenth of a second, and there’s no second chances. So, what is your nonprofit's first impression? When you hire a new staff person, what do they think or feel? It's worth asking the question, and it's worth investing in making that first impression a good one.
That’s why, on today’s episode, I‘m sharing three practical ways you can improve your nonprofit's onboarding process and create a great first impression.
Listen to the episode or scroll down to read the blog post ↓
Key Points:
00:58 Creating a great first impression with your onboarding process
02:20 Why a good onboarding process is so important
02:58 Three tips to improve your nonprofit’s onboarding process
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3 Practical Tips to Improve Your Nonprofit's Onboarding Process
First impressions matter.
In fact, two Princeton psychologists did a study and found that most people form a first impression of another person in just a tenth of a second. And after that point, no matter how much more time they spent together, their impressions did not significantly change.
You really don't get a second chance.
So what is your nonprofit's first impression?
When you hire a new staff person, what do they think or feel? It's worth asking the question and it's worth investing in making that first impression a good one.
The past several years have been filled with staff changes.
There have been:
Layoffs
New hires
Burnout
Restructures
And more and more staff transitions
Those staff changes make a big impact on your nonprofit or association.
That’s why, in this blog post, I’m sharing three practical ways you can improve your nonprofit’s onboarding process and create a great first impression:
Make Your New Nonprofit Staff Person Feel Like Part of the Team Before Day One
Let Your New Nonprofit Staff Person Know What to Expect During Onboarding
Onboarding your staff helps set them up for success. It gives them the knowledge, resources, and support they need to do their work and engage with others in the organization.
Onboarding well can help them become more productive more quickly. And what nonprofit doesn't want that, right? Plus it's the new hire's first impression of working inside your nonprofit.
So what do we do? How do we create this great experience for new hires?
1) Make Your New Nonprofit Staff Person Feel Like Part of the Team Before Day One
First, make your new nonprofit staff person feel like part of the team, even before day one.
How do we do that?
We can send them some swag and include a personal handwritten note from their supervisor. That will stand out!
Also, share a little bit about their teammates so they know who they'll be working with when they start on the first day. Relationships are so important, so helping them feel like they are connected to their new team is a must.
What could this look like?
I'm envisioning a welcome package with maybe a notebook, a pen, and a cup. These are things that you might already be doing that have your nonprofit’s logo on them.
Also include a directory of sorts of their new team that includes faces, bios, a fun fact, and maybe even an “ask me about” prompt for each team member. Include something that a team member would be really excited to share or something that the team member has a lot of expertise in.
It can be fun - ask me about my toy dinosaur collection.
It can be professional - ask me about my history with fundraising.
Then add that handwritten note from the supervisor and mail all of it to the new hire before they start. Make them feel like they're part of the team.
2) Let Your New Nonprofit Staff Person Know What to Expect During Onboarding
Clarity is key.
Let your new nonprofit staff person know what to expect.
How do we do this?
Provide an agenda and a checklist for their first few days or even weeks.
You're likely going to want them to meet people as they enter the organization. You might want them to do some independent research about the organization or their work specifically.
So for example, a new hire in L&D might need to review some existing courses in your training library so they can see what you offer, how those courses have been designed and delivered in the past, and the quality of work that you expect.
The same would be true in other areas of your organization.
There might be things that they need to review as they're getting up to date and ready to start contributing.
So what could this look like? Here’s an example of day one:
9 a.m. - Day one kicks off with a meeting with their supervisor.
10 a.m. - They're going to do some independent research. They're going to look at the organization's strategic plan, their goals, and their direction.
11 a.m. - There’s an extended lunch with the team. They're getting some initial social introductions.
1 p.m. - Short break
1:30 p.m. - They're going to discuss what they learned from their review of the strategic plan with their supervisor.
2 p.m. - They can meet some of the senior leaders in the organization.
End of day - They're reflecting on their day and they’re journaling in that new notebook that you sent them.
Now, I didn't include a full day here because this is a lot of new information and a lot of new people. And it's important to remember that. Plus, you might have some additional things that need to happen like HR paperwork or IT setup. You want to include that in your day, but you don't want that to be the first impression.
This gives you a sense of how the day could go while still leaving room for those things.
3) Set Your New Nonprofit Staff Person Up for Success
Now, the third tip is to set your new nonprofit staff person up for success.
How do we do that?
As they settle in, they will have additional questions. There will be things that come up that they didn't think to ask in that first meeting with their supervisor.
So make sure that a supervisor schedules regular one on one check ins with them so that over time they have a good relationship, they know the expectations, and they have opportunities to ask questions.
You might also want to assign a buddy in the organization to help them navigate this transition into this new workplace.
Another great way to set them up for success is to make sure their actual work is introduced gradually.
You want to start with projects that will feel like quick wins. Something that will help them feel successful early, and then go from there.
That's going to help them be productive and a contributing member of the team, but you're starting small, in kind of a safe place, and in a way that feels quick and helps them be ready to implement that larger project when it's time.
Onboarding is important and it's something that each organization does a little bit differently.
Are you curious about what other nonprofits or associations are doing?
That's what the Nonprofit L&D Collective is for. It's a private community and a powerful network of L&D pros from across the sector. We tackle topics just like this one each week, so you get an inside look at what other organizations are doing.
To hear the full conversation I had on the Learning for Good Podcast, scroll all the way up and tune into episode 106.
The Nonprofit Learning and Development Collective
Helping to change the world for good is hard enough as it is. Finding good support shouldn’t be difficult, too.
I know what it feels like to want someone to bounce ideas off of and to learn from, someone who really understands you and your work.
Nonprofit L&D leaders have been overlooked for too long. You need a place where you can meet like-minded talent development pros, learn from industry leaders and tech vendors, and find the support you need to make a real impact.
Thankfully, great nonprofit support is no longer hard to find or financially inaccessible.
Welcome to the Nonprofit Learning and Development Collective – the only community specifically for nonprofit talent development professionals.
When you join this community, you will walk away with a new, diverse, and powerful network – and a sounding board for your staff development needs.
So if you're ready to exchange ideas and collaborate with your peers, come join the Nonprofit L&D Collective.
