Gulf Coast ranked 17th on 2021 list
For the second straight year, The NonProfit Times has recognized Gulf Coast Community Foundation as one of the “Best Nonprofits to Work For” in the country, Gulf Coast has announced.
The national publication ranked Gulf Coast 17th on its 2021 list of the 50 Best Nonprofits, which was published in a special report on April 5, a news release notes. Gulf Coast placed seventh among small organizations (15 to 49 employees) and was the only community foundation selected.
“The Best Nonprofits recognition is really a testament to our supportive Board of Directors and our many generous donors, as well as our strong nonprofit partners,” Mark Pritchett, president and CEO of Gulf Coast, said in the release. “In a uniquely challenging year,” he added, “we actually moved up in our ranking from last year — which I find remarkable. That speaks to the trust our team feels from our Board and the sense of agency they get connecting philanthropists to meaningful opportunities to make a visible difference right now.”
Gulf Coast rose five places from its ranking on last year’s list, the release notes. Since 2010, it has been named a “Best Nonprofit” five times by The NonProfit Times.
As part of the Best Nonprofits survey, the release explains, employees are asked 78 questions about their organization, addressing eight categories, including Leadership and Planning, Culture and Communications, and Overall Engagement, the release notes.
The Best Nonprofits program is designed to identify the best employers in the nonprofit sector and recognize leadership and strategies that can benefit the sector and those it serves, the release says.
Besides the list ranking, the Best Nonprofits program provides participating organizations with an employee benchmark report they can use for further organizational and staff development — “an especially valuable reason to participate,” Gulf Coast Chief Operating Officer Veronica Thames noted in the release.
“As an organization whose reason for being is to serve and improve our communities, having an engaged, empowered, and supported staff translates directly into more effectively meeting our mission,” said Thames in the release. “I think the ability and the responsibility of our organization to keep helping others this past year increased our team’s already high levels of satisfaction and sense of purpose.”