Why Nonprofits Have the Answer to the Employee Engagement Dilemma

You invested precious time, money, and energy into hiring Sally for a key role in your organization. 

But now, a few months in, you’re noticing concerning signs from Sally: lack of productivity, negative body language, frequent unhealthy conflict with the team, clear disinterest in her work. You reluctantly admit that Sally is disengaged. This story, while discouraging, isn’t unique.

A recent poll conducted by Gallup of working Americans revealed that a mere 33% are engaged in their work, and an alarming 17% reported being actively disengaged. The other 50% are somewhere in the middle, which is not great either. When you do the math, disengaged employees are costing you a fortune. Gallup crunched the numbers to learn that a disengaged employee may be costing your organization a whopping 34% of their salary due to lack of productivity. Furthermore, if the idea of going through the hiring process all over again to find a replacement sounds daunting and costly, you’re not wrong.

On average, it costs up to 2x an employee's salary to replace them (Gallup). 

This lack of engagement in the workforce is rampant. However, nonprofits, perhaps more than any other type of company or organization, have the solution to this problem: mission.

When polled, US workers note that alignment with the mission of their organization is one of the top reasons for employee engagement. McKinsey reports that, “When employees feel that their purpose is aligned with the organization’s purpose, the benefits expand to include stronger employee engagement, heightened loyalty... etc. etc.”

Humans are driven by mission. Talk to just about anyone who loves their job, and what will they tell you? They connect with the mission of the company. In a recent survey of Gen Z professionals, it was reported that 71% would take a pay cut to work for a mission that they are passionate about (Monster). When employees feel connected to a mission and are confident they’re promoting it every day, productivity prospers and retention rises.

To improve engagement on your team, materialize your mission in these two ways.

Hire for mission.

Invest time, energy, and resources upfront to ensure that you are hiring people that are both talented and passionate about your mission. Many organizations are daunted by the task of hiring and thus resort to the path of least resistance by posting the position and selecting the best of whatever applicants trickle in. Do not settle! When the proper time is invested upfront to find the right mission-aligned talent, the return-on-investment is tremendous—who you hire will be worth the wait.

Ensure your mission permeates your workplace.

According to Forbes, “having a clear purpose can help a company differentiate itself from competitors, inspire and motivate employees, and build or maintain a strong brand identity.” 

A strong, clearly written mission statement is essential but it shouldn’t just be nice words on a page. If you’re not doing this already, ask yourself and your team what it would look like to live your mission in daily office life. Why are you there? What problem are you solving and why is that important? Have tangible answers to these questions, and then live it!

Nonprofits exist to accomplish a mission in the world. Professionals are hungry to work for mission. Let’s capitalize on this. Hire for mission. Permeate mission all throughout your organization. Then watch the shift in culture, engagement, and productivity.

—Tom Pagano, President of Mission Advantage Recruiting