Nonprofit Management and Operations Issues

How to Find and Keep Volunteers

• Find people with similar interests: People tend to volunteer with organizations that support a cause that they feel passionate about. Think about what kinds of places a person interested in your cause might frequent. For example, if your organization is helping to combat illiteracy, look in your local library. If your organization wants to prevent cruelty to animals, try advertising in vets’ offices.
• Advertise in community-centered places: Posting ads in your local paper and using flyers or posters in community-centered places, such as churches, synagogues, office buildings, hospitals, and shopping centers, will allow you to reach many different types of members of the community, not just people passing through.
• Use word of mouth: Word of mouth is a powerful recruiting tool. Friends and family members are often willing to lend a hand for a good cause and are likely to contact their friends, who contact their friends, and so on.
• Keep at it: Volunteer recruitment is an ongoing endeavor. Use press releases, flyers, brochures, posters, and word of mouth to let people know about both your organization and the ways they can contribute time and money. Websites such as www.servenet.org, www.volunteermatch.org, and www.idealist.org can help you locate volunteers online.
• Understand volunteers’ motivations: Volunteers donate their time to organizations for a range of reasons that have implications for how long and how well those volunteers will serve. Find out whether a volunteer is there to advance the cause, simply to make friends, or to develop new skills—then help that volunteer shape his experience to give him more of what he’s looking for.
• Be organized: Volunteers can help you best when you make it clear exactly what you need. Before you recruit people to help, assess your organization’s circumstances, write a list of areas for improvement, and then outline the skills and talents you need in volunteers if you’re to reach your goals. Share the information with prospective volunteers to make sure they understand expectations and are likely to be a good fit.
• Cultivate team spirit: Put some thought and effort into creating a collegial environment. Give volunteers opportunities for social interaction by working in groups or serving on committees. Shutting a volunteer into an abandoned conference room and making her stuff envelopes for hours is unlikely to create a long partnership. Think of volunteers more as helpful guests than free laborers.
• Screen volunteers: Simply because someone wants to volunteer doesn’t mean you should let him. Have your volunteers fill out an application similar to job applications used for paid positions. Call references, review applicant résumés, and conduct interviews if necessary. Depending on the nature of your nonprofit, you may need to have local authorities run a fingerprint and background check on applicants to protect the safety of your staff, clients, and other volunteers.
• Show appreciation: Saying “thank you” is a surefire way to begin building strong relationships with volunteers. In fact, that’s one reason many people donate their time—they hope someone will appreciate their help. At the same time, it’s inappropriate for a nonprofit to spend public funds on expensive gifts for volunteers, so consider thank-you notes and other heartfelt but inexpensive expressions for showing your gratitude.

How to Hire Staff

• Cash flow: You shouldn’t hire your first employee until your organization has sufficient cash flow to cover the staff person’s salary, payroll taxes, training, and everyday office expenses and then some.
• Work load: Excess funds alone don’t mean that you should hire an employee; you should also have sufficient work to keep that person busy. Preferably, that work should include things that your current volunteer staff cannot handle today or cannot handle long-term—for example, if a program requires leadership with certain credentials or licenses that your board and volunteers don’t have.
• HR policies: Make sure you have human-resources or personnel policies that outline the expectations that the board has for staff members in terms of work output, hours on the job, and vacation time. These policies should cover issues such as termination, long-term disability, parental leave, and so on.

How to Find an Office Space

• A first-floor suite or a building with an elevator because you work with an elderly or disabled population that cannot use stairs easily.
• Certain security features because you serve victims of domestic violence who live in fear of attacks.
• A gymnasium in the building because promoting physical fitness among children is your mission.

Rent or Buy

• Buying: Buying lends an air of permanence to your operation, thereby improving your public image. It also has the potential to stabilize costs, depending on the terms of your loan.
• Renting: Renting is a safer choice when you’re just getting your organization off the ground. If renting, carefully consider the terms of your lease to avoid surprises regarding utility costs, renewal policies, taxes, repairs, maintenance, and more.