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As a client and I were enjoying our lunch at one of his favorite restaurants, a waitress came rushing across the room, hugged my client with a loud, “How good to see you, you’ve been missed, where have you been?”

He hugged her back! We were definitely the center of attention! I was wondering what I was missing. The waitress caught my look and answered it. “He’s my favorite customer. He makes me feel I’m a person.” Another big hug, and she was on her way.

Back to lunch, but it was now not business as usual. The conversation changed direction when I asked what that was all about.

My client, a nonprofit CEO, had a lot to say. First, he made it a habit to treat the server staff at restaurants special – with dignity and respect. Yes, he also tipped well.

The conversation led to the present state of nonprofits and the challenges they were facing. Because of the economic downturn, rising costs, and expenses to deal with, there is a widening gap between community needs and the funds available to meet them. Funding has become unpredictable and more difficult to attain. They often have limited staff capacity, resulting in more burnout and challenges in recruiting and retaining staff.

There is a rising demand for services, yet according to a recent study from Nonprofit Finances Fund, 52% of nonprofits have 3 months (or less) cash on hand.

Ok nothing new here.

Yet of all these issues, the one area where we have some degree of control is with our staff. I’m always amazed at the somewhat limited compensation and benefits we pay nonprofit employees. To carry forth the mission of the organization, they’re expected “to do more with less.” Of course, burnout has become an issue!

I talked about the research I had been doing, resulting in some new work with nonprofit leaders, in retaining good employees.

Because yes, there are solutions. First let us look at the issues and challenges. And how this impacts the bottom line.

In Mattering at Work and In Society, Sarah Wellington said, “despite consistently contributing to the success of their organization, many employees report a profound sense of invisibility, an internal experience of being seen as a functional unit rather than a meaningful contributor.”

Organizations must cultivate a culture that goes beyond metrics. She goes on to say, “If you want to create high morale, loyalty and a strong sense of contribution to the cause, every single person within the organization needs to feel they matter. An organization where everyone feels trusted and cared for, that their gifts and talents are truly valued.”

As the waitress said to me, “He makes me feel like a person.” In the Psychology of Mattering, Gordon Flett says, “The one thing we all have in common is that we have a need to matter. The feeling that you matter is essential to one’s well-being and is central to our very lives.”

Employees who really feel their work matters and is meaningful are more engaged. People need to feel they count. That others care about them and that their contributions have value. “I am valued here and my contribution makes a difference.”

Yes, the cause, the mission they are fulfilling for the nonprofit and yes in business as well, may be valuable and make a contribution but when was the last time they were told, YOU are important, I value your contribution, I value you as a person.

Helping people feel that they matter strengthens the bottom line. Aren’t both a manager’s responsibility? Work life integration has eclipsed financial stability to some degree. It is after all where we spend most of our time.

In 2022 Dr. Vivek Murthy, then U.S. Surgeon General, officially named mattering at work an essential element of healthy organizations.

A leader’s behavior accounted for almost 50% of whether employees experienced increased feelings of mattering and meaningfulness at work.

So, I asked my client to consider working with his team to ensure they showed each employee they interacted with felt seen, heard, and valued.

Sincere thank you’s not plaques, knowing something about them and their life, asking about their well-being, stopping by to casually chat, knowing who they are and what they value. You know the drill!

If we want people to care, they must first feel cared for. If we want something to matter to them, they must feel that they matter to us.

You know the drill! And I think we all have some homework to do.