Nell Edington, in her recent article titled 'What is Sustainability in the Nonprofit Sector?' defined the concept of sustainability and ways to achieve it in nonprofit organizations. Edington pointed out that 'sustainability is achieved when the necessary financial resources are used effectively to meet long-term goals.'

Edington clarified that there is a divergence of views regarding the importance of talent and its role in achieving sustainability. Nonprofit organizations cannot achieve sustainability if they do not have the necessary talents in the first place. In fact, the ability of nonprofit organizations to achieve their long-term goals is related to how well their leaders understand the importance of creating effective plans and strategies to attract, develop, and engage the best possible talents in the organization's activities. However, the issue here is that some organization leaders do not consider talent a priority for the organization.

Accordingly, organizations whose leaders prioritize talent in achieving their missions are the ones that enjoy tremendous success. This is very similar to the importance of having 'diverse revenue streams' and organizational sustainability, as leaders in this category recognize the pivotal role of diversity, equity, and inclusion elements in the workforce to fulfill their missions. Talent sustainability requires the following factors:

–Set long-term goals:

To achieve sustainability, a nonprofit organization must define the outcomes it ultimately aims to achieve and ensure that its approach aligns with people management. If the organization's goal is to focus on building and sustaining the workforce, it will need someone to embrace this direction and encourage its execution while holding them accountable for these outcomes.

In this context, Edington said, 'You cannot hope to achieve sustainability if you cannot define what you ultimately want to accomplish as an organization aiming for social change.' Additionally, you cannot have a sustainable organization without a clear plan that shows 'who' will perform this work and what is needed to do so.

–Have a strategy to achieve those goals:

Achieving sustainability within the organization requires an organizational strategy and a talent acquisition strategy. The organization must have a clear direction and a set of milestones through which it can assess 'individual progress.' How will you measure the quality of the talents you have hired? What systems, programs, and resources do you need to ensure a positive and productive culture that supports the right levels to retain that talent? What skills do you need among your workforce now and in the future to ensure your nonprofit organization achieves its various works and tasks?

– Use the required resources effectively to attract, develop, and retain talent:

Regarding this point, Edington says, 'Just planning for the future is not enough; you must know exactly what you need in terms of employees, board members, volunteers, systems, technology, marketing, and other resources required to implement your organization's plan.'

Undoubtedly, the tasks performed by nonprofit organizations cannot be accomplished without the human element. If your organization has taken it upon itself to effect significant social change, such as reducing poverty in the community or saving the planet from environmental disasters, it is essential to know the individuals to whom this task will be entrusted.

To achieve this goal, several critically important factors must be taken into account to create a sustainable talent plan within your nonprofit organization. This means you need to be clear about the importance of talent and its role in your organization and invest in its development.

–Attract the right people:

Being willing to invest in talent is a great start, but it is not enough. You need to be aware of the other side of the talent equation, which involves attracting the right individuals to fulfill the right roles at the right time. An effective talent management strategy also contributes to attracting the right people who have the skills and experience needed to achieve the organization’s goals and are willing to dedicate their time and talents to serving those goals.

–How is this done?

To achieve true talent sustainability, every organization needs someone to fulfill the strategic role of human resources. If you have someone who meets your human resources needs (such as payroll and employee performance evaluation), then your organization needs another person capable of building and implementing larger strategies concerning human resources.

Studies indicate that strategic outsourcing of human resources allows employees to spend more time performing core business functions, contributing to operational efficiencies and improved performance. For this reason, nonprofit human resources provide part-time strategic human resource consulting services while simultaneously outsourcing.

In conclusion, Edington emphasized the need for 'everyone who wishes to effect social change (government, private funders, individual donors, and social change leaders) to support talent sustainability in this sector and invest in it.' And you, what will you do today to advance talent sustainability in your organization?

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