Recruiting new voices into the environmental nonprofit world
A lot of entrepreneurs start their business to make money. For me, something I’ve really brought from the nonprofit space is being clear about the impact I want to make.
What will look differently in the world because of the work I’m doing now?
The first step in figuring that out was identifying the challenge I’m here to solve. I saw such a lack of racial diversity, equity, and belonging in nonprofit leadership – especially in the environmental space.
My purpose at Bonsai Leadership Group is to help people of color (in particular, Black women) flourish in leadership positions.
Part of "my why” is helping organizations identify and attract racially diverse talent during their recruitment process. The system won’t change if the same people are at the table. You need different people with different lenses to change systems for the better.
What we do differently when hiring for nonprofits
Nonprofits generally hire the best person out of an application pool of candidates.
But Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) leaders are greatly underrepresented in those pools, especially in the environmental and conservation spaces. And saying, “Well, BIPOC people didn’t apply!” is a cop out.
That’s what we do differently at Bonsai Leadership Group LLC. We create racially diverse candidate pools by thoughtfully coaching clients and researching potential candidates so that talented individuals from historically marginalized and underrepresented groups are given an opportunity to be considered for leadership roles.
Our approach to filling the gaps for your organization in the conservation space centers around three pillars:
Expertly sourcing to identify and engage top talent
Recruiting racially diverse and qualified candidates
Leveraging the Birkman Assessment to understand candidate strengths
Reorienting an organization’s mindset
Conservation nonprofits may want someone with conservation experience. Well, the conservation space is tremendously and overwhelmingly white. If you want to consider candidates that come from racial groups that have been historically marginalized and have conservation experience, you are limiting your ability to bring new voices and talent into the conservation movement.
Instead, I encourage clients to break out of stale hiring mindsets by asking questions like:
Do you really need a conservation background to be an excellent Director of Marketing and Communications? Or does the new hire simply need strong marketing chops and a passion for nature?
Do you really need a 4-page job description? That can dissuade women of color from applying. They may think, “I can only do 38 out of these 40 things, so I won’t apply.” Meanwhile, a white man sees it and thinks, “Oh, I can do 5 of these things so I’m going to submit my application now.”
Is this a role and environment where there is flexibility for the right candidate to adapt it to their skill set, and vice versa?
Can you employ nontraditional nonprofit recruitment strategies? Most people we’ve placed weren’t even looking for a job. They got those positions because we proactively reached out and convinced them to put their hat in the ring.
Bonsai’s recruiters believed they could excel and leverage their skills, even if they didn’t believe it themselves at first.
We find that when an organization trusts our processes, we bring them candidates who have a fresh outlook on their work, which benefits everyone involved.
Leveraging the Birkman Method for recruitment
The Birkman Method is a personality and behavioral assessment tool designed to measure various aspects of an individual's personality, social perception, motivation, and occupational interests. It was developed by Dr. Roger Birkman in the 1950s and is used for a wide range of reasons, including personal and recruiting personality tests, career development, organizational consulting, and team building.
The assessment consists of a series of multiple-choice questions that are designed to measure an individual's preferences, strengths, and needs across various dimensions, such as social interaction, decision-making, problem-solving, and stress management. The results of the assessment are presented in a detailed report that provides insights into an individual's personality, work style, and communication style, among other things.
We use the Birkman assessment in our coaching and team building services, in addition to our recruitment. I chose this method from all of the other preemployment personality tests available because it provides detailed feedback about how people are likely to show up, what they need, and what motivates them.
Our recruiters use the Birkman method to:
Identify a candidate's strengths, which can provide valuable insights into how they may perform in the job. Employers can use this information to make more informed hiring decisions and identify potential training needs.
Provide insights into a candidate’s personality traits, communication style, and motivational needs to match with candidates who are likely to thrive in the company's work environment.
Assess how candidates are likely to interact with other team members, which can be useful in building cohesive and effective teams.
Recognize candidates who have the potential to become effective leaders by gauging their leadership qualities, communication skills, and motivational needs.
Level up your recruiting
When you hire to a different standard, you’ve got to be ready for the impact of an up-leveled team!
I interviewed an incredibly vibrant candidate who was very clear with what she’s focused on in life. She knew what she wanted out of her workplace. It wasn’t about a salary or a title for her – it was more about the type of environment, leaders, and peers she’d be working with.
I approached one of my nonprofit clients about her. They loved what she had to say, especially because they shared her vision for the type of culture she was looking for and wanted to build towards that vision.
Just a few months after she was hired, she became of their top performers. And the organization changed tremendously as a result. Some team members stepped up to get to her level. Others realized that the culture is changing, and that they no longer fit in.
Since then, we’ve hired more go-getters for this organization. It has continued to change the tone of the organization for the better.
The moral of the story is that yes, you can hire on your own. But if you'd like to update your thinking around hiring, we can help. Let’s find you amazing talent who don’t all look like you, sound like you, and think like you.
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