This issue's topic: Paid Staff/Unpaid Staff: What's the Issue?
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This Issue's Topic: Paid Staff/Unpaid Staff: What's the Issue?
Here, I provide you with my
recommendations on the materials available that can help you
become more mission-capable in the area of Paid Staff/Unpaid Staff.
In September,we'll start the fall looking at the most important document in your nonprofit by: Revisiting the Mission.
Past Issues:
You can see the topics of past Mission-Based
Management Newsletters, and then view those that are of
interest to you, by scrolling to the bottom of the newsletter, or by clicking here.
This topic came from a reader a few months back,
who works for one of many nonprofits that are struggling with an
emerging fact in many parts of our sector: there's not enough money to
pay all the staff we require to do all the mission that's needed. And,
more and more of us realize that this fact will not change when the
recession ends. I've been tellling audiences for years that over the
next decade we'll be providing more and more services with unpaid
volunteers. Why? Because we have to.
If your first reaction to this idea is "Oh, we deal in life and death
issues, and our staff are highly trained and licensed! This is
impossible for us.", chew on these tidbits:
More than half the EMT's in the US are volunteers.
Same for fire fighters.
Doctors Without Borders has done a pretty good job using unpaid professionals for many, many years.
Habitat for Humanity
meets stringent building codes by successfuly mixing unskilled
volunteers (like me) with highly skilled ones (electricians,
carpenters, plumbers).
All of these organizations deal with life critical issues, and with
highly trained and licensed volunteer providers of services, and we can
learn from them. And, at the same time, more and more volunteers are
looking for more complex volunteer work. Whether its through Teach for America, DoSomething, Idealist, or Experience Corps, our friends and neighbors are ready to help in ways that volunteers didn't even consider ten years ago.
What this all means for you and your organization is a great
opportunity, but one that has to be approached cautiously. Here are
some questions to consider:
Are there new tasks (either direct service or otherwise) that we can perform with volunteers?
What will paid staff think if they need to work alongside someone doing the same thing for free?
What are are liabilities? What does our insurer and legal counsel say?
How can we ramp up our training and support of new volunteers?
What organizations in our community (or part of the nonprofit sector) are leading in this area? What can we learn from them?
What requirements/limitations do our funders place on the use of volunteers for direct service?
Using unpaid staff is a brave new world for
many nonprofits. This trend will not go away, so consider (carefully)
how to harness it for your mission.
If
you found this hint helpful, there are lots more management, marketing,
and technology ideas for you in the "Ideas" section at www.missionbased.com.
Check them out--they're free.
Paid Staff/Unpaid Staff....and
Technology!
The key with all your staff (paid or
not) is to keep them informed about what's going on in the organization
at all times. That more and more means a staff part of your website
(probably passworded), as well as a volunteer one. If your volunteers
do more and more traditional staff work, these two areas may well
merge, at least in some form.
If you are recruiting volunteers under 40, everything about that unpaid
work needs to be on your website, including how to apply, what the
training requirements are, any background checks or security clearances
that may be integral to the job, etc. Make sure prospective volunteers
can sign up right online.
Also, remember that different age volunteers (and staff) are best
communicated with by different tools. Boomers tend to use email more,
while 20 somethings often ignore their email and voicemail and use
texting exclusively. Adapt to your age groups and you'll stay in touch
much better.
Finally, if you have younger volunteers, set up a social network site
for them on Ning or on Facebook. They are almost certainly comfortable
in that environment and can provide support for each other.
If
you found this hint helpful, there are lots more management, marketing,
and technology ideas for you in the "Ideas" section at www yionbased.com.
Check them out--they're free
Below
you'll see the date, location, and
topics of public
training I'm
currently scheduled to do in the next few months. For more information
on a particular speaking engagement, get in touch with the contact
person listed in the right hand column, or email me.
For
more information on my availability
throughout the next 12-18 months, available topics, sample agendas, and
fees go to www.missionbased.com/training.htm
What's
the marketing spin on unpaid staff? In most cases, it's a combination
of appealing to their desire for community service and doing good
works, as well as the learning experiece and resume builder that the
work provides. Think about how mainstream Teach for America has become,
and how many up and coming leaders now highlight that experience on
their resume.
So, what is it about your organization that will
draw and retain potential unpaid staff? What will regular donors, or
users feel about your use of unpaid staff? What about your paid staff?
Will they feel undervalued? All of these are marketing questions
because they affect what key markets (donors, staff, people to serve)
expect from you.
You'll have to deal with all these issues on your website and in your
face-to-face encounters with donors, funders, staff and the people you
serve. So, consider your answers carefully before you decide to use
unpaid staff.
If
you found this hint helpful, there are
lots more management, marketing, and technology ideas for you in the
"Ideas" section at www.missionbased.com.
Check them out--they're free.
, by Melanie Herman