Effective HR Management

Non-profits spend a lot of time securing funding, with a good portion of that going to pay employee salaries. We invest a lot in human capital as opposed to physical capital, yet we don’t always think and act strategically to ensure that we have the right people, doing the right jobs, at the right time. While ‘passion for the cause’ is an essential ingredient for working in this sector, it is no longer enough. How do you ensure that your organization has the best combination of people with the skills, knowledge and attitudes to achieve organizational results? How can your organization better integrate the skills and knowledge of both paid staff and volunteers? What are successful organizations doing to recruit and retain top talent? What do you do when you don’t have the right people? Lynne Toupin makes the case for investing in your organization’s human resources.

Five good ideas

1. Align skills, knowledge and interest with the jobs to be done
2. Pay competitive salaries and benefits
3. Plan for succession
4. Develop and sustain a culture of ongoing learning
5. Integrate your human resources – both paid and unpaid

Some good resources

1. Good to Great and the Social Sectors: A Monograph to Accompany Good to Great by Jim Collins, HarperCollins

A People Lens: How your Organization Can Adopt a People First Philosophy, by Colleen Kelly, Executive Director, Volunteer Vancouver

The New Volunteer Workforce, by Eisner, Grimm, Maynard & Washburn, Stanford Social Innovation Review, Winter 2009

The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey