A Skills Matrix Can Help Your Nonprofit Utilize Technology

In today’s rapidly changing world, nonprofits need to be more agile and adaptable than ever before. This means having a workforce with the right skills to meet the ever-evolving needs of your organization and your clients. But how do you ensure that your staff has the skills they need to succeed? One way is to use a skills matrix. A skills matrix is a tool that helps you identify the skills your employees currently possess and the skills they need to acquire in order to meet your organizational goals. It can also help you identify any gaps in your skills base and develop training programs to address those gaps.

What Are the Benefits of Using a Skills Matrix?

Here are just a few:

  • Improved staff performance: When your employees have the skills they need to do their jobs effectively, they are more likely to be productive and successful. A skills-based organization is a new model for organizations to be successful.
  • Increased employee engagement: Employees who feel like they are developing their skills and knowledge are more likely to be engaged in their work.
  • Reduced costs: Training new employees can be expensive. A skills matrix can help you identify which employees need training and what type of training they need, which can help you save money.
  • Improved decision-making: A skills matrix can give you a clear picture of your organization’s skills strengths and weaknesses. This information can help you make better decisions about hiring, training, and resource allocation.

How to Create a Skills Matrix

Creating a skills matrix is a relatively simple process. Here are the steps involved:

  • Identify the skills you need. What skills are essential for your employees to have in order to meet your organizational goals? These can be changing needs, and you should revisit your “essential skills” list frequently. You can also develop lists of skills needed for specific tech tools or specific positions.
  • Assess your employees’ skills. What skills do your employees currently have? You can use surveys, interviews, or performance reviews to collect this information.
  • Identify the gaps. Once you know what skills your employees have and what skills they need, you can identify any gaps.
  • Develop a plan. How will you address the skills gaps? You can develop training programs, hire new employees, or cross-train existing employees.

A skills matrix is a valuable tool that can help your nonprofit thrive in today’s competitive world. By taking the time to create and use a skills matrix, you can ensure that your staff has the skills they need to succeed.

Additional Benefits to Your Nonprofit from Using a Skills Matrix

In addition to the benefits mentioned above, using a skills matrix can also help you:

  • Improve communication and collaboration: When everyone knows what skills their colleagues have, it can make it easier to communicate and collaborate effectively.
  • Boost morale: Employees who feel like their skills are valued are more likely to be motivated and engaged in their work.
  • Track progress: A skills matrix can help you track the progress of your training programs and measure the impact of your skills development efforts.

If you are looking for a way to improve your nonprofit’s performance, consider using a skills matrix. It is a simple and effective tool that can make a big difference.

Download a Sample Skills Matrix Template from Build Consulting

Our Skills Matrix Template helps assess employee skills and identify power users or where more training is needed.

As part of the Build Change Management Framework, we created this free Skills Matrix Template. It’s part of a set of tools we use to help organizations approach these projects with a change management view and an eye to success.

What Skills Do Your Staff Need? What Skills Do They Have Already?

This matrix will help you identify the ways in which staff are going to need to adapt as your technology project gets underway, and help you prep people from a skills perspective for the new technology that is going to be part of the work that they do.

It outlines areas that your organization will need to think about staff transition and create training and learning resources for them that extend beyond the project. The matrix will help you formalize thinking about adoption tools, thinking about training plans, and training programs. You can also refer to the matrix when thinking about new staff that you may hire and how you will onboard them into these complex and robust technology platforms and tools.

Budgeting for Tech Training

Maybe it will also help you think about budgeting for new staff if there are significant gaps that can’t be met by existing staff, or that you don’t think should be met by existing staff. In these areas you might want to invest in outsourced help or help from vendors who already have the expertise you are looking for.

How To Use the Skills Matrix Template

The free template is self-explanatory, and you may need to modify it to match your own organizational needs. The template is designed to give you a starting place.

When you download the skills matrix template, you’ll see that it’s color coded to flag and highlight areas of concern or areas of opportunity. As you evaluate people’s proficiency and interest in these areas – this is an opportunity for a survey – it flags areas that are concerning. It also can reassure you that your staff are trained and comfortable with the technology they are expected to use, or even help identify some power users you can better involve in your technology project roll out.

Artificial Intelligence at Build

Build is exploring the use of Artificial Intelligence in our work. In the spirit of transparency, we acknowledge we used several tools in the creation of this article. In our work we carefully review any AI generated content and refine it. We make sure it is accurate and authentic to the way that Build thinks about nonprofit technology transformation. We do not automate publication; all our content is thoroughly reviewed by real people before we publish. We used other tools to help improve the post for readability and SEO optimization.

Nonprofit Artificial Intelligence Aerial Picture of Structures