Landing the Top Spot: 2022 Best Nonprofit to Work For

“This is what motivates me as a leader and why USTA Mid-Atlantic strives to create an environment that empowers individuals and is supportive to both personal and professional growth.  Our employees are as integral to succeeding on the mission to promote and develop the growth of tennis, as they are for shaping the organization’s culture, contributing to the communities they live in, and living out their best personal lives,” she added. 

The past couple of years have been a whirlwind of constant change in the workforce, but what makes USTA Mid-Atlantic Section special is that through it all employee well-being and satisfaction professionally and personally remains a top priority. In every endeavor the organization ventures into, each individual continues to put their best foot forward because they are fully supported and there is a common goal: to work together as a TEAM to succeed on the mission. 

As a philanthropic organization, the mission to grow tennis and vision for tennis in every community is something that the team embraces and feels passionate about, leading to higher satisfaction in the work being done both individually and collectively. Contributing to work that builds community, character and well-being among all people in the region and helps change lives through the sport is a differentiating factor. More about how USTA Mid-Atlantic creates community, character and well-being is available here and how your support is needed to keep this vital work going.

It is with great pride that USTA MAS fosters a healthy and productive work culture environment. Leadership continues to identify methods in which all employees can grow such as:

• Continually seeking feedback from employees, especially as it relates to creating a high-quality work environment through measurement modalities such as the independent, third-party administered Best NonProfit to Work For survey;  

• Involving staff in the review and evaluation of employee benefit programs to truly gain insight to drive decisions on benefits that are meaningful to employees;

• Aligning benefits such as extended bereavement leave for family members and pets, tuition reimbursement and personal concierge support to employees to cultivate well-being and emotional wellness opportunities.   

“Making the Best Nonprofits to Work for list for the fourth consecutive year, let alone the second year earning No. 1, this is an accomplishment we are deeply proud of, honored to achieve, and is never taken for granted,” said Fitzpatrick-Navarro. “But even better is that we learn new things from this that help us improve as a small non-profit, and that’s really why participating in this evaluation is valuable.”  

As reported in the NonProfit Times, the publication works with Best Companies Group (BCG) to survey participating nonprofits, including employees, managers, and outside vendors and formulates the Employee Benchmark Report (EBR). The EBR is composed of 77 statements within eight categories. Answers are compiled based on the percentage of positive responses -- those that were “agree somewhat” and “agree strongly” -- with Best Nonprofits often scoring significantly higher than organizations that didn’t make the cut. Overall, Best Nonprofits saw a positive response on 91% of the statements compared with 83% among organizations that didn’t make the list.

According to the NonProfit Times, USTA MAS directly aligns with this year’s 10 key factors: 

• I feel I am valued in this organization. 

• I like the type of work that I do. 

• I have the confidence in the leadership of this organization. 

• Most days, I feel I have made progress at work. 

• At this organization, employees have fun at work. 

• This organization treats me like a person, not a number. 

• Overall, I’m satisfied with this organization’s organization’s benefits package. 

• I feel I can trust what my supervisor tells me. 

• Quality is a top priority with this organization. 

• This organization helps me pursue a career path that aligns with my skills and interests. 

Not only did USTA Mid-Atlantic examine new ways to continue to make the organization a great place to work, but leadership also double-downed on some existing policies and benefits such as:

• Workplace flexibility and remote work opportunities including a new flexible unlimited PTO; 

• Enhanced Employee Wellness and Employee EAP services that also extend to the family members; 

• Tuition reimbursement;

• Realignment of the employee performance review process with employee strengths as identified through The CliftonStrengths Assessment; 

• Open and transparent communication through all-staff, town hall discussions with leadership;

• Physical office space open for use with the option for hybrid, remote and office work as they needed to best suit employees and their working environment needs; and

• Investment in diversity, equity and inclusion education and implementation with ongoing training, policy review and revision, as well as pursuit of work in a way that cultivates justice, equity, diversity and inclusion (JEDI).

Read more about this year’s Best Nonprofits to Work For in the NonProfit Times and why USTA Mid-Atlantic was named No 1 for 2022. You can also view the full April digital issue with additional articles and resources. 

Tune into Fresh Research, the Nonprofit Times Podcast, to listen to CEO Tara Fitzpatrick-Navarro dive further into what it means to be a Best Nonprofit to Work For, and just how important a healthy workplace culture is for USTA Mid-Atlantic and nonprofits. 

You can learn more about the Nonprofit Times’ Best Nonprofits To Work For program, by visiting www.BestNonprofitsToWorkFor.com. Read more about our past Best Nonprofit to Work For recognition in 2021, 2020, and 2019.

For all the latest on tennis in the Mid-Atlantic Section make sure you are following us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Learn more about USTA Mid-Atlantic here and find out more about our workplace culture. 

USTA Mid-Atlantic is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization committed to promoting tennis and its physical, social, and emotional health benefits. Learn about our impact in the Section and how USTA Mid-Atlantic creates community, character, and well-being. Make an impact beyond the net and donate today.