For as long as I can remember, I have been a promoter of people development in the workforce. I have always believed that one of the greatest responsibilities of leadership is preparing people not only to perform their current roles, but also to grow into the responsibilities the organization will need them to carry in the future.
This is especially important for nonprofit organizations, where workforce development is essential but sadly remains one of the most overlooked aspects of organizational success.
Nonprofits exist to serve people. Many are committed to supporting the most vulnerable individuals and families in our communities—those I often call the farthest reached population. These are people whose needs may be complex, whose circumstances may be difficult and who are often beyond the reach of traditional systems and services.
That mission is worthy and necessary. However, it would be a grave mistake to serve the community at the expense of the people recruited, hired and developed to be the hands and feet of that mission.
You cannot build a healthy organization by exhausting its people.
A workforce development pipeline is more than a hiring strategy. It is an intentional process for identifying, attracting, developing, retaining and advancing the people an organization needs to fulfill its mission over time. It requires leaders to stop thinking only about today’s vacancies and begin preparing for tomorrow’s responsibilities.
Workforce planning begins with understanding the work.
Leaders must assess the organization’s current workload, required skills and staffing structure. They should be asking important questions: What types of skilled employees do we need to achieve our mission? How many people are required to produce the desired level of performance? Where are those employees most needed across departments, programs or locations?
These questions help leaders understand the organization’s immediate workforce needs, but planning cannot stop there. Organizations must also anticipate future changes.
Some employees will retire. Others will leave for new opportunities. Programs will expand, funding priorities will shift and community needs will change. Technology, regulations and economic conditions will require employees to develop new capabilities.
A strong workforce pipeline prepares the organization for those changes before they become emergencies.
Unfortunately, too many organizations operate reactively. A valuable employee resigns, and leadership suddenly realizes no one else was prepared to assume the role. A longtime manager retires, taking years of institutional knowledge with them. A new program is launched, but the organization does not have employees with the experience or capacity to manage it effectively.
These situations may appear to be staffing problems, but they are often planning problems.
Workforce development must become a continuous organizational practice rather than an occasional human resources project. Managers and department leaders must understand that developing people is part of their responsibility. They cannot simply supervise tasks and evaluate performance. They must identify potential, transfer knowledge, provide feedback and create opportunities for employees to grow.
Organizations should also establish a workforce planning team that includes people from different departments and levels of responsibility. Human resources may help coordinate the process, but workforce development cannot belong to one department alone. Program leaders, financial staff, operations professionals and executive leadership all bring valuable knowledge about current demands and future needs.
Technology can support this process by helping organizations collect workforce data, track turnover, identify skill gaps and forecast staffing needs. However, software cannot replace human judgment. Data can reveal where problems exist, but leaders must determine why they exist and what should be done about them.
Organizations do not have to transform their entire workforce system overnight. They can begin with one department, one critical position or one succession challenge. They can review the results, gather feedback and improve the process before expanding it throughout the organization.
Recruitment is also only one part of building the pipeline.
Nonprofits must think seriously about what makes talented people want to join—and remain with—their organizations. Mission alone is not enough. Employees need fair expectations, effective supervision, professional development, psychological safety and opportunities for advancement. They need to know that the organization values their well-being as much as it values their productivity.
Nonprofits must build reputations not only as great places to serve, but also as great places to work and grow.
This means creating career pathways, offering coaching and mentoring, strengthening frontline supervisors and giving employees meaningful opportunities to develop new skills. It also means listening to employees before frustration becomes resignation.
The people closest to the work often know where systems are failing, where workloads have become unrealistic and where additional training is needed. Wise leaders do not dismiss those voices. They use them to build stronger organizations.
Ultimately, a nonprofit cannot consistently care for its community while consistently neglecting its workforce. The two responsibilities are connected.
The strength of the mission depends on the strength of the people carrying it.
Building a workforce development pipeline is not separate from serving the farthest reached population. It is one of the most important ways an organization protects its ability to serve them well. When nonprofits intentionally recruit, develop, support and retain talented people, they are not taking attention away from the mission.
They are ensuring that the mission has a future.
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