(Radio Iowa) - A new report shows non-profit organizations in the region face severe workforce shortages, and potential solutions revolve around boosting salaries and benefits.
Anne Hindery is C-E-O of the Omaha-based Nonprofit Association of the Midlands which surveyed the leaders of nearly 700 nonprofits in Iowa and Nebraska. Hindery says it's always been a challenge finding and keeping qualified people, and it's gotten worse since the pandemic. The report finds the average yearly turnover rate among nonprofits in the two states is 29-percent.
Hindery says it's an "urban legend," that working for a nonprofit means no money. She says profits go back into the organization and into their people to better serve clients, as opposed to going to shareholders. Plus, she says, the mission is meaningful and making a difference in the community is attractive to people.