Volunteers

At any stage of its development, an NGO is likely to rely heavily on the contributions of volunteers to supplement or leverage the work of its professional staff. Volunteers can bring much-needed time, energy and enthusiasm to an organization. At the same time, however, volunteers are not substitutes for staff and bring with them an entirely different set of motivations, expectations and needs. Establishing a volunteer program also requires a substantial investment of organizational resources, as well as the support of the professional staff, who will be working with and supervising the volunteers. Consequently, while the benefits of a volunteer network can be significant, developing this network—recruiting, managing and evaluating volunteers—requires careful planning.

Before beginning a volunteer program, it may also be useful to investigate the legal requirements that apply to volunteers. If an organization is liable for injuries sustained or caused by its volunteers, insurance may be advisable.

Staff

A highly motivated and skilled staff is a key factor in an organization's success. Ensuring that each employee's work fulfills the employee's professional and personal goals while at the same time meeting the real needs of the organization is an important and challenging task. As described by Eathan A. Winning, in Avoiding Employee Relations Pitfalls in Smaller Businesses, some of the mistakes a small organization can make in managing its staff include failing to clearly define job requirements, create concrete policies and procedures, or monitor and evaluate employee performance.