Happy Volunteer Appreciation Day! What to Know Before Using Volunteers for Your Nonprofit

Operating a nonprofit organization on a budget? There are many folks willing to donate their time. Here’s what to consider before taking on volunteers with your organization.

On the heels of National Volunteer Appreciation Week (which was held April 6-12, 2014), April 21 was proclaimed Volunteer Appreciation Day throughout Washington State by Governor Jay Inslee. According to the state, there are more than 2 million volunteers throughout Washington, donating roughly 47 hours per person annually. With so many volunteers willing to donate their time to a good cause, what should you know about having volunteers help out with your nonprofit?

How to obtain volunteer work for your nonprofit

Before recruiting volunteers, make these considerations to help ensure that everything runs smoothly:

• If you are holding a fundraiser, make sure you meet your state’s requirements for fundraising before you actually engage in fundraising activities. Different states have different rules, but most states require that you register with them as a charity when forming a nonprofit, before any fundraising takes place.
• Be clear about the fact that the volunteers are volunteering their time, and shouldn’t expect any monetary reimbursement. Being clear about this from the get-go will help avoid potentially awkward situations or angry people who thought they were going to get paid.
• Is there liability involved? If your volunteers engage in work that might be potentially dangerous or result in liability on the nonprofit’s behalf, be aware that your nonprofit could be held responsible if someone got hurt on the job. One way to circumvent being potentially liable is to draft a waiver or release that must be signed. Remember that this is not bulletproof, especially if there is gross negligence on behalf of your nonprofit. Some states have charitable immunity laws in place to help shield nonprofits against liability, but not all.
• Is the volunteer really a volunteer, or are they an employee? Sometimes the lines become blurred, like if compensation for travel or a daily food stipend comes into play. The US Department of Labor has a fact sheet that can help to define whether a volunteer is engaged in work that might actually determine them an employee. This would make the nonprofit responsible for following minimum wage and hour laws, along with worker’s compensation and benefits regulations.

Cover your bases

Volunteer work can keep a nonprofit afloat on a small budget, and is often considered the lifeblood of many nonprofit organizations. Ensure that your volunteers have a safe, hazard-free environment to work in, are aware of their volunteer status and purpose of your organization, and also make sure you are in compliance with your state when it comes to various nonprofit rules and regulations. You can check out the US government’s volunteer resource and find information about volunteers available in your state. With the right planning and execution, your nonprofit organization can benefit greatly from the abundance of generous people willing to help.