‘When nonprofits lose … communities suffer’: Nebraska charities face workforce shortages

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — Across the U.S., companies are struggling to fill job openings, and it’s affecting nonprofits, too.

In Nebraska, three out of five nonprofits said they are struggling with workforce shortages.

That’s according to a new survey by the National Council of Nonprofits.

More than 60% reported job vacancies, and nearly half of them have more openings than before COVID-19.

Anne Hindery with the Nonprofit Association of the Midlands said a lack of adequate staffing leads to suffering in our communities.

“Our challenge is when nonprofits lose resources, clients suffer, communities suffer,” she said.

Hindery said this problem might be related to how the pandemic reshaped the job market.

“It used to be that our competition was other nonprofits or government,” she said. “It’s now every business across the country, with the magic of Zoom and working from home.”

According to the survey, nearly two-thirds of Nebraska nonprofits expect donations to decline or remain flat through the rest of this year.

Right now, nonprofits are trying to push through this crisis with several strategies.

Those include expanding benefits and providing job training.

Lincoln’s Community Action said it has seen the effects of the workforce shortage, but thanks to a grant program for career development, it is starting to see improvements.

“That really allows us to provide training and certification support for individuals,” CEO Heather Loughman said.  “That’s one of the ways we can attract people to our work and also support them in their educational goals.”