As a new supervisor, what steps can you take to understand employees strengths? How do you balance task management with empowering team members? How do you guide employees to successfully implement programs and services?
As a new supervisor, you might wonder: How can you recognize and build on your team members’ strengths? How do you balance the day-to-day task management with empowering your staff? What’s the best way to guide employees to implement programs and services effectively?
Stepping into a supervisory role for the first time can feel both exciting and overwhelming. You’re now in a position that blends people management, program oversight, and mission-driven leadership. Effective supervision is about more than assigning tasks; it’s about fostering a supportive environment where employees are heard, valued, and empowered to excel. By focusing on team development and well-being, you create ripple effects that enhance your organization’s impact on the community.
Understanding Your Role as a Nonprofit Supervisor
Supervisors in the nonprofit sector play a unique role. You’re not only managing staff but also ensuring their efforts align with your organization’s mission and contribute meaningfully to program outcomes.
Supervision Tips:
Keep the Mission Front and Center: Ground decisions and priorities in your nonprofit’s purpose.
Practice Empathy: Understand that your team’s motivation often stems from personal, value-driven reasons for working in the nonprofit sector.
Stay Adaptable: Be ready to adjust your approach as funding, policies, and community needs evolve.
Example: If your organization supports youth education, emphasize how each team member’s work—from preparing materials to coordinating volunteers—directly impacts students’ learning outcomes and opportunities.
Building Trust and Strong Relationships
Trust, respect, and open communication are the foundation of an effective team. As a supervisor, you have the opportunity to cultivate these elements daily.
Supervision Tips:
Schedule Regular Check-Ins: Use one-on-one meetings to discuss progress, challenges, and successes.
Encourage Openness: Create a safe space where staff feel comfortable sharing ideas and feedback.
Listen Actively: Ask clarifying questions and restate key points to show understanding.
Example: Suppose a staff member is struggling to engage new funders in donor outreach. In a one-on-one meeting, listen to their concerns, brainstorm potential strategies together, give them step by step guidance on how to manage the issue and follow up to assess progress.
Setting Clear Goals and Expectations
Clarity is the foundation for accountability and achievement. When staff understand their goals and how these align with organizational priorities, they can focus their energy effectively.
Strategies:
Align Goals with the Mission: For example, if your nonprofit tackles food insecurity, set a goal like “secure three new community partnerships this quarter to expand meal distribution.”
Use SMARTEY Goals: Make objectives Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound, Equitable and Yours.
Define Success Transparently: Share clear criteria for performance so staff know what’s expected.
Example: When assigning a project, say, “We’re aiming to reach 100 new participants in our financial literacy workshop by the end of the semester.” This connects their work to the organization’s broader impact.
Providing Constructive Feedback and Recognition
Constructive feedback helps employees grow, while recognition reinforces motivation and commitment. Both are essential tools in your supervision toolbox.
Tips:
Be Timely: Offer feedback soon after observing an issue or achievement.
Focus on Behaviors: Address specific actions and how they can be improved, rather than criticizing personal traits.
Balance Praise and Critique: Celebrate successes publicly while addressing concerns privately.
Examples: Acknowledge Employees Publicly
If a staff member excels in organizing a fundraising event, highlight their success in a team meeting, saying, “Your coordination brought in new donors and strengthened our community ties—great job!”
Example 2: Providing Employee Acknowledgement Directly to the Employee
When a team member demonstrates excellent collaboration on a cross-department project, send a personalized thank-you email or slack recognizing their efforts. For example: “Your ability to foster teamwork and ensure smooth communication across departments made a big difference in the project’s success. Thank you for your dedication and leadership!”
Developing Your Team’s Skills
Investing in your team’s professional growth benefits the individual, the organization, and the community you serve.
Approaches:
Offer Workshops: Provide training on skills like grant writing or program evaluation.
Encourage Mentorship: Pair new staff with experienced colleagues who can guide them.
Support Cross-Training: Allow staff to take on diverse responsibilities to build new competencies.
Example: If an employee shows interest in social media outreach, provide them with a workshop or training on effective social media strategies, then offer opportunities to practice by collaborating with the communications team on drafting posts or analyzing campaign metrics. This builds their skills in a supported environment while contributing to the organization’s goals.
Resolving Conflicts with Compassion
Conflicts are inevitable in any workplace, but addressing them constructively ensures they don’t derail progress or morale.
Conflict Resolution Steps:
Hear All Perspectives: Give each person involved the chance to share their viewpoint.
Find Common Ground: Focus on shared goals and the organization’s mission.
Collaborate on Solutions: Encourage team members to co-create steps to move forward.
Example: If two staff members disagree on event planning details, remind them that the goal is to create a welcoming space for the community. Use this shared purpose to guide the conversation toward compromise.
Effective Delegation and Avoiding Burnout
Delegating effectively ensures that tasks are completed efficiently while supporting staff well-being. Supervisors must also monitor for signs of burnout and address them proactively.
Tips:
Match Tasks to Strengths: Assign responsibilities that align with staff members’ skills and interests.
Set Clear Expectations: Define timelines and desired outcomes for delegated tasks.
Monitor Workloads: Regularly check in to ensure team members aren’t overburdened.
Example: If a program manager feels stretched thin, consider shifting administrative tasks to an assistant eager to build organizational skills. This balances workloads and supports professional growth.
Continual Learning and Adaptation
Supervising effectively requires ongoing reflection and growth. Stay curious and open to feedback as you refine your leadership approach.
Suggestions:
Ask for Input: Solicit feedback from your team about how you can better support them.
Stay Informed: Keep up with sector trends through webinars and professional networks.
Reflect Often: After each project, evaluate what worked and what can be improved.
Example: If team engagement declines, conduct an anonymous survey to identify concerns. If staff express a desire for more involvement in decision-making, adjust your approach to include their input in planning processes.
Conclusion
Effective supervision in the nonprofit sector is rooted in empathy, clear communication, and a focus on growth. By fostering trust, setting transparent expectations, and championing professional development, you can empower your team to thrive. In turn, your organization will be better equipped to fulfill its mission and drive meaningful impact in the communities you serve.
Recommended Trainings Connected to Staff Supervision:
Effective staff management is essential to completing work and employee satisfaction and retention. Managing staff isn’t easy with employees that work hybrid or virtual, off site at programs or are transitioning back to the office. Whether you are new to the role or are a supervisor with extensive knowledge, there is a need to understand how to use systems to communicate, create clarity around expectations, tasks and job performance. As a supervisor, there is a balance between micro-managing and believing in the skills of your employees for why you hired them in their roles. This workshop will dive into supervision strategies including span of control, performance, project monitoring, feedback, supervision methods and how to build a high-performing team.
This interactive series will provide strategies for developing structured orientation programs, employee training plans, and onboarding processes that ensure a smooth transition into new roles from program manager, fundraising staff or leadership. You’ll learn how to design seamless orientation, role-specific training and an onboarding roadmap to support staff throughout the first 90 days. We'll cover best practices for creating orientation materials, customizing training for different positions, and setting up effective feedback loops to measure success. Whether you're hiring 1 or 50 employees or building your onboarding program from scratch or improving an existing one, this workshop will give you the tools to streamline the process and make a lasting impact.
This workshop will explore three important elements in program expansion and scaling, including: the how of expanding and scaling programs, who to involve such as internal and external partners, and methods to ensure program quality. This session will incorporate opportunities for brainstorming, feedback and an opportunity to develop an action plan to expand and scale your own programs. We will also cover strategies for nonprofit program management. Attendees will leave the workshop with actionable steps to follow in scaling their programs.
Interested in gaining practical skills in project management for a project you are leading or supporting at your nonprofit? Do you manage projects at your nonprofit? Need more guidance on managing projects? Check out our upcoming series training Managing Projects from Start to Finish.
Use code friend10 when registering to get $10 off!
Suggested Scholarly Articles and Books:
Herman, R. D., & Renz, D. O. (2008). Advancing nonprofit organizational effectiveness research and theory: Nine theses. Nonprofit Management & Leadership, 18(4), 399–415. https://doi.org/10.1002/nml.195
LeRoux, K. & Wright, N. S. (2010). Does Performance Measurement Improve Strategic Decision Making? Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 39(4), 571–587. https://doi.org/10.1177/0899764009359942
brown, adrienne maree (2017). Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds. AK Press.https://www.akpress.org/emergentstrategy.html
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (2014). We Should All Be Feminists. Vintage Books. (This essay, while not nonprofit-specific, offers critical insight into inclusive leadership and equity, essential values in nonprofit management.)