PEOPLE FIRST

SCALING IMPACT THROUGH TALENT MANAGEMENT

 CONTENTS

04 | EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

06 | FOREWORD

08 | CHAPTER 1: THE UNIQUENESS OF TALENT MANAGEMENT WITHIN NON-PROFITS

19 | CHAPTER 2: DECONSTRUCTING TALENT MANAGEMENT

26 | CHAPTER 3: DECODING ROOT CAUSES AND CHALLENGES

45 | CHAPTER 4: HOW CAN NGOS TAKE ACTION?

60 | CHAPTER 5: HOW CAN FUNDERS TAKE ACTION?

69 | CHAPTER 6: UNLOCKING FUTURE POTENTIAL | A CALL TO ACTION FOR THE SECTOR

DASRA

Dasra meaning ‘enlightened giving’ in Sanskrit, is a pioneering strategic 72 | APPENDICES

philanthropy organization that aims to transform India where a billion thrive
with dignity and equity. Since its inception in 1999, Dasra has accelerated social APPENDIX A: INDIVIDUALS INTERVIEWED
change by driving collaborative action through powerful partnerships among
a trust-based network of stakeholders (corporates, foundations, families, non-
APPENDIX B: DEMOGRAPHICS OF SURVEY RESPONDENTS
profits, social businesses, government and media). Over the years, Dasra has
deepened social impact in focused fields that include adolescents, urban
sanitation and democracy and governance, and has built social capital by APPENDIX C: RESOURCES
leading a strategic philanthropy movement in the country. For additional
information, please visit:

www.dasra.org 80 | REFERENCES

Year of publication - 2019

SUGGESTED CITATION:
“Dasra (2019). People First: Scaling Impact through Talent Management.
Dasra: Mumbai”
 Executive Summary

People form the backbone of most organizations. It is often the people – their capabilities and passion – that propel Driving action: by non-profits, funders and sector on the whole
an organization towards achieving its mission. Most non-profit leaders acknowledge that talent management is
one of the biggest challenges they face in building organization capacities. Yet, investments in human resources or Dasra’s report ‘People First’ aims to spark a conversation between non-profits and funders around the value of
talent management as a function are often non-existent, infrequent or unplanned in nature. investing in talent management. The uniqueness and challenges of the sector call for both non-profits and funders
to drive action. The report provides recommendations that can be used as general guidelines and actionable tips to
Several factors that are specific to the non-profit sector make approaching talent management all the more unique. get the ball rolling.
For example- passion to solve some of the most difficult social challenges is what often motivates people to work
in the non-profit space, whereas in for-profits, there is a revenue-generating motive. There is merit, therefore, in For non-profits, we have identified some ways to get started:
approaching talent management in this sector with a different lens. What adds to its uniqueness are factors such
as: 1. Treat talent management as a specialist function: Non-profits need to think of talent management as an
1) Operating in difficult, remote locations that are resource constrained; (2) Focusing on emotionally intense integral part of their organization strategy and build it out as a specialist function.
domains, like human rights, trafficking, child sexual abuse, which can take an emotional toll on employees; 2. Think of leadership transition before you ‘HAVE’ to: Non-profits should be proactive about planning for
(3) Operating with leaner budgets & funding constraints than for-profits; and (4) Employing a complex mix of leadership transitions and create a culture of grooming leaders from within.
employees, like frontline workers, functional specialists, program staff, etc. 3. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts: Non-profits need to start using the performance management
system as a tool that enables each individual to understand the vital role they play in achieving the organization’s
Dasra undertook a data-driven study of Indian implementing non-profits with an aspiration to scale their impact. mission.
The study aimed to understand the talent management landscape and the constraints Indian non-profits face in 4. Compensation is important but not everything: Non-profits must learn to think beyond compensation, and be
adequately investing in talent. We conducted secondary research, a series of in-depth interviews with non-profit creative about using different mechanisms to attract talent and create lasting value for employees.
leaders, funders, and intermediaries, and administered a survey to implementing non-profits across India (which 5. Craft a strong narrative and customize your ask: Non-profits should clearly articulate their TM needs when
received 97 responses). What emerged through this was a clear picture — that when it comes to investing in talent approaching funders and build TM into grant proposals.
management, there is still a lot to do.
For funders, we have recommended the following:
Decoding rootcauses and challenges
1. Communication is a 2-way street: Funders need to encourage more dialogue around talent management, and
Our study revealed two root causes that affect prioritization of talent management in an organization: probe into the right areas of TM support, beyond just talent hiring.
2. Loosen up your purse strings: Funders can provide a lot more funding-related support for the various talent
A. Funding Crunch and Uncertainty of project-based funding. management needs of their grantee organizations.
B. Founder-leader’s ambivalence towards talent management. 3. Money is not the only thing: Funders can also go beyond funding and provide hands-on or advisory support to
grantees on their specific talent-related challenges.
These root causes lead to other challenges that impede an organization’s ability to invest in talent management: 4. Good people build good organizations, but good organizations build good people: Funders can urge their
grantees to focus on people development across the organization, which is inclusive of but not limited to
1. Reactive organization structures: Non-profits shy away from formal structures, as they tend to see them as leadership development at senior levels.
restrictive or something that ‘corporates’ do. However, as organizations grow in size, allowing structures to 5. There’s no need to reinvent the wheel: Funders can modify and use their grant monitoring templates to
evolve organically versus planning for them often leads to challenges like a lack of role clarity and unclear capture crucial talent management-related details from grantees.
reporting relationships. 6. Sharing is caring: Funders can also explore the option of creating a shared services model, through which non-
2. Struggle to hire high-quality talent and avoid culture dilution: The challenge with respect to hiring, especially profits can pool and/or share talent-related resources with each other, at lower costs.
for senior and specialist roles, is two-fold: dearth of quality professionals to meet non-profits’ complex needs
as well as the inability to match for-profit salaries and incentivize professionals to work in resource-constrained For the sector at large, we are suggesting ways to make the social sector a more desirable place to work and
environments that non-profits operate in. With the influx of different kinds of talent, guarding against culture develop the talent landscape in the sector such as:
dilution adds to the complexity.
3. Difficulties engaging & rewarding people aptly: Non-profits are not thinking beyond compensation to keep 1. Attend and organize campus and career fairs
their diverse workforce motivated. Non-monetary engagement mechanisms are not being used and customized 2. Allow for more mobility within the sector
adequately such as career growth plans, learning & development opportunities, 3. Create more platforms for cross-sectoral dialogue and interaction between different stakeholders on talent-
feedback mechanisms, etc. related issues, and enable knowledge sharing
4. Unplanned leadership transitions: Non-profit leaders often do not plan their transitions in advance. This results 4. Conduct more research on talent management practices in India’s social sector
in not enough focus on grooming leaders from within, as well as inadequate internal communication in case of 5. Develop more compensation benchmarking studies
external hires.
While there is growing acceptance that talent is at the heart of every organization, there is a lot to do to ensure
investment in talent management as a function is strategic and timely. And that will require effort from funders,
non-profits, intermediaries, and all stakeholders to work together as a sector.

4 5
 Foreword Foreword

The size of our country and the development challenges we face demand that we solve People form the driving force behind any organization’s ability to achieve its mission.
problems at scale. Yet, out of the 3.5 million non-profits that India has, only a handful have Therefore, investing in your people – bringing them on board, engaging them and growing
scaled. While there is an increasing realization in the development sector on the need for them is one of the most promising ways of growing your organization. While most leaders
building strong and resilient organizations that can tackle these challenges, limited focus in both the for-profit and not-for-profit sector understand this deep causal relationship,
on and budgets for institution building, and especially for talent management, are the the value of talent within non-profits in India is often underestimated and investments in
biggest hurdles non-profits face. people-growth deprioritized. Even though non-profit employees are disproportionately
faced with unique challenges such as having to operate with limited resources in harsh
My 13 years at Akshaya Patra have taught me one thing and it is that the criticality of emotional, geographical and social conditions, organizations are not able to sufficiently
investing in your people cannot be overestimated. Akshaya Patra would not be able to prioritize the needs of their most valuable resource – their people. This in turn affects the
feed a million school children without the contribution of each and every person in the organization. You need organization’s overall ability to catalyze on opportunities and deliver impact on the ground.
innovation and creativity to tackle problems at scale, but it is the talent that will help your organization deliver on
its promise. Your people are your champions – they make everything happen. At the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, people and people strategies have always formed the heart of our
ability to ensure that every individual is able to lead a productive and healthy life, regardless of where they live on
The last few years have been very interesting for the non-profit space. There is an exciting shift of young the planet. Our founders are very invested in ensuring that both the staff at the foundation and the people they
professionals switching from the corporate to the non-profit sector. Young people these days are more serve stay at the heart of its organizational structure, programs and processes. Furthermore, as part of our India
experimental, driven towards meaningful work and giving back to the society. At Akshaya Patra, we may have WSH strategy, we are focused on building strong and resilient institutions focused on driving action towards the
people from different industries, but one thing remains constant: hiring people who want to make a difference Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. We realize that talent and talent management comprise an essential
in the society, who want to contribute, and also grow personally in their lives. As non-profit leaders, it is our component of this institutional strength and are a defining factor in an organization’s ability to scale impact.
responsibility then to provide a conducive, fulfilling, challenging and empowering environment. NGOs might not be
able to pay the same scale of salaries as corporates but it is important we look after the needs and interests of our While the unique challenges for each individual organization may be different – aligning on a shared vision
people. Naturally, this is hard for NGOs, as we work with public money and private donations, but if we don’t look and mission and organizational culture, building a strong second line of leadership, providing learning and
after the well-being of our staff, working towards the well-being of others is an unrealistic expectation. As we scale, development opportunities, developing robust performance management systems, or investing in the team’s
we are cognizant of the inevitable challenges coming our way and are instituting several ways to be ready to tackle personal and professional well-being; the significance of these cannot be underestimated. It is important to
those. As an organization, we value simplicity and are conscious about keeping the personal touch. We do this by spend time understanding and assessing these requirements early-on, so that organizations are able to work on
having two-way communication channels, ensuring that the feedback loop is closed, and that our employees are solutions using a more systematic and strategic approach. Our own ethos has always been to create a conducive
engaged beyond the day to day. environment and enabling policies for each and every team member to thrive both personally and professionally,
and we’ve hoped to echo the same philosophy and prioritization in our interaction and work with our grantees.
Today, there is an urgent need for allocating budgets towards non-programmatic costs if organizations are to scale.
Funders and non-profit leaders both need to challenge the status quo and move beyond looking at investing in This report by Dasra is a timely effort to draw attention to the topic of talent and talent management within
talent as overhead expenditure. Social change is a long haul game and funders need to think long term as they implementing non-profits in India. The research lays the ground for funders, non-profits and intermediaries to first
partner with non-profits. The unpredictability of funding is the biggest impediment towards an organization’s understand the unique people-related characteristics and challenges of non-profits, and offers actionable tips for
ability to be focused and strategic in its people investments. If we want transformative impact, then we need improvement. I am confident that this report will help spark richer conversations around talent in the social sector,
institutional funding that is long-term as well. and hopefully push both funders and non-profits to re-evaluate how strong institutions can be built for greater
developmental impact, through strategic investments in talent management.
It is heartening to see Dasra’s work towards changing the narrative that encourages prioritization of talent
investment. And Dasra’s report is a very timely and valuable contribution towards it. It reinforces the fact that as a
sector, we can learn so much from each other’s good practices and journeys. I am positive that it will inspire much- Madhu Krishna
needed dialogue on talent management as a critical scaling capacity and persuade us to always be people-first. Deputy Director & WSH India Country Lead,
India Country Office,
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
Shridhar Venkat
Chief Executive Officer
The Akshaya Patra Foundation

6 7
 INTRODUCTION

India’s diverse and fast-growing social sector is home Let us look at the example of Apnalaya, which is
to many non-profit organizations that are passionate a Mumbai-based non-profit that runs community
about solving some of the most critical development development projects to improve the quality of life
challenges. While these organizations run many of children from slums. Given that working with the
complex and innovative programs and projects to community is core to its work, Apnalaya has made a
achieve their mission, it is their people who serve conscious decision to engage directly with members
as the “engine” pushing the organization to achieve of the community to support its work. For that reason,
stronger impact on the ground — for the skills and around 65% of the organization’s program staff —
capabilities that these individuals bring is what moves including all its female mentors for the Sports for
the program or project forward. Development program— hails from the communities
in which Apnalaya operates. This philosophy has not
Talent in the non-profit space is usually driven by only directly influenced staff hiring, retention and
an innate desire to work towards a specific cause or engagement, but has also instilled a sense of pride
towards the non-profit’s mission, which is why non- and ownership amongst them, as they feel like they

Chapter 1 profits are shaped by their unique people philosophies

and practices. A people or talent philosophy is an
are leading the process of social change from within
their community.i
organization’s guiding principles for managing its
talent — these are principles that guide how an Alternatively, for The Akshaya Patra Foundation (TAPF),

THE UNIQUENESS OF TALENT organization selects, develops, advances, rewards, and

compensates its talent. These philosophies may not
which runs the world’s largest school lunch program,
its unique talent philosophy deeply influences the

MANAGEMENT WITHIN
necessarily be codified or documented (as we would operations and structure of the organization. TAPF has
expect from corporates), but they exist nonetheless, a unique approach, in that it does not function like a
and are determined by a combination of factors ‘typical NGO’, and claims to have a ‘corporate mindset

NON-PROFITS
distinct to the non-profit ecosystem. with the heart of an NGO’. This reflects in its diverse
talent pool where all the heads of departments and
business leaders are from a corporate background
and want to give back to society. The organization
Talent itself runs like a manufacturing set-up, providing an
This refers to the individuals engaged by an end-to-end service at scale, which is an uncommon
organization to support the advancement of its model within the non-profit landscape. At times, the
mission; it could refer to full-time and part-time organization does struggle with managing such a
employees, as well as volunteers. diverse blend of people, but its leadership realizes that
talent is their greatest asset in order to scale.

Talent Management
This report defines talent management using
the Grantmakers for Effective Organizations
construct, as ‘the systems and processes an
organization has in place to effectively attract,
hire, onboard, engage, develop and reward
the people who will help an organization
achieve its mission and, in the case of a scaling
organization, enable it to attain better and
more results.’

*For the purpose of this report, the terms “human

resource management” and “talent management”
have been used interchangeably.

8 9
 Arpan: Building organizational resilience by being ‘People First’

Case study
Growing up in a family of entrepreneurs, one could say that Pooja Taparia was meant to become
an entrepreneur one day. A Design graduate, Pooja launched Arpan in 2003 as a volunteer project
on the side while she worked full-time in design. She began working on the issue of Child Sexual
Abuse in 2006 and today, 12 years later, Arpan has grown from a humble 3-member team to 100+
TAPF’s CEO strongly believes one way of managing employees making it one of India’s largest NGOs focused on the Child Sexual Abuse prevention.
this talent is to focus on employee development. Arpan has directly impacted 200,000+ children and adults in Maharashtra alone through its
This mindset makes them one of the few non-profits prevention, intervention and training programs. Nationally, the organization has impacted
900,000+ children and adults through national-level partnerships. This number is expected to
in India with a separate Learning and Development
grow as Arpan sets its sights on becoming a national-level research and training agency on Child
(L&D) Head, in addition to an HR Head. The L&D Head Sexual Abuse in the next 10 years.
reports directly to the CEO and leads an independent
team. In addition to providing focused and relevant If you ask Pooja what Arpan’s secret is, the answer is simple: their incredible team. She believes
that it is this “people” element that has been critical to helping the organization unlock its
opportunities for growth to each individual employee,
potential to create a ‘World Free of Child Sexual Abuse’.
this set-up also enables the organization to identify
and hone potential leaders internally. This is directly Pooja realized early that investing in people must be prioritized from the outset. She is committed
in-line with the organization’s plans of rapid scale, for to creating/modifying processes that support this talent “mindset”– for instance, Arpan’s team
members, across levels, are encouraged to identify areas of personal and professional growth, and
which they are trying to grow their internal resources
invest in themselves. One of the ways in which this is formally done is through a training allowance
rather than hire externally. Having a formalized L&D offered to each employee, which increases as his/her tenure at Arpan increases. There are regular
strategy and process in place allows TAPF to collect workshops for senior and mid-level managers on leadership, communications, scaling, and peer-
insights and understand trends on diverse employees coaching. Directors and senior leaders recently underwent a 360-degree leadership assessment to
identify their coaching needs and areas of development support.
within the organization. For example, strategies for
motivating and retaining young talent who join the “As a Founder, I recognize that I need to keep growing and so should the team. That’s why we
organization right after graduation and are looking encourage every single employee to undertake some course of their choice, which is relevant to
for a career path within the non-profit sector. These their roles. We need to keep honing our skills and remain relevant to do our jobs well,” says Pooja.
insights play a crucial role in determining how TAPF
Arpan’s values of empathy and compassion are reflected in how Arpan creates a supportive
approaches talent management, and ensures that the environment for the team. A unique therapeutic allowance of INR 1500 is offered to each
organization is mitigating for future risks as much as employee every month. Employees can use this for their own mental well-being through enrolling
possible.ii in yoga classes, counselling or meditation sessions. Given that team members work with survivors
of trauma and abuse, which can take an emotional toll on them, this allowance is Arpan’s way of
letting its people know that it cares for them and wants them to take care of themselves.
Therefore, even though the technical meaning of
talent management may be similar for both the for- Hemesh Sheth, Arpan’s Support Operations Director who leads Finance, HR and IT adds, “In my
profit and non-profit sectors, the examples shared view, the open door policy at Arpan has given confidence to its team members. We also have skip
level meetings, where Pooja meets all employees without their supervisors and this gives a space
above illustrate that we must take into account the
for employees to talk openly without fear about what’s going well and the concerns they have.
unique nuances of the non-profit sector. While talent She also organizes skip levels for herself and requests that the Board members speak to all the
in the for-profit space operates mainly with a profit Directors to obtain feedback on her.”
motive, passion drives talent in the non-profit sector,
Initiatives such as these have helped Arpan become a “Great Place to Work”-certified place, where
though this passion may vary from person to person
each team member is able to connect personally to the organization’s work and mission The
and from organization to organization (depending journey hasn’t always been smooth, and there have been some failures along the way. Still, the
on the nature of work and core focus areas). These secret sauce has been Pooja’s unwavering commitment to the people whom Arpan serves and
differences between the two sectors make it those that serve it. Whether it is through grant proposals or conversations with funders, Pooja
recognizes that without prioritizing and investing in people the way she has, Arpan would not
challenging and risky to apply ready-made talent
have been able to positively impact as many lives as it has over the years.
management frameworks from the corporate sector to
the non-profit sector. “Our budget has always included a line item for capacity building, and thankfully no funder has
ever asked us why we are asking for this budget. I make sure we explain that we are a skills-based
organization. People are the key deliverable of the work we are doing, and so their salaries and
capacity building is our most integral investment. Nobody who understands our work can argue
with that.”

Still, this is just the start. The organization is at an inflection point within its growth journey. Over
the next 3 years, it aims to expand its programs through national-level partnerships and training
initiatives. Pooja’s aspiration is to build a resilient organization that can absorb rapid scale, and
she acknowledges that it cannot be done without a keen focus on people. In partnership with
her senior leadership team, she has devised a strategic approach to Arpan’s talent management
needs. One such decision is adapting the organization structure to have a strong team of nine
Directors who lead different verticals at Arpan at the helm of organizational decision-making.
Pooja believes a structure such as this will contribute to long-term sustainability by building a
broad foundation of leaders. As it builds its readiness for scale, Arpan still struggles with people-
related issues such as finding the right talent, avoiding the risk of culture dilution, compensating
team members well, and gradually developing their mid-level management. But these challenges
have only underscored the integral role of talent management in shaping Arpan’s resolve to
achieve its audacious vision.

“When you are here – you are a warrior for Arpan. It’s like a battle that we are all in to create a world
free of child sexual abuse. In this battle we all wear the same uniform, we think the same, we all
feel the same, and our motivation is our vision and mission. Therefore, everything we do at Arpan
unites us around this mission – this is the only way we will be able to, together, achieve our goal.”iii

10 11
 The unique talent philosophy and nuances of non-profits influence how and when they prioritize and invest in
talent management. This is compounded by some constraints, highlighted below:

1.
Non-profits operate in very tough conditions, such as rural, remote parts of the country.
These places are difficult to access and severely resource-constrained. While this makes it
challenging to hire and retain people with the right attitude and motivation, what may be
equally, if not more important, is developing the ability to empathize with the sacrifices
these employees are making on a daily basis to be able to fulfil the ambitious goals of the
organization.

2.
Non-profits often work towards achieving outcomes in challenging and emotionally-
intense domains, such as human rights, trafficking, child sexual abuse, etc. This can
take a toll on employees, especially field workers and specialists such as special educators,
psychologists and community health workers, who have to work in difficult circumstances
every day. Therefore, investing in the emotional, physical and financial well-being of
employees becomes all the more crucial in order to scale impact.

3.
Non-profits have greater funding constraints. Most non-profit organizations operate with
limited funding, restricting their ability to prioritize talent or adequately compensate their
employees. This in turn leads to a myriad other challenges, such as an inability to attract
high quality talent, invest in their growth & development, and/or retain talent. To manage
for this, non-profits need to rely more heavily on culture-building activities and innovative
performance management strategies (such as providing non-monetary benefits).

4.
Non-profits have a complex mix of employees, and hence require a different talent
management lens compared to the corporate sector. While there are frontline workers who
do most of the on-ground work, non-profits engage with other types of talent too that we
have elaborated later in the report. These include functional specialists like communications,
finance, talent management personnel, and the management cadre that needs to be able
to work with all these employees and channel them towards the organization’s goals. Many
NGOs have also started hiring from the corporate sector, which adds another interesting
dimension to the talent management challenges of a non-profit.

12 13
 THE CASE FOR
INVESTING IN
TALENT MANAGEMENT

Non-profits today face the critical task of enabling social

change. Taking on the breadth of problems that exist
requires a resilient institutional structure that is equipped
to not only handle such challenges, but also enable the
organization to scale. Moreover, scaling introduces its
own set of curveballs, overcoming which requires the
organization to build new capabilities. Our report– Ready,
Set, Grow: Effective Capacity Building for NGOs and
Funders who dream big, discusses these in more depth.
Often, the first step towards building these capabilities
is for the organization to invest in people and people As we detailed the unique talent management challenges of non-profits earlier, there are many reasons behind
processes. It is the mandate of the talent management these investments not being strategic:
function to address the same.

Despite the evidence that points to the value of investing Historically, NGOs were staffed by volunteers Non-profits are born out of the founder’s or a
in talent management and its correlation to impact and funds were raised within the local few individuals’ passion towards a particular
on-the-ground, talent management is often overlooked community. Except in rare cases, this model cause. It only seems natural to direct all
and under-prioritized.iv Non-profits typically only start has become a thing of the past. However, expenses toward program outcomes,
prioritizing talent management when things start to go the mindset still needs to evolve, from that resulting in lesser than adequate investment
awry. For example, one non-profit leader reported that of managing only passion-driven volunteers in staff beyond their salaries.
his organization struggled to perpetuate its culture as it to managing paid staff and professionals for
began to scale rapidly, which in turn affected everyday whom this is as much a career as it is the
operations and employee motivation. It was only after they desire to make a difference.
administered an engagement survey that they realized the
need to actively prioritize reinforcing their culture which
they did by initiating regular Town Halls, providing more
leadership development opportunities internally, and other
Non-profits depend on project funding, Funders who might be unable to see a
culture-building activities.
which means that investing in people, direct link between investing in talent
other than on their salaries, is often not management and impact on-the-ground.
Where investments in talent do happen, they happen in
included in the project proposal or budget. Therefore, talent management costs are still
a manner that is not strategic. There are countless such
Key functions like staff training, growth and referred to as “overheads” in grant proposals
examples: hiring an HR director without setting aside a
development, for instance, are overlooked and/or conversations.
budget; hiring specialists without sufficient explanation of
in favor of direct project services or
the role or the organization’s work; creating a performance
deliverables.
appraisal system, which is merely an exercise on paper,
and so on. Non-profits often tend to get caught up in the
“textbook definition” of what talent management should
include, rather than clearly think through how it links These factors contribute to the vicious loop that many non-profits and their funders find themselves in. Non-profit
to their specific overarching organizational strategy and organizations cannot compete with their for-profit counterparts when it comes to compensation, and therefore
operating model. struggle to attract the right quality talent. When they do hire quality talent, they struggle to engage and/or retain
this talent. Over time, this churn in employees affects the non-profit’s ability to hit its audacious targets, which in
turn further limits its ability to justify the acquisition of talent and results in demotivating new talent from joining.

14 15
 That being said, non-profits are beginning Fortunately, what we found in Ready, Set, Grow is
to become more aware of the pitfalls
outlined above. There are also some trends
that many non-profits and funders are gradually
joining the discourse on institutional capacity
LAYING THE GROUND:
reinforcing the increasing value of investing building, and are slowly recognizing that investing OBJECTIVE, SCOPE,
in robust talent management practices. in institutional capacities is instrumental to scaling
These include: impact.viii Moreover, there is a small but steadily AND METHODOLOGY
growing pool of funders that are supporting talent
• Greater number of people wanting to join development initiatives for their grantees. The
the non-profit sector A.T.E. Chandra Foundation is one who believes
that investing in building organizations is the way
The pool of talent that is interested in joining to unlock potential and future growth. Beyond
the not-profit sector at all levels is growing. providing unrestricted funding that non-profits can
There is also an increasing inclination to leave use for capacity building initiatives, the Foundation
the corporate world for this sector. One reason has also encouraged leaders from its portfolio
for this could be the working environment and
organizations to attend leadership development
fulfillment that employees in the social sector
have reported feeling. The Great Places to programs, in order to more effectively steer strong
Work 2017 Survey found non-profits to be quite performing organizations. The Foundation has
ahead of the corporate sector in providing a gone one step ahead by building ecosystems for
positive and engaging employee experience.v leadership development, through its support for
premier non-profit leadership programs in India,
• Need for diverse skillsets in the non-profit such as the Harvard Business School’s Strategic Non-
sector Profit Management India Program (SNMI), as well as
the Dasra Social Impact Leadership and Accelerator
NGO leaders have started realizing the need for Programs (DSI LP and DSI AP, respectively).
bringing in people from diverse backgrounds,
for certain expertise and skillsets. With time, Despite a promising momentum, there is still a long
there has been a greater recognition of the
way to go. Most funders still tend to be program
kind of professionals they can have access to if
focused, and often let investments in human capital
they are able to pay better.
slip through the cracks. What many fail to realize
is that investing in people is the first and foremost
critical step toward building a strong foundation
However, even though there is greater upon which organizations can undertake any
realization of the need, and the pipeline of kind of operational, programmatic, financial, or
talent is improving, the issue of attracting and organizational development.
managing talent remains pertinent. Professional
development, performance management, “When you’re dealing with people, knowing
rewards, career planning and advancement are how to manage these people is everything.
all functions that need a stronger strategic pushvi. I’m not saying you need to create succession
plans from day zero, but just understand This report aims to spark a conversation between non-profits and funders
For instance, there needs to be a re-orientation
what these people would do best. As non- around the value of investing in talent management for non-profits across
for talent coming from the corporate sector.
profits, resources will always be crunched India. If you are a non-profit, this report will help you understand exactly
There are players such as Crossover Catalyst that
because the mandates are huge. But if what talent management comprises. It will encourage you to have more
facilitate and enable cross-sector transitions, and
we understand that people — not money informed conversations, and start early when prioritizing and investing in
programs such as the India Leaders for Social
or anything else — are one of the most talent management within your organization. It will also give you some
Sector (ILSS) program incubated by Central
sustainable resources and if we manage our handy and actionable tips on how to address talent-related challenges
Square Foundation (CSF), and the Indian School
people better, then that can be critical to more proactively.
of Development Management (ISDM) that
support the movement of top corporate talent. making a difference.”
If you are a funder, this report will provide insights to help you better
But doing all this at an organizational level
-Sonal Kapoor, Founder, Protsahan understand and support your grantees, ask the right questions and drive
requires thoughtful planning and an adequate
support for talent management within the not-profit ecosystem as a
allocation of time and other resources.
To create lasting on-the-ground impact and build whole. We hope this report pushes the conversation forward and provides
resilient organizations, leaders of these organizations insights into the uniqueness and criticality of talent management for
“Your employees embody who you are must invest in talent early and appropriately. This implementing non-profits.
as an organization. They are on the is true more so for organizations that want to scale
frontline, working with your partners, and grow beyond their current stage of growth. Given that the non-profit landscape in India is large and diverse, we
with your clients and with your have restricted the scope of this study to address talent management
beneficiaries. How your employees for Indian implementing non-profits that have programs on the
embody your values and help you to ground, those that work directly with individuals or communities and
pursue your mission greatly influences aspire to scale. Further, at Dasra, we believe that the funding landscape
if you can achieve your goals as an is fast-evolving and maturing, and we hope the report helps drive the
organization.” conversation around talent management forward with funders.

-Jacob Schultz, Philanthropy Universityvii

16 17
 Our research adopts a mixed-method approach, which consists of a
combination of the following:

Secondary Research
The first step included reviewing existing literature and resources
(including academic papers, independent research studies by
foundations and intermediaries, news articles and blogs) on
talent management and strategy within non-profits in India
and globally. While in the recent years there has been growing
interest and conversation around non-profit talent management
globally, there is a paucity of data that speaks to this subject in
the Indian context.

Expert Interviews Chapter 2

Dasra conducted 30 in-depth interviews with non-profit leaders,
funders, and talent intermediaries to develop an understanding
of their challenges and practices and validate our findings.
Appendix A contains the complete list of interviewees. DECONSTRUCTING TALENT
MANAGEMENT
Survey of non-profit leaders
The in-depth interviews were followed by an online survey sent
to hundreds of non-profit leaders. The survey aimed at collecting
quantitative and qualitative information on non-profits’ talent
management priorities, practices and challenges. The survey
received 97 responses, out of which around 85% of respondents
indicated they were Founder/CEO, CXO/Executive Director, or
Human Resource Head at their respective organizations. The
survey was administered to a diverse mix of non-profits across
India that varied in age, budget, team size, geographies, and
sectors. Please refer to Appendix B for a profile of the survey
respondents. For the survey outreach, organizations were
sourced through a snowball sampling approach through:

• Dasra’s network of organizations that are in its capacity In the previous chapter, we
building portfolio or have interacted with Dasra through either discussed the ‘why’ of investing
the Dasra Social Impact Programs or the 10-to-19 Adolescents in talent management. In this
Collaborative. chapter, we will explore the ‘what’
• Grantee portfolio organizations of a few funders such as A.T.E of talent management to better
Chandra Foundation, EdelGive Foundation and the Azim understand how to unpack all its
Premji Philanthropy Initiative. components in the context of the
non-profit sector.

18 19
 FOUNDER’S MIND-SET
AND TALENT
MANAGEMENT

Talent Management for every organization looks

different as it depends on the nature of the
organization’s work, geography, sector and subsector
in which an organization operates, amongst other
factors. Our experience and literature suggest that the
strongest driver of an organization’s talent philosophy is
the founder’s mindset. Being mission-led organizations,
non-profits are guided by the founder’s vision and
philosophy, which permeates through the fabric of the
organization. And while it may not be thought of as a
talent mindset, per se, it still exists in every organization.

Consider the example of LeapForWord, a Mumbai-

based education non-profit, whose founder Pranil Naik
believes that work is a means of personal development
and growth, and too many structures can come in
the way of that. He is pragmatic to acknowledge that
vertical growth can be limited (due to reasons beyond
his control at times) and employees will not always be
around. But he believes that there can be no greater
reward than visible skill development; he believes in
the inherent power of work. This is what guides his
philosophy of investing in people.

Pranil believes that “the more the individuals grow, the

more the organization grows as well. Everyone may not
get a chance to run the current organization but outside
of it, someday they may be able to run an organization
of their own. While people are here, how can I create
opportunities for people to experience what it is to run
an independent organization on their own.”

Positioning of talent Talent

It is the leadership foresight and management Philosophy
vision that guides the values of an
organization, attracts employees How talent management, as a function, is perceived As mentioned in the first chapter, a talent
and prioritized is directly influenced by how highly philosophy’s purpose is to help guide all decisions
to the organization, and lays the related to talent. An effective talent philosophy
the leadership values it. If the leadership believes
foundation for a talent philosophy that investing in talent management is a non- is critical to guide an organization to achieve its
of the organization. Acknowledging negotiable, then chances are that the organization mission and goals. For corporates, the executive
the role of the founder is the first has a more robust talent management team in teams create the talent philosophy; for non-profits,
step toward deconstructing talent place, which is involved with strategic decision- the founders determine this. Since, talent decisions
making for the organization as well. However, if have to be taken on a regular basis, non-profits will
management and thinking about have a talent philosophy in place regardless of it
the leadership views talent management as a
it strategically. There are two basic mere operational function (for example managing being formally codified.
ways in which the founder’s mindset payroll, attendance, leaves, etc.) needed to keep the
plays out: organization moving, then employees may not see
the value of investing in talent management.

20 21
 A Framework for The Framework
Deconstructing Talent
Management

The following framework

adapted from “HR Here
and Now”ix, describes
the components of and
demands placed on, talent
management as a functional
area. This framework is not
representative of how an HR Make Organizations Effective
or talent management team Organization vision and alignment;
should be structured. Rather, culture-building/reinforcement;
it aims to provide a lens with organization structure; work design
which to view and understand
the various components of
talent management and how
they are inter-connected.

›
›

Manage Basic
Talent
Management
Talent
Management
Operations
Recruit Talent Engage Talent Develop Leaders
Talent Attraction, Performance Leadership
Recruitment, and Management, Development,
Onboarding Learning and Succession
Development, Planning
Career
Management,
Rewards and
Recognition

22 23
 There are 5 demands that are placed on any talent management function:

The primary role of talent management is to enable organizations to become more specialists vs. general office staff) and the nature of work that exists (for example
effective in achieving their mission/vision. Organizational effectiveness hinges on interfacing with the government, communities, and more). However, to assess
its ability to lead and embrace change. As organizations evolve, they need to keep impact accurately, having clear individual and project goals linked to overall
making changes to their design, structure, and processes on an ongoing basis — all of organizational goals is crucial. Such thoughtful performance management
Make which have some or the other human implications. Talent management has a role to systems also engender a culture of constructive feedback.
Organizations play in not only identifying the requisite changes but also effectively implementing
Effective these changes in the organization. This demand thus entails: (b) Rewards and incentives: Having clear employee recognition for performance,
whether monetary or non-monetary, is critical. Non-profits should look for ways in
(a) Crafting a talent management strategy and roadmap in line with the which they can show their paid staff, their volunteers, and their leadership
organization’s mission/vision/strategy. that they are valuable members of the organization, and that their work is being
appreciated.
(b) Designing the organization for effectiveness – an operating model and an
organization structure that delineates roles and responsibilities and enables (c) Providing learning and growth opportunities: Although a vast majority of the
better decision-making. non-profit workforce is mission-driven, and hence has an innate desire to give
back to the organization, it is still crucial for non-profits to invest in their
(c) Shaping organization culture through articulation of its values/guiding principles, employees’ personal and professional growth and development journey to enable
and communicating and supporting culture-building/reinforcement. Many them to become more effective.
change management efforts involve making changes to the culture in a way that
builds positively on a shared commitment of staff and volunteers to the mission.
In the case of non-profits, culture plays a vital role because it is the culture which
holds the organization and its employees together. A strong culture, for example,
is often the reason why non-profit employees are willing to accept relatively low Another key demand placed on any organization is building high caliber leadership
salaries (than their corporate counterparts), even if the volume or breadth of work that can effectively lead an organization to scale. A senior team’s competence is
remains the same, if not more. often the fundamental factor in an organization’s ability to make strides towards
ambitious goals. Many research studies have shown that investing in building leaders
Develop has a high return on investment. Building the capacity of leaders is one of the most
effective ways to make a non-profit’s work more meaningful to its community. This
The second demand refers to talent acquisition, which is the process of attracting, Leaders entails building future leaders and preparing for change through effective succession
recruiting, and onboarding the right talent for evolving organizational needs. For planning that ensures sustainability of impact.
many non-profits, publicizing its very existence is often the most important step to
attracting high quality talent. This entails:

Recruit (a) Creating or strengthening the organization’s brand to increase its visibility
Talent and ability to communicate more effectively about the work that it does;

(b) Identifying talent gaps in line with the organization’s growth plans;

(c) Assessing candidates for not just passion and skill fit but also culture fit. The most basic and foremost task mandated upon the talent management function
involves managing a spectrum of tasks that fall along the employee lifecycle, from
(d) The last step — one which is usually not given sufficient attention — is creating
joining to exiting an organization. These tasks include formalizing and administering
customized onboarding plans, which may differ according to position and level, Manage basic policies like leave, travel, attendance, managing employee databases and
to ensure that the new hires are set up for success and are able to contribute
Basic Talent documentation, meeting employee-related statutory compliances and more. As
effectively.
Management organizations begin to scale, many of them either outsource some of these routine
tasks to third party vendors or use technology to automate them.

Non-profit institutions are essentially human “change-agents”, and unlike for-profit

companies, they will always have a multitude of constituencies.x This means that
understanding the needs of different talent pools, engaging them, and providing a
motivating work environment becomes all the more complex and thus, challenging.
Engage Focusing on this area is especially pertinent since compensation in the social sector is
Talent generally lower. A continuous and ever-evolving process, engaging talent entails:

(a) Managing and measuring performance: In the social sector, it is particularly

challenging due to different types of talent (such as field workers vs. technical

24 25
 Chapter 3

DECODING ROOT CAUSES

AND CHALLENGES

Having explored the ‘why’ and the

‘what’, in this chapter, we will dig
deeper into the challenges that
non-profits face in acting on their
talent management goals and the
root causes of those challenges.

26 27
 A. Funding Crunch and
Uncertainty of project-based
funding
Two main root causes:

It is a commonly known fact that non-profits, compared to the corporate sector,

are usually resource-constrained. For most non-profits, inadequate funding serves
as the most fundamental challenge in building organizational capabilities. Sixty
eight percent of respondents in our survey acknowledged this too. And talent
management closely followed this.

A Funding Crunch and Uncertainty of

project-based funding

What according to you is the biggest challenge in

building organization capacities*? (N=97)

B Founder-leader’s ambivalence
towards talent management
Inadequate Funding 68%

Talent Management 61%

Communications and Branding 34%

Unclear Vision 8%

Other 7%

These root causes lead to other 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%

challenges that impede an

organization’s ability to invest in
talent management:
Anshu Bhartia, CEO of UnLtd India “When you dig deeper about why
(a launch pad and incubator for early are you not attracting talent...
stage social enterprises), stressed, compensation is one of the
“Talent is always a struggle, and it’s biggest factors, which is daunting.
1 Reactive organization structures always due to the money available in
the bank.” Funding constraints can be
So it’s just one thing to say that
you want to attract top talent
crippling and affect almost all aspects and you want the best talent to
of talent management. But where it come and work with you, but if
Struggle to hire high-quality talent arguably pinches the most is when a you’re not able to justify what
2 and avoid culture dilution
non-profit wants to attract and hire
qualified staff. If non-profits are unable
you’re doing and you’re not able to
match the market salaries, then it
to attract the right talent to begin becomes more difficult for you to
with, then all further investments in attract talent.”
culture, values, performance systems
3 Difficulties engaging and rewarding
people aptly
and rewards become essentially
ineffective.
– Saurabh Nigam, Vice President,
Human Capital, Omidyar Network

4 Unplanned leadership transitions

28 29
 Funding limitations not only adversely impact a non-profit’s ability to attract
talent, but it also affects the organization’s ability to retain its current pool of
talent or evolve to meet their talent’s changing needs and expectations with
increased salaries and bonuses. Our survey confirms that inability to offer higher
compensation contributes significantly to high attrition rates of employees.

What proportion of
59% Higher compensation your total budget is
unrestricted*? (N=97)
54% Better career
prospects

28% Challenges
of working in 35% End of
remote project funding 26%
What are the
locations
top reasons 23%
20%
for employees 28% Higher
education
31% Lack of
leaving your sufficient 13%
12%
organization*? growth
opportunities
(N=97) 6%

None 1 - 5% 5 - 10% 10 - 15% 15- 20% Above 20%

“While money has been and Moreover, close to 55% of the non-profits
continues to be a challenge to get surveyed reported that their unrestricted funding
new people on board; and even if is less than 10% of their overall budget. Even
we do manage to hire people, in though the number of non-profits in our survey
that indicated absolutely no unrestricted funding
a year’s time, money will become
is small, it is worth noting that all of them,
a problem to retain the same
without exception, have a large total budget size
people. We may not be able to pay
of 1 Cr or more. One of the factors for this is our
for their increments. I think the regulatory environment, an example being the
challenge I foresee facing is the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Act, which
ability to fund people’s real needs encourages use of philanthropic capital towards
with an appropriate sum programs over institutional investments. But our
of money.” research suggests that there could be another
explanation for this. Many funders typically
- Pranil Naik, Founder, LeapForWord view institutional investments, including talent
management initiatives, as expensive overheads
or as unnecessary expenditures. Unrestricted
grants are still uncommon in the non-profit
space, with many of the non-profit leaders whom
we interviewed attesting that they still receive
pushback from funders who want to keep
”admin or overhead costs” low.

30 31
 B. Founders’ ambivalence
towards talent management

Today the growing trend of professionals from the When funders are unable to differentiate, or rather
corporate sector who seek to move to the social acknowledge the difference, between capacity As described in the earlier chapters, the
sector are, generally, those who have developed building investments and overheads, the ability of Founders’ mind-set plays out in multiple ways – it
strong financial backing after years of experience their grantees to undertake strategic investment is influences how founders:
in the for-profit world. And while it is encouraging vastly inhibited. And there are still a large number
to see that organizations like the Central Square of funders who consider any activity outside of the • Prioritize talent management within the organization
Foundation offer programs like the India Leaders for project as undesirable overheads.
Social Sector to ensure smooth transitions for these • Empower and build the capacity of their talent
individuals, attracting young talent is also critical Until a decade into its existence, Quality Education management team
given India’s large demographic dividend.xiii Support Trust (QUEST), a non-profit that works
towards enhancing quality of education in peri-urban • Create buy-in with board and funders for investments
Uncertainty of project areas, did not have any non-project personnel that
was separate from their projects. QUEST Founder,
based funding further Nilesh Nimkar, says, “I was the only person that was
• Build a culture for progressive change and continuous
improvement
complicates matters not a part of any project. We had people appointed
to the project that were multi-tasking. This was
The majority of funding in the non-profit space is not a very good organizational structure but we Understandably, there are many valid reasons behind why
earmarked to specific programs or projects. Any had no option. Even the biggest of funders then founders may be ambivalent about investing in talent
change with respect to the specific program, project did not support institutional costs.” The challenge management. Engaging in talent management initiatives
or grant cycle can create an added layer of complexity facing many non-profits is that they survive project- requires substantial time, funding and bandwidth from
to conducting talent management activities in a to-project. This impedes their ability to create and the founder as well as the organization. Being mission-
systematic fashion. For instance, uncertainty of project invest in a managerial layer that is independent of driven and working in a resource-crunched environment,
extension (contingent on the availability of future projects. An absence of an independent workforce it is no surprise that founders find it difficult to engage in
funding) sometimes prompts team members staffed hurts the prospects of sustaining impact. Non-profits such initiatives.
on such projects to look for opportunities elsewhere — and funders need to accept that investing in the
both of which adversely affects the projected impact. organization as a whole, instead of piece-meal or Having said that, there are founders with old school
This often leads to increased attrition. project-wise, is essential to improve the ability to mindsets who hold unrealistic expectations of the
scale operations and sustain impact. talent joining the social sector. They may shy away from
Furthermore, many non-profits have different projects providing competitive salaries required for ensuring a
funded by different funders, and vary in terms of decent standard of living to their employees. According
budget size. The struggle for them is the disparity to Archana Chandra, CEO of the Jai Vakeel Foundation,
that this leads to in terms of the funding available for “As NGOs, we penalize people for wanting to do good. It
things like salaries. People with the same designation is okay to ask [for competitive salaries] in the for-profit
or at the same level could have different salaries on space but in the NGO space, we ask ‘How can we pay
different projects. One non-profit leader commented, you so much? How can you ask for so much?’ Why do we
“We cannot have one project where people are penalize people for wanting to do good? We should be
getting far better salaries as compared to the other paying these people better because the ask of them is
70% of our employees. That is a sure shot recipe for so much harder.” At the same time, non-profit leaders
disparities and people issues.” often have an opposition to too much “managerialism”
or an imposition of for-profit principles that emphasize
In another instance, a Karnataka-based non-profit hierarchy and authority over flexibility and values. This
that works with communities through focused impedes non-profits from putting in place necessary
interventions in health and education saw changes in structures – a point that is further expanded upon in
its project funding leading to undesirable results in its our first challenge.
overarching thematic areas of operations as well. This
caused a lot of unwanted organizational disturbance
as working in multiple thematic areas and with
multiple funders made it difficult for it to maintain
one single ecosystem within the organization.
One of their leaders shared “funders have different
expectations or funding patterns. There is more
money involved in one and less in others. Balancing
that out is a challenge.”

32 33
 Being ambivalent This tells us that many non-profits struggle
to recognize the value and role of talent
towards talent management as a specialist function in
management results in Do you have a formal a scaling NGO. About 72% of our survey
respondents reported that their talent
unplanned or delayed medium to long-term management/HR teams are mostly pre-
organization strategy What are the Top 3
investments occupied with managing operational
buckets of activities
(for at least 2-3 years)? tasks like payroll management, leave and
Our survey data indicates that nearly that take up the most
(N=97) attendance monitoring, which, in effect,
90% of non-profits have a formal long- time of your HR team?
does not leave much time to focus on the
term organization strategy in place, but
non-transactional strategic aspects of talent (N=97)
of these, only 34% have created a talent
management. Nearly 30% respondents even
management plan i.e. a plan for hiring,
developing and retaining talent linked to the No shared that their talent teams spend time 72%
68%
on general office administration tasks such
organizational strategy and goals. A talent
management plan helps to identify and
Yes
11% as travel bookings, office administration, etc. 53%

prioritize the talent management activities

30%
89%
But TAPF, an organization that has scaled
that can act as critical levers to achieve the
substantially already, is one example of an 19%
overall strategic plan of the organization. At
NGO that escaped this trap. They recognized
many non-profits, trustees and founders are
the value of talent management early on in
used to managing talent on their own. Only
their growth journey and actively invested
when these organizations begin to scale to a
in their people processes. TAPF considers
point where such a system is not feasible, do
its current talent management team at the Operational HR processes Strategy, Office Team bonding
these leaders consider talent management HR tasks management Culture & Administration & fun activities
head office as a “Centre of Excellence” for Leadership tasks
more holistically. However, by then it is Development
the other local talent management teams.
usually too little or too late and many end
The head office team is responsible for *Note: Respondents were asked to select top 3 activities.
up scrambling.
analyzing talent-related best practices, and
creating policies, processes, and frameworks Activity Sample Tasks
“In most non-profits, talent Have you created a to guide TAPF’s talent management goals.
Operational HR Payroll management, leave and attendance
management is the last thing on formal TM plan linked These are then passed on to the local talent tasks monitoring.
their mind as they want to save to the organization management teams who are responsible for
HR processes Sourcing resumes, conducting interviews and
costs in that area because they strategy? (N=97) contextualizing these resources to their local management following up on the performance appraisal
don’t understand the value that environment. The local talent management process.
talent management professionals teams also play a strategic role within Strategy, culture Facilitating organization strategy, creating HR
bring to the organization. Unless TAPF as they not only handle operational and leadership strategy, focusing on leadership development,
and until you see a talent manager Yes talent management tasks, but are also
development

Office
culture and reinforcement.

Travel booking and office maintenance.

as someone who will take your NGO responsible to think of ways in which they
to scale, you will not prioritize it,
where in fact planning for it has to NO
34% can engage all levels of employees and
strengthen performance management.
administration
tasks

Team bonding and Picnics, festival celebrations, annual days and

start much earlier.” Moreover, TAPF has a pan-India annual HR
63%
fun activities retreats.
meet to facilitate knowledge sharing and
- Benaifer Reporter and Nitai Mehta, the transfer of talent-related best practices.
Praja Foundation Founders define the culture of an organization and it is
Not applicable
According to Shubha Goel, “This particular
likely to evolve with growth and diversification. Founders
phase is actually helping us improve our
3% performance system and MIS system and
has enabled us to pave a direction on
need to be aware of the role their leadership plays in
creating a culture that supports large-scale change.

how we move forward. HR plays a highly

And, while we acknowledge that inadequate funding is an
significant role here.”
obstacle to investing in institution building as shared in our
earlier report – Ready, Set, Grow, the onus of educating and
convincing funders on the importance of such investments
including talent management lies with non-profits. Unless
these initiatives stem from the NGO leader, they may not
always materialize. The root-causes highlighted above
affect how talent management challenges typically play
out within an organization – these have been further
explored in this chapter.

34 35
 1. Reactive organization
structures

Based on the framework Many non-profit leaders are wary of having too Unclear demarcation between levels and When creating organization structures,
established in the previous many structures in place. As has been pointed out reporting relationships: Some organizations
chapter, the following earlier, ‘structures’ may be seen as an imposition of struggle to define employee hierarchy clearly leaders need to think about:
challenges emerged through for-profit principles. However, there is a downside and it is common to find roles or levels created
to not having formal structures in place, which can solely to show career progression. There is little to
our interviews and survey result in these other issues: no thought that goes into creating specific roles
insights: Will they enable the organization’s
and responsibilities of the different levels or how
Lack of role clarity: While almost 90% of non- they link to the overall reporting structure of the strategy and address future needs?
profits surveyed reported having a formal, medium organization. We also heard from our non-profit
to long-term organization strategy in place, very partners, through our interviews, that in some cases, Is the organization structure building
few of them are forecasting their hiring needs from “managers” and “senior managers” do the exact
a medium to long-term perspective – only 26% clear accountability?
same work, managing the exact same people, but
reported forecasting hiring requirements beyond with different designations and pay grades. This
Reactive
a one-year horizon; and 21% forecasted only for disparity can lead to disgruntled and disengaged Is the organization structure enabling
6 months or less. While forecasting hiring needs employees. or hindering decision making?
organization is inherently challenging for non-profits, having
a reactive hiring process results in non-profits
structures struggling to define roles clearly. This is especially
Dealing with the increasing complexity and
Has it been created only with the
demands that are put on an organization while
true for senior-level roles where what is said on adapting for scale, requires consistent assessment existing employees and reporting
paper may not accurately reflect the true nature of structures required to meet scaling-up demands.
Non-profits like the Indian Institute of Human relationships in mind?
of the role. Job descriptions (JDs) that are not
updated as per future needs result in potential Settlements (IIHS) and QUEST have invested
significant time and resources to develop their Are there any overlaps in the reporting
candidates not understanding the required skillsets
organogram and talent management systems,
Struggle to hire or having different expectations of the job, leading
thinking through reporting lines and people structures?
to disenchantment after joining. assessment methodologies. This exercise has
high-quality enabled them to streamline reporting relationships
talent and avoid Nitai Mehta, Founder-Director at Praja Foundation, and become better equipped to manage the
Who would be the ideal reporting
said “We had JDs on the basis of which we were challenges that accompany scale. manager?
culture dilution hiring folks but they were not detailed. Therefore
you would find a brilliant job description existed
but ultimately the person who came on board Do the reporting managers have
would only do a part of the job as described and bandwidth to manage people?
part of something that came up in the organization
at that point in time. Lack of clarity, doing ad hoc
things, getting into details that were not part of the
job would lead to attrition. So now we very much
Difficulties have a clear cut strategy that allows us to have
engaging and clearly defined roles”.

rewarding Lack of role clarity leads to other problems like

people aptly unclear reporting relationships and stretched
bandwidth at all levels. This can be problematic for
achieving productivity in the long run. Many non-
profit employees experience high levels of burnout
that stem from having to wear multiple hats within
the organization, in the absence of having sufficient
talent to fill for each role. This means that though
Unplanned someone may be hired for an operations role, he
or she may also be enlisted to support with finance
leadership efforts, in case there is a bandwidth shortage there.
transitions

36 37
 2. Struggle to hire high-quality
talent and avoid culture
dilution

Paying competitive salaries is a struggle. But it’s also Our survey data seems to validate the above
true that a higher salary, in and of itself, does not experiences – 67% of the respondents find
guarantee a better quality hire. Non-profits struggle hiring for management level positions most
with finding the right talent due to a multitude challenging, followed closely by hiring for
of other reasons. There is a dearth of qualified “People have been our biggest concerns right program or technical specialists (41%). This Whom do you find
professionals for the kind of skills that NGOs require from the beginning. Part of that is because we finding reflects the experience of SEWA Rural,
most challenging to
across sectors, geographies, functions, and contexts, were looking for very specific kinds of people- a health-focused NGO that operates in rural
tribal areas of southern Gujarat. Given that
hire?* (N=97)
and at the compensation that the sector is willing people who have done inter-disciplinary work,
or able to offer. Hiring for specialized functions such work across two domains, or can understand it operates in a rural context in a small and
as health care practitioners, subject matter experts and move across two practices. We are looking remote town (Jagadia), SEWA Rural grapples
or for field workers in remote areas is more difficult for people who could teach, train, research and with finding specialist or managerial talent,
than hiring for generalist roles or roles based out practice. Now we have not always found people like doctors or senior-level managers. People Management/leadership level
67%
of the head office. There are many reasons for like that, our own director is not ready to make hesitate to move to Jagadia, even if only for professionals

this– first, the talent pool is much more limited compromises on that.” a brief stay. To counter this, SEWA Rural has Program/technical specialists such as
41%
counsellors, social workers, etc.
and many qualified individuals prefer to work in been providing its qualified specialists greater
Functional staff such as HR,
corporate settings where there is less uncertainty “The moment you go to a specific state where autonomy to expand their capacity by taking communications, administration,IT
36%
and more structures in place; second, the concept you need to know the language, finding the right on new projects and evolving its policies to
of hardship allowance for remote locations may skills with the language proficiency becomes a allow people more flexibility to commute Frontline workers 21%
not exist. This is further compounded by a third challenge.” from urban areas to Jagadia, which had not
challenge, which is that often the work that NGOs been permitted in the past. It has also been Office support staff 5%
conduct is new and not fully understood by job investing more in grooming its local talent for
seekers, rendering the social sector some sort of a “Some of our roles are very distinct and only for non-specialist roles at the organization.
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%

“black box” to the outside world. us. You won’t find them in a corporate. Selling
social impact to candidates from functions like
There is still little orientation to what the Finance, HR, Communications is a far bigger As non-profits scale, they also struggle to maintain their
roles entail, the range of skills required, the task.” “It took us at least 9 months to culture. The founder often creates and is responsible for
growth opportunities available and the level of have the full team in place. I think cementing the culture of the organization early on. The
commitment expected and required. All these “If you want people who are having some kind there are two issues – (1) You challenge that many non-profits face, however, is that as
things make it difficult to incentivize individuals to don’t have enough people with they begin to scale and add lateral hires, there arises a
of a research mind-set, who are willing to learn
work in very resource-constrained environments. greater degree of separation between the founder and
with the community and willing to travel to experience in urban sanitation,
the field to guide them – finding them is very given that the sector is growing everyone else. Unless organizations invest in reiterating the
Alongside are a few excerpts from our interviews culture of the organization through onboarding practices
and survey responses illustrating this point: difficult.” rapidly (2) You probably don’t have
practitioners of the kind you want. and other forums, employees may not always be able to be
To get people who are willing connect to the culture and ethos of the organization. This,
“In several of our roles we are asking people to to experiment and move to the then, leads to the risk of culture dilution.
navigate complexities which require a gambit sector is very difficult. Especially,
of skills and we have realized it is hard to find for urban sanitation, it is difficult
in one profile.” to get people who understand the
larger ‘urban’ context.”
“We are expanding our geographies. To hit
the kind of targets we have set, I think we will - Kavita Wankhade,
require a different kind of talent coming in.” Senior Lead - Practice, IIHS

38 39
 3. Difficulties engaging and
Case study

Hiring challenges QUEST foresees as it rewarding people aptly

scales
Working in interior tribal locations of
Maharashtra, QUEST had traditionally
As we mentioned earlier, more professionals
struggled to attract technically sound talent.
in India’s labor force are beginning to view the
Nilesh recognized this challenge early into
social sector as a viable career pathway. While
QUEST’s journey and decided to focus on
this is promising, the lack of defined career
hiring locally. “We realized it does not make
trajectories continues to be a major pain point
sense to search for talent in the cities and
for the sector. Our research shows that there
convince them to go to the rural areas, we are
are non-profits even today that shy away from
better off looking for people who live in the
discussions on career progression. This, in turn,
vicinity itself”, said Nilesh. QUEST therefore
deters young talent from joining the sector—
appointed people from the communities in
and our survey data shows this. After lack of
which it operates and invested significantly
compensation, lack of better career prospects
in their growth and development. Nilesh’s
ranked as the second reason for employee
idea was to provide local talent with
attrition.
multiple opportunities that made working
with QUEST an attractive long-term career
option. He also instituted a two-month long
systematic induction program that even
today serves as a litmus test for determining
the right candidates who are likely to stay.
At QUEST, employees are provided exposure
opportunities from the beginning – the field
level workers attend and present at regional
and national conferences and interact with
high-ranking government officials right from
the beginning.

Today, QUEST places a great deal of trust

and ownership on its field level employees,
who have grown within the organization,
to handle entire projects. What is even
more commendable is that 60% of the
organization’s workforce is home-grown.
However, with its strategic decision to scale-
up and expand into new geographies, QUEST
knows that depending on home-grown talent
alone will not be enough. “Everything cannot
be home-grown, we need people coming
from outside the system. What we thought is
the solution – hiring local people – is not going
to work every time”, says Nilesh.

Working towards expanding its funder base

and meeting its ambitious fundraising goals,
QUEST needs new talent with specialist
skillsets and experiences on the field. They
also recognize that they do not have the
luxury of long induction times. While Nilesh
acknowledges the need for lateral hires, he is
also cognizant of the cultural challenge that
comes with hiring laterally. As QUEST begins
to rapidly transition into a semi-professional
organization, finding a balance between
home-grown and lateral hires becomes all
the more crucial — a challenge that Founder,
Nilesh, already foresees.

40 41
 Many factors affect the ability of non-profits to engage and reward people aptly:

Unclear goal-setting
Lack of awareness around Insufficient mechanisms to Lack of funding to invest
Diversity of employees process and objective
engagement mechanisms provide feedback and reward employees
performance-metrics

There are founders who Non-profits have a unique When organization-level goal While our survey shows us that 76% of non- Lack of unrestricted funding
believe that working blend of employees who hail setting is unclear, it is difficult profits have a formal appraisal process, the strains a non-profit’s ability to
towards a mission is a from sundry backgrounds. to create team- and individual- qualitative responses and our interviews invest in talent whether it is
reward in itself, and lack While this ensures diversity level goals that are clear, paint a slightly different story. Though non- through exposure to opportunities
the managerial drive and in the workplace, these measurable and achievable. profits may technically have an appraisal or budgets for Learning and
ability to engage employees employees also come with a Many organizations grapple process in place, it often lacks an integrated Development. As detailed earlier in
in charting out growth different set of experiences with creating or identifying and constructive feedback system. Satyam the chapter, project-based funding
opportunities in the sector. and expectations. Therefore, objective metrics that link team Vyas, Founder of Arthan Careers says, “There comes with its own set of challenges
This mindset could also be engaging with these different and individual performance to is no process of check-in or feedback, where members staffed on projects
an indication that leaders types of individuals requires, organizational performance as which is done specifically when you close with greater funding have access to
are much too fixated on first, understanding their a whole. This is especially true in an assignment or project especially from better opportunities than members
day-to-day operations unique needs and motivations the case of head office employees the perspective of the learning journey of staffed on less well-funded projects.
and lack the capacity or and, second, creating and functional specialists who the people who have been a part of this Given the funding constraints that
bandwidth to focus on targeted engagement do not engage directly with the program. This could be one of the reasons exist, there is a greater need for
more strategic investments mechanisms accordingly. For communities. Moreover, many we come across a lot of people who start non-profits to find innovative and
in employee engagement. instance, while non-profits non-profits also have external planning their exits right after a project has non-monetary ways to restore equity
look for people who have dependencies that affect their ended or is going to end. They say that this amongst all employees, and ensure
entrepreneurial drive and can ability to deliver their work (for is going to end but no one has talked to me that each of its staff members feels
multitask, they may not always example outcomes linked to about what is coming next and I don’t see a appreciated and rewarded. The
focus on creating an enabling government orders that may future in this organization.” good news is that despite these
environment which would get delayed, communities that challenges, non-profits are already
encourage them to thrive and get preoccupied with other doing this, and we have highlighted
exercise their entrepreneurial events, etc.). Engaging with these those specific examples in the next
mindset. constituencies is not always chapter.
something that non-profit
It is important that team members both understand and employees can control, and
remember the larger mission of the program, and also when they come to an impasse
understand how their specific tasks contribute to the larger that is outside their control, the
vision. Otherwise, it is easy to get lost in day to day activities. experience can be particularly
Pulling the team out of their daily grind, and getting them to taxing. In such cases, talent
refocus on the larger picture/ outcomes regularly is essential. engagement (and retention,
specifically) becomes a challenge.
41%
– Kavita Wankhade, How often do you 37%
Senior Lead - Practice, IIHS conduct formal
performance review
discussions at your
10%
Yes organization? (N=97) 4% 4% 3%

Does your
organization have NO
76% Annualy Half-yearly Need based Monthly Other Quarterly

a formal process to
assess employee 19%
performance? (n=97)
Not sure

5%
42 43
 4. Unplanned leadership
transitions

The 2017 Bridgespan report on ‘Building the Bench As Bridgespan’s report also found, one of the
at Indian NGOs: Investing to Fill the Leadership biggest reasons impeding planned transition is the
Development Gap’ states: “Every NGO will need lack of confidence that founders have in potential
new senior leadership at some point, whether successors – “Only 47% of surveyed non-profits feel
to transition from the founder or bring on a new confident that anyone internally can effectively lead
head of programs”. According to the survey that their organization in the absence of their senior-
was administered for the Bridgespan report, most leaders, who are often the founders.” Although
transitioning leadership emerged as the second many leaders recognize the value of leadership
greatest challenge that non-profits face in the area development, they think current leadership
of leadership development. Unfortunately, many development opportunities are too expensive or that
founders do not plan for leadership transition until executive leaders should focus on other priorities
they want to step down and by then, there is not (like program oversight and implementation) rather
enough time to create a sound succession plan. As than groom talent from within. Funders who do
a result, leadership transitions are poorly-executed not invest in, or adequately promote leadership
and negatively affect employee morale. development, also perpetuate this belief. Current
leadership development practices are often ad hoc,
Our experience at Dasra corroborates the same. which is an outcome of insufficient resources, low
Having provided capacity building support to over awareness of the value of leadership development,
800 organizations in the last two decades, we have and a lack of prioritization.
come across many examples of founders who began
to plan for their transition quite late into the game.
As a result, this not only caught many employees
When leaders do leave, non-profits struggle to Chapter 4
off-guard, but also put a strain on the second line of handle leadership transitions effectively, which
leadership. The situation, in some cases, was further are usually complicated and poorly planned. Non-

HOW CAN NGOS TAKE

exacerbated when the founder looked to bring on profit leaders, particularly founders, find it difficult
a successor from outside the organization, because to “let go”, and therefore rarely design succession
he had not consciously groomed talent from within plans. No matter the reason for change, NGOs have

ACTION?
the organization, and hence was unable to identify a tremendous amount at stake when transitioning
suitable home-nurtured talent to replace him. When to a new leadership. Contemplating succession can
a decision to hire externally is made, a systematic
be intimidating but reducing person-dependence
communication plan for the second line of leaders
is critical for the organization to ensure continuity,
and employees is often not thought through.
scale and sustainability.

“Management is a bad word in such

organizations. Founders are too skeptical of
management practices to attend to institution
building. Succession planning is neglected.
These people have been so fired up by the
idea of changing the world that they have
assumed nothing else matters. In some cases,
it is just negligence.”

- Anurag Behar, CEO,

Azim Premji Foundationxv

In this chapter, we will look at

some key practices that can enable
organizations to be intentional
and strategic with their talent
planning and communicate their
talent-related ask to funders more
effectively.

44 45
 When it comes to talent management, there is
no one-size-fits-all solution. Each organization’s
journey is unique and therefore needs to Our recommendations for non-profits:
be contextualized for success. Through our
conversations with non-profit leaders and
secondary research, we have come to realize 1. Treat talent management
that although non-profit leaders acknowledge
as a specialist function
the importance of talent management, they
often have a restricted view of what talent Apply the strategy lens to talent
management really means or comprises. For management and build it out as
example, Omidyar Network’s Saurabh Nigam says a specialist function within the
that while many non-profits he has worked with organization
focus largely on attracting great talent, the rest of
talent management gets overlooked. Only now
are the other elements of talent management
like retention and engagement, drawing more
2. Think of Leadership
attention. Transition before you
‘HAVE’ to
Keep in mind that the recommendations in this
report are simply a starting point. They can be Start now by building a strong
viewed as general guidelines and actionable tips leadership development culture
to get the ball rolling. Primarily, we believe that within the organization
to derive the maximum value from this section,
non-profit leaders should start by challenging and
expanding on their own personal view of talent
management. Only if the organization is fully 3. The whole is greater
committed to investing in talent management will than the sum of its
the recommendations presented below be fruitful.
+ parts
Nurture a performance oriented
= culture and establish a link
between each team member’s
role and the organization’s
mission

4. Compensation is
important but not
everything
Be creative with how you optimize
limited resources to both attract
and retain talent and create lasting
value for employees

5. Craft a strong narrative

and customize your ask
Avoid having a one-size fits all
mentality when approaching
funders and build talent
management into grant proposals

46 47
 1. Treat talent management as a specialist
function

Apply the strategy lens to talent management

and build it out as a specialist function within
the organization
the leader through the process. Non-profit leaders
Key Guiding Questions for Non-Profits must start by proactively seeking the Board’s support
Leaders must realize that an organization’s talent Some non-profits may want to outsource some of the and counsel in forecasting and planning for a
management processes and priorities form an more evolved talent management and organizational • Do I have an operating model and a successful transition.
integral internal strength to achieve organizational development functions such as setting up an appraisal talent management plan to support my Moreover, organizations are encouraged to think
goals. While non-profits understand the value of system, identifying learning and growth needs or organization strategy? proactively, about grooming talent from within. The
having a strong team, this philosophy often does running 360-degree leadership assessments to third second-line leaders’ capabilities should be developed
not reflect in the nature and composition of their
talent management function. Through the survey,
party vendors. In fact, our survey data shows that
many non-profits already do this, with 58% of non-
• What are the main gaps between my so that when an organization is tasked to replace
its founder, it need not depend solely on external
current talent management capabilities
we found that 33% of organizations with up to 100 profits surveyed saying that they engage with external hires. Perhaps this could entail sending senior and
and future needs – as per my mid-level managers to leadership development
employees lacked a dedicated talent management vendors or consultants for their varied talent-related
team (by TM team, we mean individuals who have needs and 46% saying they currently use technology, organization strategy and operating programs, or instituting a leadership development
an educational qualification or prior experience in such as web-based tools/software for basic talent model? plan internally.
talent management, or those whose primary job management needs such as leave and attendance
responsibilities are pure talent management-related management. Whatever approach a non-profit • What role does my talent Below is a short narrative of how Society for Nutrition,
Education & Health Action (SNEHA), a Mumbai
work). Even of those non-profits that have over 200 decides to choose, the key is to first understand what management team play? Does it have based non-profit focused on reducing maternal and
full-time employees, only 50% reported that they strategic role talent management plays within the the necessary capabilities to meet future neonatal mortality and morbidity, child malnutrition
have more than one dedicated talent management organization, and to then determine what approach needs? and gender-based violence in urban informal
team member. Furthermore, around 13% of the should follow. settlements, dealt with leadership transition one
organizations in this category reported that they have
no dedicated talent management team. While there is no thumb-rule around how many
• What are the core talent decade into its existence. However, as a caveat,
SNEHA’s story is not meant to be prescriptive of how
management capabilities that I want to organizations should approach leadership transition.
employees an organization should have before it starts
develop in-house, and where is it best for It is also not meant to illustrate that external hires
The survey sheds interesting insights into what many thinking more strategically about talent, we have listed
me to use external resources or vendors? are the preferred solution in such cases (in fact, as
non-profit talent management functions primarily some helpful indicators to keep in mind: we note above, organizations should also groom
focus on. For example, 72% of the non-profits
surveyed said that operational tasks (such as payroll a. The specific scaling model of the • Will investing in certain technology right talent from the inside). While SNEHA followed one
particular approach, each organization’s approach
management, leave and attendance monitoring) organization,xvii and subsequent now or in the near future have a may differ depending on its talent, skills, and
take up most of their talent management team’s operating model and capabilities significant positive impact on certain priorities—and that’s perfectly fine!
time, while 30% of non-profits said that general required to support that scaling model; aspects of my talent management or
administration activities (such as travel booking and organizational demands?
office maintenance) make up a large chunk of their
b. A rapid growth in team size; Key Guiding Questions for Non-Profits
work.

c. The establishment of a new multi- 2. Think of Leadership Transition

The data from the survey serves as a reminder
that non-profits should begin to look at talent geography office; before you ‘HAVE’ to
• What is my organization’s long term
strategy? What leadership capabilities
management more strategically. Even today, while
and skillsets does my organization need in
most non-profits have an organization strategy, they d. The introduction of innovative programs Start now by building a strong
order to deliver on its long term strategy?
rarely have a talent management plan of action in or expansion of outreach within current leadership development culture within
place. This presents the risk of approaching talent programs. the organization
management in a reactionary manner. Having a • What role do I foresee myself playing
thorough talent management plan helps to ensure in the future? How is it
that talent decisions align with the organization’s In the section on challenges, we discussed that different from my current role?
overall strategy. non-profits struggle with planning for leadership
transition.xviii The Bridgespan 2017 report validates • Do I consciously plan for and invest in
This can translate to different approaches depending this. This report and our own experiences working creating future leaders for my
on the organization’s varied needs. For example, with non-profit leaders suggests that there is great organization? What are the current gaps
an organization may be very small and not want to need for and value in non-profit leaders investing in the capabilities of my second-line
hire dedicated talent management personnel to in proactive leadership transition planning. This leadership to be able to take on higher
handle operational activities such as payroll, statutory could mean having a succession plan in place well
positions of leadership in the future?
compliances or other paper work. In such a case, in advance of the actual transition itself in order to
the organization could consider outsourcing these
components to external consultants. Some other
ensure a seamless handover.
• What are the risks I foresee with respect
organizations may have a dedicated talent manager A non-profit’s Board can also play a critical role in to the future of my organization? What
or team in place, but may still require external support pushing the founder to have a succession plan in are the potential risks while transitioning
to set up processes initially, which would later be place, even in cases where the founder’s transition is leadership within the organization?
managed by the organization itself. not imminent, driving accountability and supporting

48 49
 Case study

SNEHA : An example of how one NGO approached leadership transition

In the early 1990s, neonatologist Dr. Armida Fernandez and her team were routinely
caring for underweight and premature infants born into low-income households. These
households often faced poor nutritional and health outcomes, especially amongst mothers
and children. Dr. Fernandez and her team wanted to develop sustainable interventions
that would go beyond simply providing stopgap solutions, and as a result, SNEHA was
born in 1999.

Today, SNEHA is a 490+ person-strong organization with extensive on-the-ground

experience in helping build healthy lives of urban women and children. Over the last two
decades, while SNEHA has worked consistently on improving its on-the-ground programs
to increase impact, its commitment to build the institutional strength necessary to
support its programs should also be appreciated. In 2008, SNEHA had four programs led
by four strong program directors and were islands of excellence within the organization.
Dr. Fernandez gave the programs directors the mentoring that they needed, but also the
autonomy they desired to build out their own teams and programs.

However, at some point in SNEHA’s scaling journey, Dr. Fernandez felt that the
organization had reached a stage wherein it needed a different kind of management to
run its programs efficiently and to grow further. A doctor by training and a social worker at
heart, Dr. Fernandez had doubts about whether she had the necessary management skills
to lead the organization to its next stage of growth, and worried that this gap may become
a bottleneck for the organization. Knowing that she had to transition from her current
role to a more advisory position, Dr. Fernandez started to build the internal capabilities
required to grow SNEHA for the future as well as seriously look at outside talent. This came
with its own series of challenges! In 2010, she handed over the role of CEO to a member
of the Board of Trustees who had been involved with SNEHA since its inception. However,
by mid-2011 the individual decided to step down from the CEO role in order to pursue
other professional aspirations. Dr. Fernandez had also hired externally for the COO position.
This individual too stepped down from the role of COO to become a part-time advisor to
SNEHA. As a result, Dr. Fernandez had to step in as interim CEO to plug the leadership gap.

Between 2011 and 2013, SNEHA had no full-time leader. While the programs continued to
be implemented, areas such as fundraising, communications, and talent management
suffered. There was limited oversight and synergy amongst different verticals and, the high
attrition rate and leadership vacuum generated an air of negativity that filtered down
SNEHA’s hierarchy.

It was during this period and after interviewing more than 18 candidates unsuccessfully
that Dr. Fernandez came across Ms. Vanessa D’Souza, a former director at Citibank. Vanessa
had been a volunteer with SNEHA, delivering pitch presentations to potential funders and
stakeholders. In 2013, with the Board’s approval Vanessa was brought on as SNEHA’s new
CEO. Despite not having a healthcare background, the leadership felt that Vanessa had the
requisite skills required to consolidate and scale up SNEHA’s body of work.

This was only the beginning of a long and uphill journey of leadership transition. Vanessa
spent many months listening, learning and building trust with the senior program leaders
of SNEHA, without interfering in the program operations. She made many field visits,
conducted stakeholder meetings and read-up to get a real pulse of the organization. It
was only when she did all of this that she was able to really identify the strategic needs
of the organization, and begin to work on them in phases. This included formulating a
five-year strategic plan, building a culture of performance in line with the values of SNEHA,
and implementing talent management initiatives that invested in personal growth
and development. She also simultaneously began establishing succession plans for key
positions within the organization, and encouraging her senior leaders to attend programs
like DSI LP and DSI AP.

Vanessa acknowledges that while the journey has been a challenging one and the learning
curve steep – she will have to continue to evolve and adapt in order to build resilience
within SNEHA for the future.

50 51
 3. The whole is greater than the sum of its
parts

Nurture a performance oriented

culture and establish a link between
each team member’s role and the
organization’s mission

It is integral for every member of an organization to Key Guiding Questions for Non-Profits
understand exactly how he or she is contributing to
the organization’s overarching mission. Establishing
a clear goal-setting process is a crucial step toward • Does my current performance
achieving this clarity. The results from our survey show management system (PMS) enable
that non-profits do realize the value of performance my team to feel connected with my
management: Seventy-six percent of organizations organization’s mission and goals?
surveyed have a formal process laid down to assess
employee performance. Out of these organizations, • Does my current PMS enable candid
41% of nonprofits said that they conduct formal and constructive conversations
performance review discussions annually, 37% said
between employees and their
they do so half-yearly and the remaining small
managers to build trust? How does it
percentage do so either monthly, quarterly or on
a needs-basis. While these numbers are certainly
reflect and support the specific values
reassuring, a process to assess performance alone does or culture of my organization?
not guarantee a strong performance-oriented culture.
• Are my managers equipped to
We urge organizations to go one step further and ask provide feedback leading to the
themselves: Is the goal-setting process robust? Do the development of every individual?
organization’s overall goals cascade down to each
individual’s specific goals? For the latter, establishing • Are my employees able to see the
the linkage between individual and organization goals linkage between their individual goals
is vital. The second critical aspect of performance
and the organizational goals that we
management is using feedback as a developmental
collectively strive to achieve?
tool. Without regular and constructive feedback, the
appraisal process can get relegated to a mere paper
exercise, which does not serve the purpose it is meant
to achieve. Praja is a good example of an organization
that has recently revisited its performance appraisal
system to support a culture of more open and honest
conversations around employee performance.

Earlier our performance appraisal system was

a one-way street, wherein the employee would
receive feedback on his or her performance.
But we realized that if wanted to create a more
honest and robust performance culture, this has
to change. We have now given employees the
ownership to also give their managers feedback.
This empowers them and gives them the chance
to speak about things that are not going right.

We have also introduced an employee self-

evaluation. This gives them the chance to speak
about their challenges more freely and reflect
on their own growth. This is a huge change in
orientation on how you look at performance and
feedback. It adds to the individual’s roles and
responsibilities, and creates accountability and
ownership in the long run.

-Benaifer Reporter, HR Consultant, Praja Foundation

52 53
 Case study

Jai Vakeel’s journey towards building a stronger Talent Management muscle

As a 74-year-old organization, Jai Vakeel Foundation prides itself in celebrating its legacy; it has seen
evolution in both thought as well as direction over the years. The founding family started and ran the
organization for over six decades. In 2013, there was a change in the leadership. It is currently being led by
Archana Chandra, the CEO, with a team of like-minded professionals who together envision a more inclusive
world for children with Intellectual Disabilities (ID).

While the organization’s ethos of maximizing the potential of children with ID has remained the same,
since 2013 the push has been in the arena of redefining inclusion and independence of such children. With
the aim of building a long term sustainable organization, the new leadership decided to take a step back,
re-evaluate and answer ‘Why, How & What they are trying to solve for?’. The organization revisited their
core competencies and made some difficult but strategic decisions for the long-term sustainability of the
organization. Archana Chandra, who is helming the process of change, was cognizant that if Jai Vakeel
had to achieve its desired goals, talent management would be the most critical component. Given the
organization was started by a family, the legacy was carried forward by a single leader. Over the last five
years, Jai Vakeel has transitioned to adopt a participative management style aimed at building commitment
and leadership at different levels within the team. This enables a professional structure, building an
organization that is stronger than the individual people running it.

Today, Jai Vakeel has a team with several years of industry experience and specialists that lead departments.
They attract talent from all age profiles and geographies in the form of staff, volunteers and interns. Jai
Vakeel’s skilled volunteer base has given it the ability to carry out initiatives that would have never been
possible otherwise! The mandate given by the CEO to the department heads/leadership team is to
achieve goals that are jointly set for the organization. Thus, from focusing primarily on the execution of the
interventions, the team is now empowered to participate in the vision setting and long term planning of the
organization.

While a talent management team always existed at Jai Vakeel, the focus was on managing operational
tasks, as it did not have adequate capacities, resources and/or tools to wear a strategic hat. Many of the basic
systems and processes that existed for recruitment, onboarding or performance management had not
been updated in years, and processes and policies were rarely codified, leading to information gaps and a
lot of reinventing the wheel. Jai Vakeel’s leadership team worked on these areas of improvement by making
several strategic decisions.

The first was to outsource all of the operational talent management such as leave management, attendance
and payroll to third party vendors. This was a bold decision at the time, but it also enabled Jai Vakeel’s
talent management team to focus more on its strategic talent priorities, like training and development.
During this process, the first couple of months were spent re-drawing the organization structure and
clarifying roles and responsibilities. The insights helped unearth key gaps in individuals, and identify which
skills (level-wise) were needed for the organization to grow. Archana and her team were very clear that
they wanted to groom talent from within the organization before hiring externally. They began providing
opportunities for learning and development internally, which over time, allowed them to identify individuals
from within the team itself to take on leadership roles. For example, from Jai Vakeel’s talent team of three
individuals, one person was a data entry officer. His preliminary role was to look through every personnel
file using a checklist and collect information from multiple sources within the organization. The Human
Resources Manager identified potential in him, and encouraged him to complete a diploma in training and
development to grow his capacity to fit a future role. This process of gradually re-hauling the organization
structure, reporting relationships and roles and responsibilities was not always easy! Slowly but steadily, the
team adjusted to the changes. What helped was that the senior leadership was empathetic and supportive
along the entire journey. In retrospect, Archana believes that the reason Jai Vakeel’s restructuring efforts
were a success is because every employee understood the big picture and believed they were a critical part
of Jai Vakeel’s journey to impact many more lives. Moreover, Archana and the senior management team also
made a conscious effort to not only communicate regularly on newly made decisions, but also to explain
the rationale behind these decisions, which has encouraged greater transparency and alignment within the
organization.

Today, Archana and her team realize that talent management is very much an evolving process and there
is still a long way to go. Along the journey, they continue celebrating the progress made thus far, and
the incredible culture they have been able to foster within the organization—progress that suggests the
organization will remain committed to meeting its goals for the future.

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 4. Compensation is important but not
everything

Be creative with how you

use limited resources to both attract
and retain talent and create lasting
value for employees

There is never a substitute for a motivated and From our survey, we found that the most common experienced rural women. As a result of this town events regularly. Dr. Shrey Desai from Sewa
committed team. Yet, given the reality that many way that organizations incentivize their talent is by exercise, they offered new roles to many field- Rural says given that they operate out of a small
organizations cannot offer higher remuneration, non- providing annual increments linked to performance. based employees within the production desk, so place like Jagadia, these small initiatives help the
profits should identify innovative, yet cost-effective This was closely followed by offering non-monetary that the Delhi office would not look very different team feel togetherness and fosters stronger ties
ways to manage and attract employees. This mindset benefits (such as flexi-time, work from home, from their field offices. between everyone.
will help leaders incentivize team members at every sabbaticals) and providing monetary benefits such as
life stage within the organization - whether it is allowances. Some other steps that non-profits could The Karnataka Health Promotion Trust (KHPT) The Akshaya Patra Foundation (TAPF) hires
through career progression, learning and development consider introducing are: has specific committees focused on grievance many individuals over the age of 40 who want to
or innovative benefits. Some ways for organizations to redressal (such as gender violence). Each make a late-career switch into the social sector.
do this include: • Giving field employees the opportunities committee consists of both field and head office These are often individuals who want to make
to attend & represent their organizations staff who have the chance to work together to a difference, in whatever capacity possible. And,
1. Building awareness on what the organization address shared challenges. Additionally, both unlike many other non-profits who hire (or aim
at national and international
does: We mentioned earlier in the report that many head office and field employees are encouraged to hire) young professionals, TAPF actively thinks
conferences;
non-profits struggle to articulate and communicate to speak at Town Halls and other such public of ways in which to engage this more seasoned
their work clearly, which affects their ability to attract forums. All employees get research opportunities, demographic of professionals because to them,
• Sponsoring employees’ higher education
talent. One obvious fix for this is for non-profits to and the chance to build their knowledge through everyone has a role to play in catalyzing change.
focus on being as clear as possible when articulating
and/or paying for them to attend
correspondence courses; PHD or correspondence study courses (through
their work (this could mean re-looking at how they KHPT’s collaboration with the University of
present their elevator pitches, brochures, website, Manitoba).
social media profiles, etc.). Rather than spending • Allowing employees to attend and
significant time and energy on explaining who they maybe even lead important meetings Key Guiding Questions for Non-Profits
At IIHS, the leadership has set up a specific
are only when hiring staff (especially mid to senior with bureaucrats and other such high-
learning and development (L&D) function. This
level), organizations should focus on long-term brand ranking officials;
building because this can translate to attracting a
decision resonated with the organization’s overall
strategy since they realized that in order to grow
• What are the diverse groups
stronger pipeline of applicants. • Introducing policies for compensatory they would have to either recruit people with of employees that make up my
offs the skills, competencies or capacities that they organization – in terms of their roles,
“I think there is a big scope for improvement currently lack, or build the capacities of existing age groups, locations, etc.?
in our efforts to attract more people. There • Creating innovating learning and people. Having a dedicated L&D function would
are people who want to work in our kind of
settings actually, but they just don’t know
development opportunities or help them meet this strategic objective and over • What motivates these different types
time offer a clearer career progression to current of employees? What are the
about us. We haven’t gone out actively • Providing employees with greater employees too.
looking for such people. If someone drops in, challenges I currently face while
autonomy to explore new ideas, lead attracting / retaining different
it may work out well but we don’t actively put teams and think creatively. Mentioned earlier, nearly 60% of QUEST’s
ourselves out there. We do advertisements, categories of employees? What am
staff, including at the management level, is
but we could do much more in actively I currently doing to attract and retain
homegrown. Over the past 7-8 years, QUEST has
looking out for talent.” these different categories, which
made a concerted effort to develop the skills of
-Dr. Shrey Desai, Whatever the organization’s unique strategy is, each of seems to be working?
the field staff to be able to independently lead
Trustee, Sewa Rural the innovative policies and incentives must align with
entire projects and grow as leaders.
2. Employ various means of engaging with the
the organization’s overall vision and culture. Here are a
few unique examples of how some of the non-profits
• What is my organization’s unique
diverse workforce: Non-profits have a unique and At LeapForWord, Pranil Naik has a unique talent employee value proposition (An
we spoke to engage and incentivize their talent:
complex blend of employees. There are front-line philosophy that encourages each team member employee value proposition (EVP) is
workers, functional specialists such as communication, to operate with an entrepreneurial mindset, the unique set of benefits which an
As part of its ethos, Women, Media and News Trust
finance and HR personnel, as well as management
(also known as Khabar Lahariya) strongly believes
gives them the liberty to identify, diagnose and employee receives in return for the
professionals. Very different motivations may drive solve problems and encourages them to pursue skills, capabilities and experience they
in hiring and mentoring women from marginalized
each of these categories of employees, which their own independent projects outside of the bring to an organization), and how
communities to be media makers. Khabar Lahariya
sometimes poses a challenge to non-profits looking workplace. His approach to people development can I leverage that to attract talent?
keeps this ethos as a backdrop while making talent
to engage their employees. For example, when non- has maintained team morale over the years and
management-related decisions. For instance, when
profits start hiring for specialist or senior and mid-
level roles, many of them run the risk of alienating
they were setting up a digital news desk [in Delhi]
has spurred creativity within the organization.
• Are my current policies to attract
and needed to revisit their organization structure,
Sewa Rural is a strong example of a rural non-
and retain talent in line with my
certain groups of employees. This is why it becomes
the organization’s leadership explored how their new
profit that prioritizes employee bonding and fun. organization’s values, culture and
a priority to ensure equity amongst the workforce so
urban-based production desk could be influenced or strategy?
that every individual feels like a valued member of the They organize get-togethers, picnics and out of
connected with their field team comprising
organization.

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 5. Craft a strong narrative and customize
your ask

Avoid having a one-size fits all mentality when

approaching funders and build TM into grant
proposals.

When working with funders, non-profits should clearly empathize with their grantee partners.
articulate what the organization hopes to achieve and
what areas of talent management support they need, We would also urge non-profits to build in specific
to prioritize in order to achieve their mission. QUEST is talent management outcomes and costs directly into
one organization that has done this from the outset, their grant proposals, which could entail including
and works in the field of education in peri-urban, rural talent-related challenges in the problem statement.
and tribal districts of Maharashtra. Since they work Here are some ways of doing this:
with schools, a large proportion of QUEST’s field staff
are diploma holders or have a B Ed degree. QUEST 1. Add a preparatory phase into the project design
knew from the beginning that field workers are at itself: Non-profits should ask themselves “What are
the heart of their mission, and hence they needed to the talent management capabilities I need to recruit/
incentivize teachers from the community to work with develop in order to kick-off the project itself?” For
them, instead of only looking at government schools. instance, this might mean building their team’s
At QUEST, they were paid double or triple of the knowledge through capacity building workshops,
salaries offered to contract teachers at government training their leadership, hiring the right talent,
schools. This is because QUEST realized very early that etc. Doing this will help non-profits have the right
if they wanted to make a dent they needed to have systems and processes in place before they jump into
a very strong program, which only strong field staff implementation, and subsequently communicate
could build. Explaining this to funders was sometimes their requirements more clearly to funders.
challenging.
In our research, we have come across organizations
that have been upfront in asking a funder who has
“Funders were surprised to see that we were expressed interest in scaling up a program to first
much higher paymasters on the field level, invest in the people, knowledge and organizational
as compared to the mid management level, capacities required to scale the program. They then
and even worse paymasters at the high level. added a preparatory phase to the program and
We had to tell funders repeatedly that we are convinced the funder that it is crucial in the long
a nascent organization, and unless we prove term if they want to scale the program and grow the
ourselves on the ground – nothing is going organization.
to work. Why will the government take us
seriously unless we do not create results? 2. Include separate TM related outcomes and
corresponding line-item costs in proposals: Most
And these are the people that are going to
organizations club talent management under
create those results. So unless you are willing
Institution Building or Capacity Building costs within Key Guiding Questions for Non-Profits
to invest in a very strong field team, it is not their grant proposals. Instead of this or in addition,
going to work.” non-profits can build specific talent management
outcomes into proposals that will give them dedicated
-Nilesh Nimkar, Founder, QUEST
earmarked funding for their desired initiatives. For • What is this funder’s understanding of talent
example: management and history of supporting TM initiatives,
When making an ask to funders, non-profits should • Hire 1 Chief Operations Officer(COO) by May, 2019 in the context of its grantee organizations?
also do their homework on funders, and customize • Recruitment Consultant’s fee for COO role
their ask accordingly – thereby making them more • Implement Human Resource Management System • Does this funder have the appetite to give to my
by September, 2019
likely to fund non-traditional investments into talent important talent management initiatives?
management. What Antarang Foundation founder
Priya Agrawal believes, from their own experience, is
that more non-profits should try to understand their
While doing this, it is important that organizations
articulate the criticality of that specific hire/activity in
• Is this funder likely to support in any non-monetary
achieving the overall vision and strategy. This will help ways? If yes, in what ways are they best equipped to
funders’ interests and perspectives, and identify ways
the funder understand the value of that hire/activity support my talent needs?
to customize their talent-related asks to that. Doing so
clearly.
can enable richer, two-way conversations with funders
that go beyond funding. Moreover, because many of • How can I best position a specific talent management
the talent-related challenges in the non-profit sector need in my grant proposal, in line with the interests
are common to the for-profit sector, many funders and appetite of specific funders?
from corporate backgrounds can relate to and

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 Our nearly two decades of experience of working
with non-profits and leaders across India has Our recommendations for funders:
shown us that talent management is paramount to
achieving successful scale. As we had discussed in 1. Communication is a 2-way
the previous chapter, there are a number of ways street
in which NGOs can take action, when it comes to
Encourage more dialogue around talent
investing in talent management that would then
management, and not just talent hiring
propel them one step closer toward achieving their
desired growth and impact.

But what about funders? As we discussed 2. Loosen up your purse strings

earlier in the report, around 50% of our survey Provide more funding-related support for
respondents admitted that they do not include talent management
talent management initiatives as a direct cost in
their grant proposals to funders. What we found
to be more alarming, however, was that of this
number nearly 70% of respondents—more than half 3. Money is not the only thing
Chapter 5 these individuals—indicated that while they believe Go beyond the role of a typical funder by
that talent management is their organization’s providing more hands-on or out-of-the-
biggest or second biggest challenge, they have box support to grantees on talent-related

HOW CAN FUNDERS TAKE

never or not recently (meaning over past three challenges
years) approached funders for specific talent
management-related support.

ACTION? This tells us that funders have an important

role to play in the conversation around talent
4. Good people build good
organizations, but good
management. By stepping up and taking more of
organizations build good
a front seat, funders have a great deal of potential people
to move the needle when it comes to talent
Support people development, from
management practices in the social sector.
leadership development to learning &
development for all
According to one funder — Saurabh Nigam of
Omidyar Network — a funder or non-profit leader is
primarily concerned with impact. In order to create
5. There’s no need to reinvent
impact however, Saurabh believes that non-profits
need to have people with the right mindset, right the wheel
caliber, and intrinsic motivations.xix Modify and use existing monitoring &
reporting templates to capture crucial
“If we truly believe in our organizations that have talent management-related details from
been set up to create impact in the nonprofit world, grantees
they cannot achieve their mission or objectives
unless they have the right set of people. To me, that
is the fundamental reason why you need to invest
in building strong talent management capabilities
6. Sharing is caring
in these organizations. Unless you do that, you are Start exploring the idea of a shared services
In this chapter, we will take a look at not creating the foundation to be able to create the model for talent management for your
specific ways in which funders can play impact that you’re chasing as an organization,” says grantees
a more active role in supporting their Saurabh.”
grantees on their talent management
needs, whether it is through engaging
in more earnest conversations with
grantees, playing an advisory role on
talent-related issues, and/or more.

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 Let’s begin! — With a word of advice: 1. Communication is a 2-way street! 2. Loosen up your purse strings!
Think beyond program funding
alone Encourage more dialogue around talent Provide more funding-related support
management, and not just talent hiring for talent management

Traditionally most funders have, and continue When it comes to talent management, simply having The best way for funders to encourage their grantees Beyond providing financial
to provide support for specific programs rather multiple conversations with grantees is not enough. To to scale and be sustainable is through investing in the
support to grantees for talent
than institution building. Institution building is maximize the value of such conversations, we would enablers, such as the systems and processes needed to
critical for driving an organization’s development urge both parties to have targeted and candid dialogue, manage their people. By doing so, funders would help
management support in general,
and sustainability. While investing in programs which means asking the right types of questions and ensure that non-profits are not overly reliant on project-to- below are additional things we
and projects is essential, one could argue that probing into the right areas for support. project funding in order to stay afloat, which is simply not would encourage funders to do:
the talent—the specific individuals comprising sustainable.
an organization—is the bread and butter of What’s worked for Omidyar is their approach toward
an organization’s operations. Therefore, talent engaging with their portfolio grantees. Saurabh adds, What this also means, according to Priya Agrawal from
becomes the fuel that pushes an organization to “We work in a collaborative manner rather than being Antarang Foundation, is that funders should “stop looking
achieve stronger impact on the ground. Funders very prescriptive... and I think that gives them the at people expenses as part of admin costs, which a lot of
need to evolve their mindset from funding only confidence to be really honest and up front about their donors tend to do. There is enough pushback from the
programs to thinking about talent management issues and therefore partner with us. I’ve gone in and donors who keep asking to keep admin or overhead costs • Ask grantees to share their talent
as more of a strategic investment decision and had very talent management-focused conversations really low,” said Priya, “But our work is done by dedicated, management needs as part of requests
thus, non-negotiable. with NGOs and they’ve been very honest about what committed people who are implementing the work on for proposals, grant-reporting guidelines,
they’ve done, not done, where they’re struggling, and the ground. Therefore funders can’t take away the people and other materials for grantees.
One way for them to do this, which we also what help they need.” cost from there.” Currently, only 49% of organizations from
discussed in our previous report-Ready, Set, our survey indicated that they have talent
Grow-could be through becoming more open Omidyar is not alone. UK-based funder Kiawah Trust As a funder, Unnikrishnan TS, who heads the CSR wing of management built into their project
to providing unrestricted funding for talent also engages in substantive and regular conversations Great Eastern Shipping, agrees: “At the leadership level, proposals. This means that slightly more
with its grantees. They asked one of their grantee than one-half of our respondents do not
management-related initiatives . While some we have accepted and we understand that it is necessary
organizations specific and tough questions on the do this. Including talent management
funders like the A.T.E. Chandra Foundation believe to focus not just on program outputs but equal or more
availability of requisite talent on the ground, when the component in these documents offers
in the value of unrestricted grants, more funders organization presented their ambitious operational focus has to be on good talent, good institutions – only
should consider providing unrestricted support then will we get good results.… Hence, whenever a funders better insights and clues related to
plans for making a foray into a new region. We would
as well. It gives more flexibility and freedom to proposal comes to us, whether it is for an existing partner the type of support their grantees may need
encourage more funders to do the same, especially with
grantees to deploy funds in a manner in which grantees seeking to grow their impact. or for a new partner, we don’t really tell anyone that ‘Your at the inception of engagement.
they wish to, in order to help them achieve the admin or manpower costs are this much and you have to
desired outcomes and impact. As we delve deeper into the next few recommendations, bring it down’.” • Incorporate talent management (or
we would also suggest that funders make a note of institution building, which includes talent
the key guiding questions for their grantees under management) as a line item on the budget
According to Priyaka Nagpal Dhingra from the
each recommendation, designed to help them have itself. As we mentioned, a little more than
A.T.E Chandra, it is important when providing
stronger and more informed conversations on talent one-half of our survey respondents said they
unrestricted funding to hold grantees accountable management.
to a specific set of metrics to quantify impact. do not include talent management into
However, how their grantees plan to achieve their their proposals, which implies that it is not
desired outcomes is something that funders budgeted either. Therefore, funders should
should allow the non-profits themselves to consider earmarking a specific amount, or
decide.xxi percentage of funding in their budget for
grantees’ talent management-related needs.
Funders can also attend education programs This would ensure a continued pool of
like the Dasra Philanthropy Program. Programs funding for talent management initiatives.
like these address the current gap in the sector
when it comes also to education opportunities for
funders, through site visits, opportunities to meet
sector leaders, and more. These programs help
funders think critically and decide about the other
appropriate avenues to channel funding, such as
talent management.

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 3. Money is not the only thing

Go beyond the role of a typical funder by

providing more hands-on or out-of-the-box
support to grantees on talent-related challenges

Contrary to their name, funders need to evolve their “We typically brainstorm with the CXO team
partnership with their grantees beyond providing regarding the critical intervention needed
Key Guiding Questions for Funders
funding alone, if they are serious about helping their to achieve their own ambitious growth
grantees to scale. This could include thinking outside plans. From these brainstorming sessions,
• Have your grantees’ budgeted on talent the box and finding ways to support their grantees
to scale, whether this is through working with them
we narrow down a few options. It is always
management initiatives? an NGO’s prerogative to choose their path.
to build stronger talent management processes and
We become a sounding board and use a
systems, introducing them to organizations with
• What are your grantees’ short-term, successful talent practices, serving as an “advisor” whom Socratic questioning approach to enable
intermediate, and long-term talent grantees bounce talent-related ideas off and more. the organisation to make informed choices
management goals, and what funding (which we then go on to support),”
support would they need, in light of One way to engage more with grantees could be
this? to help them build a strong talent management -Priyaka Nagpal Dhingra,
infrastructure that consists of the systems and processes Head, Capacity Building Programs at

• Is funding, or the type of funding they to attract, hire, onboard, engage, reward and develop A.T.E. Chandra Foundation

receive, a constraint in making talent staff. For example, the A.T.E Chandra Foundation has Other funders like Omidyar Network typically play an
actively worked with its grantees to help them think “advisory role” to its grantees. For example, in addition
related investments?
about what their talent management gaps are, and to providing funding, they also conduct diagnostic

• What are their recurring talent where and how they need to fill these. In the case of
two of its grantees, the Foundation noticed that the
assessments of their organizations to get a sense of
what the organizations grapple with most. Once the
management needs vs one-time fixed founders of these organizations were stretched for diagnostic is completed, Omidyar then works with
investments? bandwidth and were deeply embedded in very admin- grantees to understand their gaps and needs, as
related work, thereby limiting their ability to focus more well as the link between this and the kind of people
• What % of your grantees’ budget is on strategy and growth. To address this issue, the A.T.E. the organizations currently have, their intrinsic
unrestricted funding? What is it team encouraged the non-profits to recruit for other motivations, and more. Post these conversations,
used for? roles that would help ease this burden on the founders. Omidyar co-develops a plan with grantees to address
the pain points.
• If your grantees had additional “During conversations with one of our
unrestricted funding, what areas of partner organizations, we got a chance to And, finally, a number of funders have also
understand the CEO’s bandwidth issues. He connected and continue to connect non-profits with
talent management would they
intermediaries like Dasra, Dalberg, Bridgespan, or to
prioritize, if any at all? was stretched too thin across operational
other organization design or talent management
and administrative areas. Having identified
consultants that have the tools and expertise to
this as a concern area, we met the Board and
conduct organizational assessments and develop
discussed support mechanisms to ensure this customized solutions. Omidyar Network, for example,
gets addressed meaningfully. We were happy does this.
to support this gap in the organization, given
the potential it had to unlock greater value”

-Priyaka Nagpal Dhingra,

Head, Capacity Building Programs at Key Guiding Questions for Funders
A.T.E. Chandra Foundation

Moreover, the A.T.E. Chandra Foundation also engaged • Does the organization need support in
in Dasra’s support to help another grantee, Quality thinking through its people issues?
Education Support Trust (QUEST), a Maharashtra-
based education organization review their existing • Has the organization created a talent
organogram and think about what should be the management plan? Is it linked to the
organization’s hierarchy, its reporting line, reporting organization’s overarching strategy?
layers, and more. The revised organogram helped
further clarify roles and expectations at the senior
management levels, and helped the founder free up his
• Has the organization approached you
bandwidth.
for talent management-related
support beyond funding?

64 65
 4. Good people build good organizations.
But good organizations build good people.

Invest in talent, meaning support people

development, from leadership to learning
& development for all

process to capture this information. Funders can

• Leadership development (this few other mentors helped the founders clearly Key Guiding Questions for Funders leverage their already existing grant monitoring
includes mid-level management)! articulate Muktangan’s mission— to provide
templates or reports for this. For example, funders
“guide rails” for future leaders. Then he worked
Leadership Development could ensure that reporting templates include
As we had discussed earlier in the paper, and with the founders to reflect on past challenges
a placeholder for grantees to report on talent
something that organizations like Bridgespan, as well as current team capabilities. Thus, he
Indian School of Development Management, was able to help them through a successful • What is the organization’s level of management-related issues, in order for funders
to keep abreast of their grantees’ talent-related
and Sattva have all spoken extensively about leadership transition. Today, Sean serves on dependence on the Founder-leader?
challenges and priorities.
through their work, is that a senior team’s Muktangan’s advisory board, and works closely
competence is often the make-or-break factor with the organization to see through a smooth • Has the organization identified the Funders could also work with grantees to create
in an organization’s ability to perform effectively transition as well as ensure that the next leadership capabilities it needs for the measurable indicators to track progress along the
and scale. For that reason, funders need to generation of leadership has the adequate future? organization’s talent management-related desired
find ways to support leadership development support needed to drive the work forward even
outcomes, which they could use the reporting
initiatives, which could entail sending grantees after the foundersxxiv.
• How does the Founder-leader see his/ templates to measure. Some example indicators could
to leadership development programs, funding her involvement evolve / change in line include:
internal leadership development initiatives, • Learning and Development (L&D) with its future plans? • Number of leaders (senior & mid-level management)
and/or even going one step further and offering who have attended at least 1 leadership development
coaching and mentoring support. In addition to the senior and mid-level
leadership, funders should urge grantees to
• Does it have a strong second line of training
• Employee Satisfaction Index (could be done through
For instance, the US-based funder, Evelyn leaders?
invest in learning & development for all their surveys or tools like the Net Promotor Score survey,
and Walter Haas Jr. Fund, runs the Flexible
Leadership Awards , which provide grantees
staff. According to a Harvard Business Review
article from 2012, “Dissatisfaction with some
• What investment is the organization for example)
• Recruitment Indicators
with executive coaching, board development, employee-development efforts appears to fuel making in professional development of • Key hires during the period
senior management training support, amongst many early exits...[Workers are] not getting its mid-level managers? • Average time to hire for new position across levels
other areas. Even for those funders who do much in the way of formal development, such • Recruitment process satisfaction amongst new
not have the time or resources to run a similar as training, mentoring, and coaching — things hires
Learning and Development for all
type of initiative for their grantees internally, they...value highly.xxv” This, therefore, highlights
employees
• Attrition Rate (would be good to check across levels
they should still encourage and support their the need for more robust learning and and locations)
grantees to apply for and attend available development opportunities for employees across • Number of planned vs. unplanned exits
leadership development programs. These hierarchies. • How does the organization currently • Reasons for exit
could include, amongst others, the Dasra invest in developing its staff’s skills • Average employee tenure (would be good to check
Social Impact Leadership and Accelerator To support with this, funders should encourage and capabilities? for this across levels)
Programs (both conducted by Dasra), the and work with their grantees to create robust • Number and kind of culture-building initiatives/
Strategic Nonprofit Management India program learning and development plan to develop their • What are the organization’s plans for activities
(conducted in partnership between Ashoka workforce’s skills and capabilities to operate talent development? • Number of Learning & Development activities offered
University, Harvard Business School and Dasra), effectively. They should also urge their grantees to employees (if quantifiable)
and/or the Aritra – Leadership Accelerator
Programxxiii (conducted by IIM Bangalore).
to connect with consultant agencies that
could support them to create such plans. One
• Has it thought through and planned Taking these steps would help funders have more
for its learning & development needs?
example of this is nonprofit HR, a US-based informed conversations with their grantees on further
Leadership development should also account human resources firm, that has supported non- steps needed to support talent-related initiatives.
for developing an organization’s mid-level profits with conducting L&D needs assessments,
management team, thus creating a leadership developing L&D strategies, and implementing
pipeline for the future. For that reason, funders 5. There’s no need to reinvent the wheel.
formal learning structures for their workforces.
should encourage their grantees to invest in Key Guiding Questions for Funders
developing the second rung of employees. Doing so would enable funders to help their
Modify and use existing monitoring &
grantees build out much needed programs
reporting templates to capture crucial
talent management-related details from
• Has the organization created
Moreover, leadership development support and opportunities for their employees. This indicators to measure progress of its
could also involve providing mentoring grantees
would result in a more motivated, engaged and short-term, intermediate, and long-
and coaching opportunities directly to your high-performing workforce that is capable of term outcomes in talent
grantees. For example, Sean Sovak, Partner and achieving the organization’s overarching mission It is critical for funders to strengthen grant management?
Co-Founder at Lighthouse Funds and a highly and goals. reporting templates to collect critical talent-related
engaged philanthropist, provided coaching
support to Mumbai-based education NGO
information and progress on practices from grantees • How often does the organization
regularly. measure and review its progress with
Muktangan through its succession planning
process. The process began when he and a However, there is no need to create a new system or regard to these indicators?

66 67
 6. Sharing is caring!

Start exploring the idea of a shared

services model for talent management
for your grantees

It is a well-known fact that non-profits are frequently

resource-constrained. Due to this, leaders of non-profit Key Guiding Questions for Funders
groups often tend to expect more from everyone in
the organization, from board members to paid staff to • Are there common talent
even volunteers. This leads to multiple people in the management-related challenges that
organization wearing different hats all at once, in order your grantees grapple with?
to get the job done with fewer hands.

As more and more non-profits seek alternate ways

• What services do they need to address
these TM challenges?
to be effective while simultaneously operating in
resource-constrained environments, the concept
of shared services becomes even more appealing. • What type or services do you believe
‘Shared services’ refers to the practice when non- are shareable? What services are not?
profits leverage their combined size and resources to
spread the cost of integral services across a number • Of the services that are shareable,
of organizations, making these services much more do you believe there are any particular
affordable.xxvi services that you, as a funder, could

In terms of talent management, one area in which

provide directly? (for example Chapter 6
mentorship, coaching, etc.)
non-profits could collaborate is in sharing the services

UNLOCKING FUTURE POTENTIAL

of a dedicated talent management specialist or
consultant across all organizations. According to
our survey, 33% of respondents indicated that they
do not have any talent management team in place
whatsoever. Further, only 9% of respondents indicated A CALL TO ACTION FOR THE SECTOR
that they have a team size of three employees or
more. What this tells us is that while nearly 70% of
our respondents struggle with talent management
(mentioned earlier in the report), many of them do not
have a dedicated talent management team in place
to address these challenges and issues. Therefore, a
shared talent management professional can develop
a talent management strategy for the organization,
a compensation program, assist with recruiting and
training, develop an employee handbook/manual,
conduct new hire orientations, and more. Additionally,
given the need for more coaching and mentorship
support at the leadership level, non-profits could
also consider sharing a common set of coaches and
mentors amongst themselves.

Though the concept of shared services, particularly

in the area of talent management has been largely
unexplored in the Indian context, we believe there’s
great potential in such a model. And funders, given
their vast networks and experience of working with
varied non-profits, have the knowledge and visibility
needed to take the first step in sparking a conversation
around this. Therefore, we would encourage more
funders to invite their grantees together through
joint forums, understand their common talent
management-related challenges, and then work
with these grantees to explore the value addition and
viability of a shared services model for them.

68 69
 “The solution is the different ways and means We would urge more social sector organizations Developing more compensation
in which we make the development sector to do the same. By encouraging employees to benchmarking studies: While
experience really exciting, challenging and explore other opportunities within the sector, compensation benchmarks are
also practical so that we are upping our salary through internships or externships, they are readily available in the corporate
enabling professionals to better understand all the world, the social sector still grapples
scales and providing the kind of opportunities
different career pathways in the social sector. This with this. Organizations like Sattva
people look for. We need to band together as
also provides them with a clearer picture of what have conducted some amount of
a sector, and not as individual organizations.” a career in the social sector could entail in the benchmarking exercises in the past,
long-term. Omidyar Network and Dalberg are two but research and data on this is
-Priya Agrawal, Founder, Antarang
employers that allow for this. still scarce and lacking. We believe
there is a great deal of scope for
When it comes to the future of the social sector, As we think about building on the talent landscape, intermediaries to explore this topic
nurturing young talent is critical. Today, there are below are a few other ways in which the sector can further.
more young people in the world than ever before, come together today to create a high-functioning
with 1.2 billion adolescentsxxvii. This demographic has workforce for tomorrow:
Achieving scale is an inherently
the potential to bring about unprecedented social Creating more platforms for cross-sectoral complex process and does not
change. As a sector, we therefore collectively need to dialogue & interaction between NGOs, funders, happen overnight. Organizations
make the social sector a more desirable place to work intermediaries, the government, etc. on talent- need to plan for scale, well in advance,
in order to attract and retain more young talent. related issues, specifically, as this enhances in order to achieve the growth and
knowledge sharing. There are a number of impact they desire to achieve. This
Whether it is non-profits, intermediary organizations, platforms, run by intermediaries in India, which report speaks to the realities of talent
accelerators, funders, experts, and others, everyone has facilitate dialogue and knowledge sharing management issues and, in particular,
a role to play in ensuring that more people begin to between different players in the sector. Dasra how non-profits and funders can work
consider the social sector as a viable career pathway. does this through our capacity building programs together to move the needle in the
Some of the ways to do this are: and communities of practice for non-profits talent landscape. However, there are
and funders. ,Other organizations like Toolbox, still a number of lingering questions
Attending and organizing more campus and career Tech4Good, TechRasam, and Non-profit Finance to be answered and “homework” to be
fairs, as these events would enable organizations to Network do the same as well. But what these done by the sector as a whole.
demystify the sector, and speak directly to prospective platforms could do more of, and/or what more
job speakers about what a career in the sector intermediaries could do in the future is create Still, what our research, conversations
could mean for them. Organizations like Crossover opportunities through these platforms for with non-profit leaders, funders,
Catalysts and Central Square Foundation already do dialogue around talent management, specifically. and experts, and nearly 20 years of
this through handholding and providing support to As we have discussed already, the sector is experience working with non-profits
corporate sector employees who want to make a shift growing, thereby creating a need for stronger in India tells us is that the seeds for
to the social sector. Moreover, we would encourage talent management practices. In order for non- growth have already been sown. The
educational institutions to start nurturing talent profits to collectively understand talent best future of the talent landscape in India
within the institute itself. While there are institutions, practices and co-develop solutions, we encourage (and, more broadly, the non-profit
like ISDM, that focus exclusively on development more and more organizations to think of ways to sector) looks promising.
management studies, which includes orienting build these cross-sectoral bridges and platforms.
students to the social sector, other universities
could do more of the same as well. According to Conducting more research on talent management
Nilesh Nimkar, Founder QUEST, it is as much the practices in India’s social sector: This sector needs
university’s responsibility as the development sector’s a seminal piece of primary research on is the
responsibility to invest in people and train them well current trend of talent in nonprofit sector and
for what a career in the development sector could what the ideal should be given the international
entail. Thus, they will be aware of the career pathways experience. While we hope this report is one
and development opportunities in store for them step in that direction, we see great opportunity
should they choose to joinxxviii. for other organizations to further build on our
insights.
Allow for more mobility within the sector: Many
corporates offer sabbaticals to seasoned employees,
in order to help them reset and come back more
rejuvenated and refreshed, while simultaneously
allowing them time to explore something different.

70 71
 Appendix A: Individuals Interviewed Appendix B: Demographics of Survey Respondents

1. Age of organization
Intermediaries

Anshu Bhartia, UnLtd India

Aruna Pandey, Indian School of Development Management
Moomal Mehta, Crossover Catalyst What is the age of
Pritha Venkatachalam, Bridgespan your organization?
Satyam Vyas, Arthan Careers (N=97)
35%

23% 20% 16%

6%
Funders

< 5 years 5 to 10 years 11 to 15 years 16 to 20 years >20 years

Amira Shah Chabbra, Harish and Bina Shah Foundation
Narayan Krishnaswamy, Azim Premji Philanthropic Initiatives
Priyaka Nagpal Dhingra, A.T.E Chandra Foundation 2. Sectors
Saurabh Nigam, Omidyar Network
Unnikrishnan T S, Great Eastern CSR Foundation

Which of the
following sectors
does your
NGOs
organization work
in? (N=97)
Archana Chandra and Enma Popli, Jai Vakeel Foundation
Benaifer Reporter and Nitai Mehta, Praja Foundation
Other 5%
Kavita Wankhade and Vidya Jindal, Indian Institute of Human Settlements
Mohan N L, Karnataka Health Promotion Trust Urban Development 5%
Nilesh Nimkar, Quality Education Support Trust
Drinking water and Sanitation 8%
Pooja Taparia, Arpan
Pranil Naik, LeapForWord Emploability and Livelihoods 15%
Priya Agrawal, Antarang Foundation Human Rights 9%
Dr. Shrey Desai, Sewa Rural
Shubha Goel, The Akshaya Patra Foundation Health and Well-being 16%
Sonal Kapoor, Protsahan Governance 7%
Venil Ali and Tanya Arora, Teach for India
Energy and Environment 5%

Education 23%
Disaster Relief 3%

Disability 4%

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25%

72 73
 3. Location of Head Office 6. Total Number of Employees

Head Office Location How many

15% 28% 28%
(N=97) Bengaluru employees do you
27%
have (including full-
Delhi
time, part-time and
15%
Lucknow volunteers)? (N=97)
6% 16%
Mumbai
6% 14% 13%
30% Pune

Other city or town

1 to 20 21 to 50 51 to 100 101 to 200 > 200

4. Geographies of operation

Do your programs 7. Respondent role with the Organization

operate in
the following
49% 84% 69%
geographic
landscape? (N=97)
What is your
Peri-urban Urban Rural role within the
organization? (N=97)

41%

5. Annual Budget
25%
19%
44% 15%

What is your
organization’s total
annual budget (in Founder/CEO CXO/Executive HR Head or Other
INR) based on the 23% Director or Equivalent
Equivalent
most recent year of 18%
operation? (N=97)
9%

3% 3%

Less tha 50L 50L - 1CR 1CR - 5CR 5CR -10CR 10CR - 50CR More than
50CR

74 75
 8. States Appendix C: Resources
Which of the following states do you have
programs in? (N=97)

This section consists of customized service providers, toolkits, and leadership development programs, to enable
NGOs and funders to embark upon building their talent management capacity. This compendium, by no means
exhaustive, includes some of the best-known resources available to organizations in India. It also includes specialist
vendors that provide specific services across the talent management demands as laid down in the report.

Customized Service Providers

Jammu &
Kashmir Arthan Careers Arthan Careers is a marketplace for jobs in the impact sector. It supports
www.arthancareers.com mission-driven organizations in hiring key talent and supports job seekers in
finding the job that matches their skills and aspirations.

Himachal Cerebrus Consultants Cerebrus Consultants is a strategic advisory organization that provides HR
Pradesh www.cerebrus-consultants.com solutions to both corporates and nonprofit organizations across sectors. Their
Chandigarh CSR wing ‘Cerebrus Foundation’ does pro bono work for NGOs, particularly
Punjab
supporting women’s empowerment.
Uttarakhand

Haryana Crossover Catalyst Crossover Catalyst is an executive search firm that helps non-profits recruit
www.crossovercatalyst.com leaders and enable the transition of corporate leaders into the development
Delhi
Sikkim
Arunachal sector.
Pradesh

Human and Institutional HIDF engages with diverse actors in the development sector for enabling
Uttar
Rajasthan Pradesh Assam Development Forum (HIDF) transformative social change through training and capacity building,
Nagaland www.hidforum.org organizational consulting, and research and knowledge building.
Bihar Meghalya
Jobs For Good Jobs For Good offers recruitment and HR advisory services exclusively to non-
Manipur
www.jobsforgood.com profits and social enterprises. It works to maximize impact by expanding the
Jharkhand
Tripura
talent pool and effectively matching skills to opportunities to drive social
Madhya
Gujarat Pradesh West Bengal Mizoram change.

Sattva Consulting Sattva assists non-profits in realizing their vision in a resource-efficient and
Chhattisgarh www.sattva.co.in effective manner through strategic, operational and financial consulting as
Odhisha well as program management services.
Daman & Diu 2%
Social Ventures Partners (SVP) SVP India supports nonprofits in the area of livelihood. It supports
Dadra & Nagar Haveli 3% Maharashtra India building organizational capacity by providing general operating funds,
www.socialventurepartners.org skilled volunteers, professional consultants, and leadership development/
Telangana management training opportunities.

Social Lens Social Lens offers capacity building support for organization development
www.slens.co and aids strengthening of internal systems across domains through
Goa Andhra Andaman & Nicobar Islands 2% diagnostic toolkits and frameworks.
Pradesh

Start Up! India Start Up! is an angel investor, incubator and consultant to social
Karnataka
www.startup-india.org entrepreneurs. It offers incubation, impact acceleration and management
consulting services to social ventures at different stages in their lifecycle –
early, growth, and mature.
Pondicherry 8%
Tamil Nadu
Kerala 0 - 10% Third Sector Partners (TSP) Third Sector Partners provides executive search services for leadership
www.thirdsectorpartners.com positions in development organizations, social enterprises, CSR, and
10 - 20% sustainability sectors.
20 - 30% ToolBox provides strategic assistance to non-profit, growth-stage
ToolBox India Foundation
30 - 40% www.tbxi.org organizations through its portfolio of highly skilled corporate volunteers who
work on a pro bono basis.
40 - 50%
UnLtd India UnLtd works with early-stage social entrepreneurs and non-profits on
50 - 60%
www.unltdindia.org leadership development, accelerating impact and preparing organizations
for scaling and further investment.

76 77
 Toolkits Leading for Impact A program for executive teams of large non-profits with revenues over INR 13
The Bridgespan Group crore to pursue strategic opportunities and build capacity to improve their
www.bridgespan.org performance over time.
Human Resources Toolkit for A toolkit designed to provide individuals in charge of human resources in
Small and Medium Nonprofit NGOs with good practices to inform the development and/or enhancement Multiple Customized Programs Amani Institute offers customized training programs in a number of topics
Actors of HR policies and a framework to assess HR needs and plan a course of Amani Institute critical to professional success in the 21st century to enable the ongoing
CHS Alliance action. www.amaniinstitute.org professional development and lifelong learning of people inside institutions.
www.chsalliance.org
PGP in Development PGPIDM is a specialized executive management program for young
Executive Team Diagnostic Tool A diagnostic to help NGO leaders pinpoint areas for improvement and more Management (PGPIDM) development sector professionals focused on finance, fundraising, change
The Bridgespan Group deeply explore what it takes to be an effective nonprofit executive team. SPJMIR management, governance, communication skills, etc.
www.bridgespan.org www.spjimr.org
Leadership Development Toolkit A free online toolkit for developing the next generation of leaders in South Asia Leaders Program This program for leaders from the South Asia region blends face-to-face
The Bridgespan Group nonprofit organizations through “Plan A”—a three-year road map that spells Common Purpose modules with online learning aimed at broadening cultural intelligence,
www.bridgespan.org out leadership needs, identifies future leaders, and details activities to www.commonpurpose.org building relationships and leading change.
strengthen leadership skills.
Strategic Perspectives in SPNM is a six-day residential program for non-profit executive directors and
Nonprofit Job Description A toolkit that features a wide range of sample job descriptions for senior Nonprofit Management (SPNM) CEOs from around the world that covers leading change, scaling impact,
Toolkit nonprofit leadership roles, including CEO/executive director, COO, CFO, Harvard Business School building strategic partnerships, and measuring and managing for high
The Bridgespan Group board member and more. www.exed.hbs.edu performance.
www.bridgespan.org
Strategic Non-profit SNMI is an executive education program for senior non-profit leaders aimed
Talent Investing Toolkit A free, interactive online toolkit containing how-to and discussion guides to Management India (SNMI) at building sustainable institutions at scale.
Fund The People help non-profits maximize investment in the nonprofit workforce. Harvard Business School with
www.fundthepeople.org Ashoka University and Dasra
www.exed.hbs.edu

Training and Capacity Building ASK offers multiple courses and training on organization development,
Association for Stimulating change management and strategic planning for established Indian
Leadership Development and Training Programs
Know-how (ASK) organizations.
www.askindia.org
Aritra Leadership Program This program is aimed at leaders with 8+ years of experience, it focuses
Phicus Social Solutions and IIM on deepening knowledge and skills in key areas required for organization
Bangalore building and developing a second line of leaders.
www.aritra.org

Aspire Circle Fellowship This fellowship focuses on development of personal leadership, professional
Aspire Circle leadership and thought leadership using the Socratic dialogue-based
www.aspirecircle.org methodology.

Continuing Education This program is designed to help professionals from the social sector with at
Indian School of Development least 2-3 years of experience to grow by developing skills relevant to non-
Management (ISDM) profit management.
www.isdm.org.in

Dasra Social Impact (DSI) DSI programs are a peer learning-based initiative targeted at leaders of
Leadership and Accelerator social organizations to help them grow strategically and achieve scale.
Programmes
Dasra
www.dasrasocialimpact.org

Integrated Sustainable A program for mid-career professionals focused on building systems-

Development Leadership thinking and adaptive leadership to take on sustainability challenges.
Program
LEAD India
www.leadindia.org

78 79
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80 81
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