The Technopath Way: Productivity through tech for nonprofits When to Tame the Overwhelm with a New Hire
May 20, 2022
29:14
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Are you currently doing the work of what should be 5 separate positions in your small nonprofit, while staring down the business end of burnout? We see you. It’s very similar when you’re growing a small start-up company like we are here at Technopath.
This week, Sarah and Allyson discuss when it’s time to think about hiring someone to help you, the process Sarah went through to find Allyson, how they’re approaching hiring now that Technopath is growing even more and how to handle the double-edged sword of ‘there’s too much work, but I’m still worried there isn’t enough budget.”
If this sounds like your current situation, connect with us on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/technopathsf or our free Nonprofit community https://technopath.mn.co/share/tke03sU6qwViCc-L?utm_source=manual and let us know what resonated with you in this episode!
How will you know when it’s the right time to hire?
* Things are falling through the cracks
* Emails aren’t getting returned
* Social posts aren’t getting posted
* Donors aren’t getting acknowledgements
* You’re doing ALL of the jobs
* While working in a small organization often means filling more than one position at a time, no single person should be doing all of the jobs. That’s a recipe for things not getting done.
* A specific task needs deep knowledge of a particular topic
* Major donors
* Creating a new program
How can you on-board someone new when you’re already overwhelmed?
* Check out the Technopath Way episode Taming the On-boarding Overwhelm - https://www.spreaker.com/episode/48956537
* Instead of one marathon meeting with minimal info retention, consider recording smaller videos explaining aspects of your organization and processes
* Have all necessary on-boarding documents saved in one place (we use Coda.io)
What if it’s not in our budget?
* Is this new position something you could put out a call for volunteers on?
* Simple admin processes to free up valuable time and brain space
* In-frequent tasks that require specialized knowledge
* Start with a part time position
* If this position would normally receive $80,000 annually for 40 hours of work a week, start off-loading your overwhelm with someone doing 20 hours a week for $40,000 annually.
* Consider contractors
* Contractors are a lower commitment than W2 employees if you don’t always need someone to cover these tasks or aren’t sure about hiring a dedicated team member yet.
* Check sites like fiverr and Upwork for contractors who can do specialized website work, execute on your social media strategies, or any other number of tasks that are overwhelming you
* Put a call out to your community for local people who also do these kinds of tasks and would be willing to work on a contract basis
Are you currently doing the work of what should be 5 separate positions in your small nonprofit, while staring down the business end of burnout? We see you. It’s very similar when you’re growing a small start-up company like we are here at Technopath.
This week, Sarah and Allyson discuss when it’s time to think about hiring someone to help you, the process Sarah went through to find Allyson, how they’re approaching hiring now that Technopath is growing even more and how to handle the double-edged sword of ‘there’s too much work, but I’m still worried there isn’t enough budget.”
If this sounds like your current situation, connect with us on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/technopathsf or our free Nonprofit community https://technopath.mn.co/share/tke03sU6qwViCc-L?utm_source=manual and let us know what resonated with you in this episode!
How will you know when it’s the right time to hire?
* Things are falling through the cracks
* Emails aren’t getting returned
* Social posts aren’t getting posted
* Donors aren’t getting acknowledgements
* You’re doing ALL of the jobs
* While working in a small organization often means filling more than one position at a time, no single person should be doing all of the jobs. That’s a recipe for things not getting done.
* A specific task needs deep knowledge of a particular topic
* Major donors
* Creating a new program
How can you on-board someone new when you’re already overwhelmed?
* Check out the Technopath Way episode Taming the On-boarding Overwhelm - https://www.spreaker.com/episode/48956537
* Instead of one marathon meeting with minimal info retention, consider recording smaller videos explaining aspects of your organization and processes
* Have all necessary on-boarding documents saved in one place (we use Coda.io)
What if it’s not in our budget?
* Is this new position something you could put out a call for volunteers on?
* Simple admin processes to free up valuable time and brain space
* In-frequent tasks that require specialized knowledge
* Start with a part time position
* If this position would normally receive $80,000 annually for 40 hours of work a week, start off-loading your overwhelm with someone doing 20 hours a week for $40,000 annually.
* Consider contractors
* Contractors are a lower commitment than W2 employees if you don’t always need someone to cover these tasks or aren’t sure about hiring a dedicated team member yet.
* Check sites like fiverr and Upwork for contractors who can do specialized website work, execute on your social media strategies, or any other number of tasks that are overwhelming you
* Put a call out to your community for local people who also do these kinds of tasks and would be willing to work on a contract basis