Easy access to public transit tops the list of preferred attributes for office space among 50 non-profit organizations recently surveyed about workplace needs and priorities. Findings summarized in a newly released report from Colliers International highlight the sector’s need to accountably advance its core purpose and cost-effectively deploy funds.
Convenient transit connections are seen as essential for attracting staff, board members and volunteers, serving stakeholders and broadening outreach. In contrast to corporate branding strategies, survey respondents gave little weight to projecting their organizational image in built form — an objective analysts suggest might be worth rethinking.
“Office space plays a critical role in telling the story of a non-profit organization and its cause,” submits Matt Johnson, vice president and co-chair of Colliers’ Not-for-Profit Advisory Group. “Common words used to describe their desired office space were ‘efficient’, ‘modest’, ‘professional’, ‘warm’, ‘inviting’ and ‘welcoming’. These adjectives illustrate the need for non-profits to diligently review if their space is providing their desired first and lasting impression.”
Along with transit access, survey respondents ranked increased efficiency, more collaborative space and flexibility for expansion or downsizing as favoured factors in choosing office space. The report also endorses so-called economies of sharing when organizations with common interests and goals locate in close proximity to support joint efforts and stretch resources and capacity.
Cost-cutting through reduced space-to-worker ratios is driving the move to the open office format among for-profit commercial tenants, while decision-makers in the non-profit sector are looking for more collaborative meeting space. Approximately 80 per cent of the surveyed organizations lease their space and 60 per cent have been in their current quarters for at least six years. Only 18 per cent are housed in completely open concept offices, although slightly more than half have a mixture of open space and private offices.
While two thirds of survey respondents would like more collaborative space, such as informal meeting rooms, within their workplaces, only 26 per cent endorsed moving to an open office format. Approximately the same number — 27 per cent — stated a preference for more private offices.
“Office space for non-profits is more than just a workplace; it can be a catalyst for impact and to promote an organization’s identity and purpose,” says Peter Davies, vice president and co-chair of Colliers’ Not-for-Profit Advisory Group. “This can result in a greater ability to foster productivity, promote knowledge transfer, attract and retain employees and, most importantly for not-for-profits, enhance access to potential funding in order to enhance their mission.”
