Nonprofits rely on dedicated staff and volunteers to accomplish their mission each day. Yet, most nonprofits do not have a designated HR person. Of those that do, the HR person often does not have any formal training in human resources! So, you have questions about HR issues, you are not alone!

Increasing staff diversity, following laws and regulations that govern all businesses, and providing the training, supervision, and support that team members need to succeed are crucial elements of effective HR management. Our dynamic team of HR consultants can provide the expertise you need to achieve this.

501 Commons has HR service options to fit all organizations:

1. HR Quick Consults - Get professional guidance for $25 per 15-minute increment up to two hours. We will attempt to respond to you within 72 hours. Contact: hrconsults@501commons.org
2. HR Partner - Your 501 Commons consultant provides year-round support for all of your HR needs. Because you are paying for a fraction of an HR professional, this is extremely cost effective for most organizations.
3. Project-based nonprofit HR Consulting - customized training, HR policies and handbooks, compensation studies, succession plans, etc.
4. HR Tune-up - a comprehensive HR assessment and 8 hours of consultation from a volunteer HR professional.
5. Staff Development Coalition - join the coalition to receive discounts on in-depth sessions with top-knotch trainers.
6. Climate survey - our staff survey is specifically designed for the nonprofit sector. It will provide you with actionable information that will help you retain staff and increase their engagement.

Benefits of working with 501 Commons

With everything you need to know to manage your organization, isn't it great to be able to call in the experts when you need them? Our HR professionals can help you:

• Avoid costly problems by putting human resource policies and procedures in place
• Design jobs, set up pay levels, train staff, and manage performance more effectively
• Align your volunteer and employee human resource strategies
• Lower turnover, which disrupts services and increases costs
• Design your HR systems to support your DEI/IDEA framework and goals.

Special projects

501 Commons and the King County Veterans, Seniors & Human Services Levy (VSHSL) are conducting two surveys that can help advance pay satisfaction and employee happiness.

• The Wage & Benefits Survey: A staff member, generally the executive director or someone in a payroll or HR role, enters wage data into an online portal and responds to questions about benefits, employment practices, and leadership demographics. The results will provide us with an accurate snapshot of compensation practices in King County. This will help nonprofits benchmark their salaries and improve internal equity. Job seekers can also access the information to better understand what they should expect when planning their careers or applying for jobs. The survey closes on May 15, 2023.
• The Employee Engagement Survey: This survey invites all part-time and full-time staff to identify the wage and non-wage factors linked to high employee engagement and retention, which contribute to robust client services. The survey only takes 15-20 minutes to complete. The survey is anonymous. Download this toolkit to help you encourage staff participation. The survey closes on June 15, 2023.

If you are interested in doing one or both of these studies in your community, contact Danielle Lyda.