2021 has been another rollercoaster year for NFPs trying to navigate lockdowns, work-from-home, remote recruitment, vaccine mandates and the many other challenges a second year of COVID-19 brought us.

We (the EthicalJobs.com.au team) hope that despite all of that you still had a good year and that the ideas we’ve brought you through the Not-For-Profit People Blog have made a positive impact for you and your organisation’s staff and volunteers.

You may have noticed that we took a short break from new NFP People content these last few weeks, but we’re looking forward to bringing you a whole lot more ideas on how to attract, manage and retain the best people for your organisation in 2022 as well as our next Not-For-Profit People Conference – stay tuned for details in the new year!

In the meantime, here are the ten posts you enjoyed the most in 2021.

Have a safe and happy holiday and new year!

1. Six interview questions to recruit staff with a growth mindset

Alongside skills, experience and ‘fit’ with your organisation’s culture, do you consider ‘mindset’ when you recruit new staff and volunteers?

When you hire people with a growth mindset, you are setting your organisation up to succeed further into the future.

Click through for six growth mindset-focused interview questions that you can try in your next interview.

2. Five questions you should always avoid when interviewing candidates

Interviews are an imperfect way to recruit new staff members at the best of times. But while they’re not perfect, interviews remain one of the best ways to assess candidates for just about any job.

But interviews are only effective if you ask the right questions. To hire the right candidates, click through for five of the questions you should really avoid.

3. If you’re going to mandate COVID vaccination at your workplace, here’s how to do it ethically

Compulsory COVID vaccinations have been in the news again this week and you may be considering what’s best for your NFP.

If you’re thinking about a vaccine mandate for your workers, there are various pros and cons. Click through for some of the most important things you should consider to do it ethically.

4. Eight ways NFP managers can vastly improve their communication skills

When it comes to communication, we all tend to think we’re pretty good at it. Truth is, even those of us who are good communicators aren’t nearly as good as we think we are. This overestimation of our ability to communicate is magnified when interacting with people we spend the most time with.

These eight strategies will help you to overcome the communication bias that tends to hold us back with everyone we encounter, especially those we know well. Apply these strategies and watch your communication skills reach new heights.

5. What is a “growth mindset” and why is it so important for your staff?

Stanford psychology professor Carol Dweck has spent her life studying human motivation. She’s undertaken decades of painstaking research to understand why people succeed (or don’t) and what’s within our control when it comes to success and failure.

Typically, skills and experience are high on the list of priorities during the recruitment process. But Dweck’s theory suggests that mindset may be an even more powerful determinant of both professional effectiveness and leadership potential.

6. How to help your team get more sleep

Getting enough sleep is essential for every human, and lack of sleep affects almost everything we do, from reduced attention and memory to lower mood, impaired ability to use equipment and even basic parts of us like reducing our ability to feel empathy.

But almost four in ten Australians admit they aren’t getting a good night’s rest. 

Educating managers about sleep and its benefits is crucial to ensuring they can manage teams to deliver maximum impact in your organisation – and for those who depend on you.

7. The top perks that potential employees really want from your NFP

Ping pong tables? Foosball? A beer fridge? Roving masseurs? These are some of the perks that Silicon Valley-type startups spruik as exciting perks to attract employees.

But while trendy start-ups may have cornered the market on providing funky offices equipped with personal pastry chefs, are these perks really what your ideal candidates want in an NFP workplace?

Want the truth? Click through for the actual top five perks that 4,000 for-purpose jobseekers say they want from a new workplace.

8. How to take the lead on preventing sexual harassment: a guide for NFPs

Sexual assault and sexual harassment accusations in our federal parliament have recently thrown the spotlight on the broad failure of the Morrison government to ensure the safety and dignity of women working in parliament.

More broadly – and sadly – sexual harassment is a risk in almost every workplace. So what can you do to ensure your organisation is creating a safe, affirming and positive environment for all staff?

Click though for the six steps (including a Sexual Harassment Policy template you can customise for your organisation) to build a safer workplace culture in your NFP.

9. Should you re-hire an employee who left your organisation? Here’s what the evidence says

So you lost a superstar employee to greener pastures – perhaps enticed by a promotion, a salary increase or an opportunity to take a new direction or explore a long-held passion. 

But now they’re keen to come back and you’ve just come across their updated resume in your applicant management system. What should you do?

10. Leave policies that could make your NFP stand out from the crowd

Attracting and keeping top talent can be a challenge for not-for-profit organisations that can’t pay “the big bucks”. But often money isn’t the main benefit people are looking for. 

Savvy NFPs can differentiate themselves and stand out as an employer of choice with better, more progressive leave policies that can help to support your team members at the challenging or important times in their lives. 

Click through for the 12 different types of leave your organisation could consider offering.