Attracting 'Talent' for Nonprofit Organisations

Posted on 08 February, 2022 at 02:40

Many organisations with great visions have collapsed not because of situational factors but because of failure to perform. Nonprofit organisations require a workforce with talent because with talent comes the ambition to not perform duties but to see through a cause for existence. A Human Resources function that enforces a strong connection within all internal departments through regular meetings and an open door to communication and feedback policy which in turn helps a lot to know what (and who) is needed to focus on is essential to build an environment that attracts talent. Productivity in an organisation requires more than just qualifications and the deployment of duties. Productivity requires talent. Employees who are qualified in what they do and born for the work they do, promote organisational productivity. The Human Resource is then responsible to create a place where there is an opportunity to train staff for new skills and career advancement.

What is meant by attracting talent?

Talent emerges effortlessly. People, who are eloquent speakers, can address an audience confidently without having to prepare and are able to demand attention with their speech. Those who are not talented in that area would need preparation on what to say, and a lot of practice to gain confidence. Average people can perform just fine, but a skilled person will perform excellently because they have learned and experienced delivering a speech for an audience. A talented person will be outstanding. Both skill and talent are critical in employing or retaining staff.. The term talent refers to an inborn and the special ability of a person to do something, unlike a skill which is expertise acquired by learning. Talent is the ability of an individual to perform a task outstandingly compared to an average person. As much as in his rule Adof Hilter demonstrated unethical behavior such as manipulation, killing of opponents, and corruption, he was a strong political leader because he was a gifted orator, strong military strategist, and a visionary. His charisma was the key to the whole success of National Socialism. Responding to the dynamics of the environment, nonprofit organisations should be able to spot talent rather than the ability to perform tasks. Organisations perform averagely, and some underperform because in recruitment and selection, employing candidates with the right qualifications to perform a role has been customary. Organisations should employ strategies that will help identify talent in a qualified individual. Like building organizational reputation, this procedure is a process that begins by employing the right Human Resources Function.

There are various ways an organisation can attract talent.

Due to the increasing demand in organisations to attract the best job performers, recruiters and HR professionals now use new technology and recruiting methods to discover potential talent for their organisations and in turn, create ‘talent pools’.  A talent pool refers to a group of candidates who have the potential to be what an organisation wants to achieve currently and in the future.

Talent acquisition is one term used to refer to a method of attracting and recruiting skilled employees

Talent management is the process of developing and retaining employees with skill training and succession planning- with average employees, organisations should invest in skills development and training. Even with a talent pool, talents require nurturing. A talent would require acquiring the right skills that will match the inborn qualities of an individual.

This is how an organisation can spot talent.

• Being specific about talents and skills an organisation is looking for – Faced with a vacant position, there is a need to identify the right skills and talent that will help an employee shine in a certain role. Requirements should be realistic and achievable. There should be attributes a candidate must have and nice to have. The nice to have are the skills that are required for performance above board.
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• Look beyond typical requirements – Knowing what is required in an employee or candidate, it is important to know how to find employees with those skills. As much as previous work experience and education are always considered, they are not always reliable criteria.  Rather know the personality of the person working for your organisation or the candidate. Do this by taking a deeper Look at hobbies and interests in candidates’ resumes or turn to your network for referrals. You may use employment agencies.
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• Interviews matter – Most organisations may overlook talent when they do not know what to ask and how to evaluate the responses of the candidates. Prepare and ask all candidates talent- and skill-relevant questions. When you are actively looking for talent, it is more likely to recognize it in those responses.
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• Identify candidates’ mental strengths. 
• Resilience, grit, and a positive mindset are important elements of talent development. You can use the Situation, Task, Action, Result, and Reflection model to understand how candidates act, react and respond in a given situation. Ask them to describe a problem they faced at work and find out how well they manage and overcome it. Organizations may also practice networking at Candidate-Specific Events, implementing referral programs, reaching out to previous employees, and retaining the existing employees.

Importance of Recruiting Talent

Recruiting top talent is critical to the success of any organisation, as employees are a key source of competitive advantage. With the right team in place, you can boost productivity across your organization and provide top-notch ideas, and strategies to drive organizational goals.

• ·        Productivity is certain

• ·        Support for the organizational vision is undoubted

• · Low turnover rate, this boosts organizational efficiency, strong relationships, and experience through the same staff over a long period of time
• ·     The organisation will have to invest less in training for roles (on-the-job training) talented staff requires less time to learn than average staff.
• ·  Donor confidence and other stakeholder confidence is achieved
• ·  Chances of failure in decisions made will be limited

• ·        Agility

By Nobukhosi Ndlovu
Marketing Coordinator
KFM Consultants