Why Quality People Are the Core of Every Gold-Standard Nonprofit
- Tom Iselin
- Mar 20, 2021
- 3 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
The video explains WHY it's importance to bring on and retain HIGH QUALITY people (staff, board, and volunteers) at your nonprofit. It also explains the benefits that high quality people provide and the cost of losing high quality people, including corporate intelligence.
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Why Quality People Are the Core
of Every Gold-Standard Nonprofit
Today, we kick off one of the most important pillars of the First Things First Framework:
Quality People
Why does this pillar sit at the top? Because everything your nonprofit accomplishes—every dollar raised, every program delivered, every ounce of impact—starts with people. Without human capital, there is no nonprofit.
Why Quality People Matter More Than Anything
The nonprofit world is a human endeavor. Staff, board members, and volunteers are the engine that drives your mission. When these people are high quality, everything accelerates. When they're not… well, you’ve felt that pain:
Disengaged board members
Fruitless volunteers
Lazy or unmotivated staff
Drama, wasted time, negativity
Bring on too many “duds” and the mission starts to wobble. Bring on the right people and everything compounds—fast.
What High-Quality People Bring to Your Nonprofit
1. Direct Benefits: Time, Money, Skills, and Expertise
High-quality board members, staff, and volunteers offer tangible resources your organization needs to thrive.
2. Influence and Connections
Influencers open doors. They connect you to people, opportunities, and resources—bringing you more time, money, skills, and expertise.
3. Mission Ambassadors
Quality people become passionate advocates. They spread the word and energize others, creating a ripple effect of awareness and support.
4. Intangibles Money Can’t Buy
They bring:
Love
Compassion
Generosity
Emotional energy
These ignite passion in others, transforming them into new ambassadors for your mission.
This is the snowball effect:Quality → Influence → Passion → More Quality → More Resources → More Impact.
The High Cost of Bringing on the Wrong People
When you bring on the wrong board members, the wrong staff, or the wrong volunteers, you pay for it—literally.
Replacing a staff member can cost up to 10x their salary when you consider hiring, onboarding, and training.
Replacing a board member can be even harder and more time-consuming.
Every departure—whether high quality or not—causes a loss of corporate intelligence.They take knowledge, relationships, and insights with them, and rebuilding that is expensive.
In an environment already constrained by limited time and resources, the last thing you need is:
Babysitting drama
Constant turnover
Rebuilding lost institutional knowledge
This is why bringing on high-quality “heavyweights,” not “dead weights,” is essential.
Gut Check: How Strong Is Your People Foundation?
Ask yourself:
How would you rate the quality of your board members, staff, and volunteers?
Do you have systems in place to attract and retain the highest-quality people?
How effectively are you nurturing your human capital, not just filling roles?
These are the questions that determine whether your organization runs smoothly or constantly fights fires.
Coming Up Next in Boot Camp
Day 3: How to bring on high-quality peopleDay 4: How to retain those high-quality people once you have them
You won’t want to miss these.
Summary: The Power of Quality People in Nonprofits
Quality people are the foundation of every successful nonprofit. They bring resources, influence, passion, and intangibles that spark exponential growth and impact. Bringing on the wrong people is expensive and drains energy, but building a strong foundation of high-quality human capital sets your organization up for sustainable success.
If you enjoyed this episode, like it, share it, and send me your questions. Tell me what topics you’d love to see in future shows.
Until next week—create a great day.Hooyah!
Tom Iselin
Rated One of America’s Best Board Retreat
and Strategic Planning Facilitators
About the Author
Tom Iselin is recognized as one of America’s leading authorities on high-performance nonprofits. He has built nine sector-leading nonprofits and two software companies, written six books, sits on multiple boards, and has been rated one of America’s Best Board Retreat and Strategic Planning Facilitators. His work on nonprofit strategy, board leadership, and culture has been featured on CNN, Nightline, and in Newsweek.
Tom is the president of First Things First, a firm specializing in board retreats, strategic planning services, fundraising strategy, and executive coaching for nonprofit CEOs.
Board Retreats & Strategic Planning
If you’re looking for a board retreat facilitator or strategic planning facilitator who has been in the trenches and understands real-world nonprofit challenges, Tom can help your board gain clarity, build alignment, and create an actionable plan that improves performance and impact. His sessions propel organizations to the next level of performance and impact . . . and they're fun!
Board Retreats and Strategic Planning Services:
858.888.2278
