When speaking about the mental load of motherhood, please note that this does not statistically and accurately reflect single-parent households or LGBTQ+ households as there is simply not enough validated data (which is a problem in and of itself).
A 2018 study in the Journal of Social Science showed that after the birth of their first child, a mother’s chances of being a manager declined slightly, whereas a father’s chances of becoming a manager increased slightly.
Although this statement might be dated, it’s still relevant. In Canada, women make .89 cents on the dollar compared to their male counterparts. And, when we are a sector of 77% percent women (and approximately 1.5 million mothers) this statistic matters (Statistics, Canada 2022).
Many articles and studies demonstrate the impact these trends have on our workforce. From higher-than-average turnover and burnout rates to the typical fundraiser staying in a role for 18 months or less, we know a change is critical.
As fundraisers and nonprofit professionals, we know how to advocate and push for change. With supportive, understanding, and people-first work environments in place, there could be significant long-term cost savings or revenue earnings for your nonprofit. Are you supporting mothers and parents in your workplace effectively enough to benefit from these factors:
- Reducing the Cost of Turnover: In a past CharityVillage article, Melanie Laflamme (retired, Chief People Officer) noted that turnover could cost up to double the employee’s annual salary. And there is no doubt that an employee who feels supported in their responsibilities inside and outside of the office is more likely to remain loyal and engaged with their employment.
- Inspiring the Next Generation of Changemakers: Although this is more anecdotally based, when parents feel supported to engage their children in their work, they are setting an example of how the nonprofit sector can impact change. The parents working in your offices are raising the changemakers of tomorrow – this is a powerful tool for your mission.
- Building Authentic Relationships: When a parent is empowered to show up to work authentically magical things can happen. Many donors and changemakers in our sector are parents, grandparents, aunts, or uncles. When we can authentically deepen and humanize our roles in the sector we can deepen and strengthen real, trusting relationships with our donors and stakeholders.
We need to normalize supporting parents, parental leaves, and a holistic understanding of the empathic and (often) emotionally exhausting work that happens in the sector.
Eliminating the constant revolving door of turnover can lead to longstanding, trust-based donor relationships, cost savings related to reduced recruitment and onboarding efforts, and projects uninterrupted by staff changes and learning curves.
As a sector built on showing empathy and working to solve the world’s biggest problems, it’s critical that we show empathy to our staff and teams, which will in turn impact revenue and profit loss. And, at the very heart of it, if we lead with compassion and kindness, we will get it in return. It should be that simple. Here are 5 simple ways you can support working parents:
- Provide autonomy over work and calendar management: Gone are the days of working 9:00 – 5:00 at a desk all day. Instead of focusing on the hours worked, focus on the deliverables against performance-based goals.
- Lead with trust: If an employee is meeting their job expectations, trust them to continue to do so in a way that works for them.
- Ask them how you can better support them: Every individual has different needs. By having a simple conversation, you might realize that better supporting your team is as simple as one small action.
- Embrace opportunities for them to connect their children to the great mission-based work you are doing: Encourage employees to have children join fundraising events (where appropriate), have children volunteer and support your organization, and normalize the fact that sometimes kids show up in Zoom meetings.
- Stop booking evening board meetings: Honestly, can we rework the expectation of committee and board meetings done in the evenings? With employment becoming more and more flexible and virtual, your board members might even thank you too.
The discussion around how to best support working parents and reduce turnover and burnout is a discussion that must continue. If you would like to be part of a free Non-Profit + Parent Mastermind, please feel free to join here.
Check out these free resources if one of your employees is expecting: Employers | balanced good. Or perhaps you just found out your family is growing and you don’t know where to start: Parents | balanced good.
Lacey Kempinski, CFRE, the founder and owner of Balanced Good. She is a graduate of McMaster University and Georgian College’s Fundraising and Resource Development Program.
She is a mission-driven fundraiser, with nearly 15 years of experience, fueled by a passion to make an impact for the cause she is championing. As an entrepreneur and business owner, she is now focused on changing the way our sector supports parental leaves and working parents.
Lacey is also a mom of three kids aged 7, 5, and 2, an active AFP Board member with her local AFP Golden Horseshoe Chapter, and part of AFP Global’s Women’s Impact Initiative.
