Casey Funds Promote Youth Worker Retention

Anyone who has read Good to Great knows impact is all about getting “the right people on the bus.”

In the nonprofit world, it’s not only a matter of getting good folks, but keeping them when neither conditions nor pay are optimal. According to a report by Paul Light from the Brookings Institute:

A nation that truly wants no child left behind must make sure that workers who care for children, youth, and families have the motivation, resources, and support to succeed. At a minimum, this workforce numbers 2.5 million, of which two-thirds serve low-income children, youth, and families. As such, the human services workforce... almost as large as the federal government's civilian workforce.

Brookings' research was funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation which responded to the findings by providing $1.3 million to Cornerstones for Kids. With the funds, they have developed the Workforce Planning Portal. Nonprofit executives and board members alike can benefit from this one-stop-shop which provides a wealth of resources for analyzing and evaluating current HR practices, creating winning hiring strategies and continually evaluating results.

Maybe it's got what your organization needs to keep from recreating the wheel or getting flat tires that force the right folks off the bus?

Susan Herr