Remote Staffing: A Definite Trend in Nonprofit Executive Search

by Mary Ontko, MPA, CFRE
Senior Consultant
The Moran Company  “We Find Great Nonprofit Executives”

Have you noticed?  It seems that more and more employers are offering remote work opportunities for their staff. Here at The Moran Company, we’ve noticed this trend first hand. Just this year alone, several of our nonprofit clients who partner with us for our executive search services have offered remote work opportunities in their key staff leadership positions – a big change from past employer practices.

What is remote work?  Remote work takes many forms. Perhaps it can occur within a worksite with a staffed physical location and just one or a few staffers who live and work from another office, community, or even state. Perhaps it occurs in an organization without physical office space at all, in which all staffers work remotely and link together electronically. Or perhaps it is a variation in between.

Why remote work?  Technology improvements such as video conferencing, cloud based applications and chat are making it easier than ever to maintain working relationships and a strong workload across the miles rather than in person. This type of working environment has become more accepted by employers, and more expected by employees.

What are the benefits of remote work?  By expanding a nonprofit search beyond physical borders, a much deeper pool of talent can be accessed when recruiting for that position. Instead of a local pool of candidates, a regional or even national pool is possible.  Also, many individuals are attracted to the idea of working from home.  Finally, creating a remote office can be less expensive for nonprofit employers, as they may bypass the expense of maintaining a professional storefront.

What are the drawbacks?  As is so often true, even with all of the benefits, we do give things up with remote work. Most people agree that face-to-face interaction is ideal for establishing a working relationship and building trust and team. We can all recall instances in which our best collaborative ideas and innovations came from what began as an innocuous water cooler conversation. Staff who work remotely must work even harder to find ways to build these relationships when not face to face.

So when does it work?  We’ve often seen that the most successful remote staffing scenarios come when a nonprofit has a scope that is beyond local and there is value in hiring regional voices or reaching out to national and international partners and donors. We’ve also seen success in situations when the job requires regular travel.  There may be a benefit to hiring an individual near a major airport hub that has access to nonstop air travel.  Not only does that mean that a physical office may not be as important, it also means that travel offers more opportunity for the staffer to build face-to-face relationships with partners.

Remote work will continue to be an option for a growing number of nonprofits and their staff. We have certainly seen that with the right expectations, and for the right type of nonprofit, it can be effective. However, the ability to build and maintain personal relationships must remain a priority in any work environment in order to enhance the quality of work and connection to the mission.

Want more articles like this delivered directly to your in-box?  Sign up for our E-Newsletter.

© 2016 The Moran Company, “We find great nonprofit executives.” We specialize in searches for nonprofit executive directors, directors of development/fundraising staff, and other top nonprofit leadership. www.morancompany.com