AFI BLOG: Media and Technology

Crunch Predicted in Nonprofit Sector - The Washington Post

Groups Are Not Nurturing and Retaining Tomorrow’s Leaders, Study Says

The nonprofit sector is facing what experts call an unprecedented crisis in leadership, with organizations in the Washington region and across the country struggling to recruit and retain talented staff.

Even as baby boomers retire, nonprofit groups stand to lose ambitious young employees who feel underpaid, overwhelmed by long hours and demanding responsibilities, and frustrated by a lack of career progression, according to a major study to be released today.

The sobering report, “Ready to Lead? Next Generation Leaders Speak Out,” could shake up the nonprofit sector, which has been successful at recruiting recent college graduates but not always at keeping them. Many leave for jobs at private companies and in the federal government that often offer better pay and more comfortable lifestyles.

The trend is exacerbated in the Washington region, which has more than 200,000 people working in nonprofit groups and is considered the national hub for the sector. Local leaders anticipate a leadership void could have a dramatic effect on groups that offer essential social services such as shelter, food and after-school activities. Jobs in those fields traditionally have the highest turnover, experts said.

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