CERIC launches Retain and Gain Playbook to grow careers in Canada’s non-profit sector

CERIC has published a new edition of its popular Retain and Gain Playbook that addresses the challenges faced by charities and non-profits in attracting, retaining and engaging staff. The bilingual publication enhances capacity building across the non-profit sector, which employs close to two million Canadians.

Written in an innovative “travel guide” format, the Retain and Gain: Career Management for Non-Profits and Charities Playbook is intended for executive directors and people managers to use as a practical career management tool with their employees. It applies to small grassroots non-profits as well as larger federated charities.

Workforce expert Lisa Taylor, President of Challenge Factory, authored the Playbook. In her research she found the following issues keep non-profit leaders awake at night:

• 88% feel unprepared or unable to provide career development opportunities for employees
• 63% worried about attracting talent
• 50% are concerned about compensating and rewarding staff

The Playbook features strategies to engage staff in ways that advance, develop and support thriving careers within the sector. The concise publication includes:

• 40+ practical, low-cost tips, activities and actions that can be implemented in as little as 10-minutes a day (worksheets and additional references included)
• Several special sections exploring human resource issues of interest to non-profits, including precarious employment and gender-based career patterns
• Research, facts and statistics that shed new light on Canada’s non-profit and charitable sector

“Non-profits and charities are challenged to attract, engage and retain scarce talent while being efficient with resources. This Playbook is filled with practical, high-value ideas and resources that enable mission-driven organizations to deliver meaningful career development experiences for their people and help them to grow, and not go.”
– John Nicholson, Vice-President, Talent and Culture, Plan International Canada

The first edition of the Playbook focused on small business and was released in early 2017. There was immediate interest from the non-profit sector to have a Playbook of its own that addressed the unique environment in which non-profits operate. At the same time, many non-profits and charities meet the criteria of being a small business with the same limited time, resources and opportunities for “traditional” linear career advancement.

The project has the support of multiple “Knowledge Champions,” including The Counselling Foundation of Canada, The Lawson Foundation, The Muttart Foundation, Imagine Canada and the Ontario Nonprofit Network.

The Playbook is available in both English and French and can be downloaded for free at ceric.ca/nonprofit now. It will also be available for sale via Amazon.ca and Chapters.Indigo.ca in print ($15.95) or ebook ($6.50) formats.

Lisa Taylor will present a free one-hour webinar on Monday, November 12, 2018 to share the career management strategies outlined in the Playbook. Watch ceric.ca/webinars for further details to be posted.