Staff Retention in Non-Profit Organizations:
Reducing Turnover by Developing Successful Human Resources Management Strategies
Willa Haskins
Empire State College

Abstract
Staff turnover and retention rates are concerns for all employers, especially in the current economy (Opportunity, 2010). However, research and statistics show that the non-profit sector consistently experiences high turnover rates (Mizell, 2005). High turnover rates during economic hard times can have a serious detrimental effect on non-profit businesses. In this study, we reviewed several online articles and reports that provided us with key information about turnover in non-profit organizations. Research revealed that the average turnover rate over the last …show more content…

Kreitner and Kinicki further explained that there are several predominant models of job satisfaction and that each focuses on a different cause. Those models include need fulfillment, discrepancies, value attainment, and equity. If an employee is experiencing job dissatisfaction, more than likely, they are suffering a deficiency in one or more of these areas.
Need fulfillment, according to Kreitner and Kinicki, proposes that an employee’s “satisfaction is determined by the extent to which the characteristics of a job allow an individual to fulfill his or her needs.” (p. 171) In a study conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management, employees identified compensation, benefits, job security, and work/life balance as very important to their job satisfaction (Kreitner & Kinicki, 2010). Need fulfillment directly correlates with the ability to meet basic needs (Kreitner & Kinicki, 2010).
Kreitner and Kinicki further explained in their discussion of causes of job satisfaction that the discrepancies models suggest that satisfaction is a result of met expectations, “the difference between what an employee expects to receive from a job, such as good pay and promotional opportunities, and what he or she actually receives” (p. 171). It was concluded that “when expectations are greater than what is received, a person will be dissatisfied”