Nonprofit organizations have unique HR needs requiring specialized attention from a skilled human resources professional. Nonprofits often need to be incredibly mindful of budget, and a full-time HR professional may not be affordable for your organization. Partnering with an external HR consultant is an affordable alternative to a full-time HR professional. In this blog, I will outline the advantages of working with an HR consultant to drive your nonprofit forward with innovative people solutions and complete an HR process overhaul.
What Does a Nonprofit HR Consultant Do?
An HR consultant is a qualified HR professional (some with certifications and credentials through major HR professional organizations) who embeds themselves in your business to address your specific and unique people problems. They will work with business leaders to identify challenge areas and develop solutions to drive impactful HR change across your nonprofit organization. An HR consultant is able to bring a fresh eye to the obstacles your nonprofit is facing. They can help you move past the way you’ve always done it by optimizing current people processes, building new ones, and providing ongoing HR guidance as your organization grows.
Top Benefits of Working With an HR Consultant for Your Nonprofit
Most importantly, an HR consultant can be flexible with their schedule and time, making them more affordable for your nonprofit. They can often accomplish their work in less time (think 2 to 3 days a week instead of a full week of work), thus resulting in a lower cost compared to what you would pay a full-time HR professional. A skilled HR consultant will have the right mix of skills and experience to address all aspects of the employee lifecycle. You, as the business owner, have access to a wealth of knowledge from one person, rather than needing to increase headcount to find specialists. Red Clover’s consulting team has direct expertise in all HR functional areas – recruiting, performance management, compensation analysis, onboarding/offboarding, and more – that we leverage to provide individualized HR support to your nonprofit.
Hiring the Right People for Available Roles
The focus of effective recruitment is not just about filling empty roles, but HOW you fill your roles. Red Clover provides recruitment process outsourcing to help nonprofits enhance how they attract top talent. A devoted consultant reviews and revises job descriptions, maps out the different levels of the interview process, and manages the offer process. We also train your managers on behavioral interviewing techniques to identify the right candidates for your organization, with a focus on core value alignment and candidates’ ability to speak to their previous professional behaviors and their influence on their performance if you bring them on board.
Strategic HR Planning and Support
Nonprofits can leverage the expertise of an HR consultant by relying on them to provide ongoing HR support and contribute their ideas for the future planning of the organization. An HR consultant can best serve your nonprofit by being included in the leadership meetings to help guide business decisions. The majority of decisions you make will have an impact on your workforce, so having HR insight from conceptualization to implementation is critical to the success of initiatives among your people. An HR consultant can view the decision from your perspective as well as the employee’s perspective. Their multi-faceted approach to business decisions also ensures necessary compliance. When you have access to an HR consultant, take full advantage of the benefit of their insight to guide your nonprofit forward. Working directly with them and integrating them as a subject matter expert and business leader is essential to building a strong foundation for your organization.
Aid Your Nonprofit Through Change
Your ability to implement change across your nonprofit organization is dependent on how it’s communicated to employees and their acceptance of the change. Your HR consultant not only develops and implements policies and processes, but they also develop communication plans so you can effectively communicate change. For example, your nonprofit may find itself in a position where you need to undergo organizational change or restructuring for viability. An HR consultant guides the develop your business case for the change, risk assessment, and creation of all workforce communications. If the restructuring will result in terminations, the HR consultant owns the process from end to end while also partnering with legal counsel and other stakeholders. This ensures clear communication, legal compliance, and ongoing support for the business and retained organization. Even if your organizational change goals aren’t as significant as a reduction in force, having a trusted HR partner to provide their expert insight will help your organization undergo changes of any size.
Are You Looking for an HR Consultant For Your Nonprofit?
If you are a nonprofit leader in need of strategic HR guidance, look no further than the team at Red Clover. Our practical experience as the interim outsourced HR department for nonprofits makes us the perfect fit for YOUR nonprofit. Our team of consultants deliver results starting at 4 hours a week or we step in and manage the entire HR function as your outsourced HR department. Reach out if you’re ready to discover the advantages of partnering with an HR consulting firm to elevate your nonprofit organization.
