The Skills Nonprofits Need in 2018 – and Beyond

By December 11, 2017HR, Nonprofit

As you start thinking about the year ahead, it’s time to think about the skills your team needs to move your nonprofit forward. Whether you already have team members with these skills or you’ll need to hire new employees with them, the fact remains that these are the skills most sought-after among employers.

The Top 5 Skills Nonprofits Need Now – and Why

  1. Cloud and Distributed Computing: So much of our software is moving to the cloud we predict that site-based software and support is going to be hard to obtain in the future. For these and other reasons, it just makes sense to move things to the cloud. Not only can you save money on your software, hosting, and security, but it also enables better data sharing, storage, and updates. If you don’t have someone on your staff knowledgeable about cloud computing, consider adding it to an IT job description or finding a consulting firm to assist with cloud migration.
  2. SEO and SEM: Search Engine Optimization and Search Engine Marketing refer to specific tactics your website utilizes to boost its visibility and hence its clicks and interactions. Adding these skills to your nonprofit will be invaluable in the upcoming months and years as competition for clicks increases.
  3. Business Intelligence: Business intelligence refers to the ability to gather data and information from one or more computer systems and distill it into usable facts. BI system can synthesize financial, accounting, sales, marketing, donation, grants and other information into one report that your nonprofit can use for better business management. Without BI systems in place, your organization runs the risk of having to export multiple data files or reports and manually extract data from each to get the big picture of the organization.
  4. Network and Information Security: You may think that your nonprofit is safe from cyber attack, but in many cases it’s not. Cybersecurity is critical for nonprofits, many of whom rely on small teams and volunteers for assistance. And while many security breaches are preventable, you still need someone in your organization to advise your teams while troubleshooting and fixing your systems.
  5. Corporate and Nonprofit Law and Governance: Corporate laws, including laws that apply to nonprofit organizations, continually change. It’s important to have someone in your organization who understands their application to the nonprofit world and who can help you adhere to all laws pertaining to corporate management and governance. It’s also helpful to have an accounting team member who understands the nuances of pending FASB changes as they pertain to financial reporting, such as FASB 606 changes, which will impact grants and contracts.

Hiring or Outsourcing to Get the Skills You Need

To find the skills you need on your team, you’ll need to hire new employees, train current employees, or outsource the needs to a consulting firm.

Network security and high-level accounting are both examples of skillsets that can be outsourced to a consulting firm. In both areas, consultants may actually be a better choice, because they regularly interact with numerous organizations and work hard to stay abreast of the latest developments in their field.

Training is available through local colleges/universities and professional organizations. This may be sufficient for current staff members who need a refresher or update on specific skills.

As the new year approaches, make a commitment that you’ll work to ensure your team has the right skills to meet the challenges the future brings. To serve members, constituents, and others, you need to be on the cutting-edge of many areas that the corporate world emphasizes, too.

Welter Consulting

Welter Consulting bridges people and technology together for effective solutions for nonprofit organizations. We offer software and services that can help you with your accounting needs. Please contact Welter Consulting at 206-605-3113 for more information.