For six years, Rhonda Robbins has helped adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities do daily tasks like get dressed, prepare and eat meals, and shop. She normally does this 10 hours a day, four days a week as her job at Waban, a nonprofit that provides housing and services to these adults and children in Southern Maine. The work is hard but rewarding.

“I’ve made a real connection with the members and just love watching them grow,” she says. “I wish I would have found this line of work years ago. I love it.”

But the last year or two have been challenging. Because the group is understaffed, she often works overtime, putting in 14-hour shifts that leave her exhausted. She is going through a divorce and was having a tough time finding a place to live. Although she recently received a pay increase and a bonus, apartments are too expensive — as much as $2,000 a month.

Waban has struggled to find and keep employees like Robbins, and that means the nonprofit — like many others nationwide — has been forced to cut back on some services, and some clients are landing on waitlists. The organization is taking creative steps to stop the bleeding, but it hasn’t been easy.

Before the pandemic, Waban had 380 employees. Now it has only 320. It had to close one of its group homes, although it managed to move the people into other units it runs. Of the 60 employees it lost, 37 worked one-on-one with developmentally disabled children. The organization eliminated about half the openings in its children’s programs and now has waitlists. Waban just can’t find enough people who are willing to do the job.

It has never been easy to fill direct-service positions like the one Robbins has, but the challenges now are unprecedented, says Jennifer Putnam, Waban’s executive director. Some staff re-evaluated their priorities during the pandemic and decided to work part-time or quit the work force entirely. Maine’s unemployment is a low 3.6 percent, yet labor-force participation is about 5 percent lower than it was a decade ago.

In October, the National Council of Nonprofits asked more than 1,000 organizations about their ability to hire and retain workers.

“I don’t have the answer to the question of where did all the employees go,” Putnam says. “But I don’t think they’re coming back.”

Developing the next generation of leaders in education is something Brian Metcalf thinks about a lot. “My mind is always on succession planning and retaining the best teachers we have,” said Metcalf, CEO and chief academic officer of Tindley Accelerated Schools, a charter school system in Indianapolis.

During the first three years of serving in his leadership roles, Metcalf began searching for teachers who were dedicated to Tindley’s college-ready mission, had an equity mindset, and could lead the schools into the future.

He wanted to ensure these future administrators had a solid foundation. So, he set out to find a leadership training program specific to the K-12 environment.

“I was really adamant about quality,” Metcalf said. “I wanted to work with someone we knew had a great reputation for developing leaders.”

He learned about more about the executive education programs offered by the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs at IUPUI from one of his school directors, who had completed another course. Metcalf said the recommendation he provided was so strong that he reached out to Executive Education Director Sara Johnson.

Johnson’s team plans, develops, and teaches leadership courses for those in health care, nonprofits, the U.S. military, and more. That diversity in training was a big draw for Metcalf. “Teachers don’t often get this kind of training,” he said. “We wanted to build a robust bench of leaders. We want to develop people for future roles, and this is our pathway into leadership.”

In-kind donations have been part of the nonprofit world for a long time. Galas have silent auctions that require a significant number of items to be contributed for their donors to bid on and generate contributions for the organization to fund its nonprofit mission.

Items are needed to perform the services nonprofits offer to benefactors and perform day-to-day tasks. Examples of such donations can include a box truck to deliver food, clothing, or kitchen equipment used in food preparation to serve to the homeless. The list goes on and on of the many types of items that nonprofits receive on a daily basis from generous donors.

Any non-cash item that a nonprofit receives from a donor is considered an “in-kind” donation and carries its own specific measurement and reporting requirements. In-kind contributions are categorized into two main classifications under U.S. GAAP. They are classified as either in-kind “goods” or in-kind “services.” In-kind goods or services should be valued and recorded in your general ledger based on fair market value.

Fair market value is the price you would have paid for the goods or services if you would have had to go out and purchase the items. Remember, the general rule for donated services is still that you only record the cost of the service if you would have “purchased the service if they had not been donated.” Most volunteer hours are still not considered in-kind donations of services; only those that are specialized.

In September 2020, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) 2020-07 on Topic 958. The new ASU addresses Presentation and Disclosures by Not-for-Profit Entities for Contributed Nonfinancial Assets. The new ASU was not aimed at changing how we recognize the In-kind contributions, but rather on providing transparency on the disclosure of the donations to the readers of the organization’s financial statements.

Episode 17: Join Bryan Orander as he speaks with Coralyn Turentine of Resilient Leadership about the impact the past several years has had on our mental health, specifically those of us serving in nonprofit. Coralyn shares ideas on identifying compassion fatigue in yourself and your co-workers, and how to respond. Listen

Job advertisers, are you satisfied with Charitable Advisors’ new job board? After several months, we are anxious to find out how the new system through HiringOpps is working for job advertisers. If you have placed a job ad using the new system, please take 2 minutes to let us know how it’s going?

Brooke’s Place has received a $40,000 grant from Ascension St. Vincent Hospital Indianapolis to support its ongoing support program for children, teens and families who are grieving the death of a loved one.

Lilly Endowment Inc. has approved nearly $23 million in grants to 27 higher education institutions throughout the state as part of its Indiana Youth Programs on Campus initiative. The program supports schools in their efforts to create new or enhance existing programs. Read more

The Indiana Chamber of Commerce has launched an online platform to help job seekers with educational and job training opportunities. The Talent Resource Navigator, a platform that is free for users, was established with a $2.5 million investment from Lilly Endowment Inc. Read more

DONATE: The Coalition for Homelessness Intervention and Prevention is donating five locking filing cabinets. While free, they must be moved from a second-floor location. If interested, please email Christy Gelback-Diaz [email protected] or call (317) 472-7634.

Data and drafts: High-need, high-paying jobs webinar on Sept. 8 from 6-7:30 p.m. What does it mean to have a “good” job? Hear insights gained from WFYI reporter Sydney Dauphinais on what it means to have a good job and who has access to those jobs. Presented by SAVI and WFYI. Cost: Free. Register

Fall nonprofit series: How to start a 501(c)(3) organization on Sept. 17 from 1-3 p.m. at Central Library, 40 E. St. Clair St. Learn what a nonprofit organization is, if it is right for you, and the steps required to start one. Presented by the Indianapolis Public Library. Cost: Free. Register

Analyze and visualize data through charts webinar on Sept. 22 from 9-11 a.m. Learn how to analyze and visualize data with charts, including how to use tools for static and interactive data visualization.

Presented by SAVI. Cost: Free. Register

Advanced nonprofit governance online series starts Sept. 29 and meets every other Thursday from 10-11:30 a.m. The five-part series is designed for seasoned board members and executive directors seeking ways to amplify their impact. Presented by Hedges. Cost: $400 for two people from the same nonprofit organization. Learn more and register

LEAD Indianapolis on Oct. 6, 13, and 20 from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. at WFYI, 1630 N. Meridian St. Build your skills and increase your impact as a leader, explore topics and connect with emerging leaders. Presented by Leadership Indianapolis. Cost: $1,000 (limited scholarships are available.) Register

AmeriCorps Seniors is looking for volunteers aged 55 and older. Opportunity programs include serving as a foster grandparent, supporting nonprofit organizations as a volunteer, and a senior companion program. Learn more and apply

VonLehman CPA & Advisors Firm  The importance of tracking volunteer hours.

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President & CEO - United Way of Monroe County

President & Chief Executive Officer - ADEC