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Managing People II
Click below for these specific items in this section Board and Officers/Duties/Ethics Running an Effective Meeting/Rules of Order Managing Conflicts (Between Volunteers, Board and Staff) Conflict of Interest Policies and Situations VolunteersVolunteers can be very valuable to a nonprofit. However, the organization must keep control over its volunteers' actions, statements, etc., because the public sees the volunteers as representatives of the organization. The acts or information given by a volunteer are seen as the acts or information of the nonprofit. Incidentally, another important thing to remember about volunteers is that they can be fired. Two good resources for information on working with and managing volunteers are Ten Commandments for Effectively Using Volunteers
Planning and Managing a Project with Volunteers in Mind
To avoid possible volunteer problems, you should "hire" your volunteers as carefully as you would your employees. Written standards, guidelines and procedures should be created for the volunteers by the board. Also, you will want to use the specific strengths of each volunteer. Some people are better at organization and office skills while others may be better at marketing or raising funds. Volunteers should be trained in the mission and goals of your nonprofit. It should also be made clear what their duties and responsibilities are and what responsibilities they do not have. Volunteers must understand that decisions can be made only by a vote of the majority of the board and that no volunteer can make any promises or commitments for the nonprofit. Many organizations wonder whether they should do background checks on their volunteers. Depending upon what your volunteers will be doing, background checks may be very important or legally required. For example, special training must be given to volunteers involved with children. Your board will need to decide which employee and volunteer positions need to have a background check (Frierson 78-86). More information can be found at Background Check Gateway available at
Employment Background Checks: A Jobseeker's Guide at
Your board should also make sure that the volunteers and their activities are covered in your insurance policy. Otherwise, for example, if a volunteer injures someone while performing his or her duties, your organization could be held responsible. The Nonprofit Risk Management Center provides valuable information
Be sure to thank your good and loyal volunteers. In deciding how to thank volunteers, keep in mind the main goal of your nonprofit and your duty to your donors. Although you may want to buy each of your volunteers a new car to thank them for all they do, legally it would not be a correct use of your donors' funds. Most volunteers are helping because they support your goals, so a heartfelt thank you will often be enough. Board and Officers/Duties/EthicsEvery nonprofit has its own needs and organizational structure. However, there are some basic rules that must be followed. Your President (or chairman, director, etc.) is the person in charge of your organization and running the board meetings. You will also need a Secretary who is in charge of keeping records of your meetings, legal paperwork, communications, etc. Your Treasurer is the person who keeps track of your money. Most organizations also like to have a Vice-President or someone able to step in and take charge in the absence of the President. The board decides the organization's mission statement and purpose. The board hires staff and volunteers, provides leadership for paid and unpaid staff members and gives regular reviews of their work. The board supplies the needed resources and manages those resources wisely, decides what programs or services will be offered by your organization, decides what types of fundraising you will do and makes sure your nonprofit and its goals are known in the community. A good board should regularly review its own performance and come up with a plan to become better, stronger and more effective. Being part of a nonprofit board is not a matter to be taken lightly. Board members (sometimes called trustees) have a great responsibility to the nonprofit and its donors. Legally, these people have:
The Attorney General and the Ohio Grantmakers Forum published a guide to the duties of foundation board members. Search for duties of foundation board members
For Codes of Ethics information, questions and research
http://www.independentsector.org/members/code_main.html These are complicated subjects and site users should not try to set up any portion of a nonprofit corporation based solely on the information they find on this site. Running an Effective Meeting/Rules of OrderDuring nonprofit meetings, there are basic rules that keep the meeting orderly and efficient. Many people have heard of Robert's Rules of Order for meetings
The basic reasons for having rules of order for meetings are:
A nonprofit can create and agree on rules of order. Meetings usually use an agenda (outline) to stay focused on the topics to be discussed. A typical agenda would be:
Two links for basic rules of order for meetings
Managing Conflicts Between Volunteers, Board and StaffHaving written rules and knowing the responsibilities of volunteers, board members and staff is an excellent way to avoid conflicts. If everyone knows what is expected, there will be few conflicts. However, there will be differences of opinions and it is important that everyone is heard and that everyone understands that the decision of the majority of the board is a final decision. Staff and volunteers can and should offer their opinions, but the board makes the final decision. The Employment Law Guide For Nonprofit Organizations' site does a really good job of explaining what ought to be considered when developing an employee manual and is available at
Conflict of Interest Policies and situationsYour nonprofit organization should have a written policy about not allowing conflicts of interest. Basically that means that a board member must NEVER vote for something that neglects or goes against the nonprofit's mission so that he or she can take advantage of an opportunity or personally make money. Board members should always let the nonprofit know if they would gain money because the charity is considering doing business with you, a family member or a company you are involved with. The interest of the nonprofit must always come first. If at all possible, completely avoid business that may have potential conflicts of interest. Further information can be found on the IRS Web site
The Council on Foundations has dependable resources on conflict of interest policies Booklet called "Conflicts of Interest: Safeguarding Your Foundation," offers four articles and several sample policies. Some of the policies are for both the board and staff and one is just for staff
Another publication is "Conflicts of Interest: IRS Sample Policy Annotated for Grantmakers."
Sample policies can also be found in the Council on Foundations document database
Continue to Managing People "DisputeResolution" III
Return to the First Page of Managing People I
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