The first step to maintain interest and motivation high is to build a friendly working environment. An idea is to ask every year what people working with you in the NGO would change in their workplace to make it a better. Answers should be promptly assessed and requests processed accordingly. If there are suggestions to change the furniture or paint the walls, it is a good idea to involve the team in the actual work. This would further create a sense of belonging to the space and team members would have the possibility to gather and get to know each other in a different working scenario.
Make sure that the team at large is consulted before any change is made. For instance, if there is a request for changing the furniture in the office, you could gather the team at large to discuss ways in which the existing furniture could be upgraded without purchasing new items. This exercise will draw on the creative skills of the team members to create a sense of comradeship and, again, it will reinforce the sense of belonging to the organisation.
The second step is to design and organise activities to build team spirit. Consider that fundraisers could easily become detached from the actual activities of the NGO. They sit in their office writing new proposals and finalising applications while the rest of the team implements successful projects. This should be avoided at all costs. Fundraisers should also assist the implementation process to better understand what works and what does not work and thus needs to be improved in the next application. Fundraisers should become a proactive part of the organisation.
Involve fundraisers to take part in the activities of the NGO. You could state in their contract that part of their time shall be spent with the team implementing projects to monitor their progress or you could negotiate this informally with the selected candidate. It is important that the fundraiser and the supporting team of apprentices understand the importance of collaborating with the other team members to the realisation of a project because this will give them the opportunity to understand what does it happen when their written ideas take shape in real life. Also, this is an NGO and whichever is your main objective, people working in the organisation must be motivated and supportive of the selected cause. By working towards the implementation of a project, fundraisers will be given the opportunity to achieve concrete results such as to see how their ideas have the potential to transform and improve the reality of the community in which the NGO works.
Invite all members to take part in the annual programming of the organisation in order to build a sense of belonging. It is important to ensure that all ideas, complaints and suggestions are heard and discussed by the group at large. Make sure that all the opinions are presented to the group and considered.
Make everybody feel valued and appreciated for what they have done. This is something easy to say and difficult to put in practice. You could implement a strategy to reward high achievers by organising monthly events for thanking them and celebrate their success. It is important for the NGO to keep its members of staff, especially those who are performing well. As such, it is crucial to ensure that all members are happy and that they feel appreciated in their working environment to make them stay.
