ACOUNTING JOURNALS

NON FOR PROFIT VOLUNTEER STRATEGIES

Expanding the use of volunteers may be one way for not-for-profits to find the labor and skills
they need to remain successful.

The utilization of volunteers can be very useful for your organization if thought through
properly, Nicholas Lazzaruolo, CPA, a partner at Grant Thornton LLP and a member of the
firms national not-for-profit leadership team, said Thursday at the AICPA Not-for-Profit
Industry Conference in Maryland. The cost effectiveness is exponential.

To maximize the effectiveness of volunteers, not-for-profits need to understand what motivates

them. During a recent survey, AARP asked volunteers in Cincinnati and Philadelphia why they
donate their time to the organization.

Most often, they said they volunteer because there is a need and because they can help make a
difference. Not-for-profits hoping to recruit and retain volunteers can use that information to help
craft their message to volunteers.

What is the need thats out there? You need to be able to articulate that quickly and succinctly,
John Griffin, CPA, CGMA, senior vice president and controller for AARP, said at the
conference.

To use volunteers effectively, organizations need to have certain policies and procedures in
place. Background checks should be similar to those performed on potential employees in the
organization in the relevant area, Lazzaruolo said. For example, a volunteer who wishes to help
in the finance office of a blood donation center would undergo a much different background
check than the volunteer who hands out juice to donors after they give. The finance volunteer
would have to be screened carefully because he or she might gain access to funds and systems
that could make it easy to commit fraud.

Risk profiles should also be considered, as the not-for-profits risk management policies and
procedures also should be applied to volunteers, Lazzaruolo said. For instance, volunteers who
are working with youth should receive training and supervision appropriate for their duties.
Onboarding training and liability and casualty insurance for volunteers also should match their
responsibilities. This should all be part of the policies and procedures of the organization in
terms of running any other program that they have, Lazzaruolo said. Its just transferring over
to the volunteers. So if you take a step back, its really, how can we use volunteers as an
extension of our organization and staff?

The policies and procedures lay the foundation for volunteers to help while minimizing risk. But
the real trick to getting maximum assistance from volunteers lies in meeting their aspirations and
developing their skills:
 Assess volunteers talents and capabilities. This will help the organization put them in
the correct roles. Quality of volunteers is important because they have the potential to
cause reputational risk to the organization just as full-time employees do. You should
feel comfortable not accepting volunteers if theyre not the right fit, or not accepting
them for that role, said Jen Hoffman, CPA, partner-in-charge of Grant Thornton LLPs
New York Not-for-Profit practice. In some cases, a different role that better matches a
volunteers skills can be offered.
Find the leaders and high performers. Many times, the most promising volunteers
already have held leadership or high-performing positions in their job away from the not-
for-profit. When the most talented volunteers are identified, they can be asked to lead
other volunteers, take control of new projects, and even provide input on strategy. Get
the best people involved in the planning of the program, Lazzaruolo said. For you to
have a successful volunteer program, you are going to have to have people who want to
lead on a volunteer basis.
Make sure they understand the mission. When Hoffman visited the Clearwater Marine
Aquarium in Florida, she was struck by how every volunteer spoke of the not-for-profits
mission. At the facility whose prosthetic treatment inspired the movie Dolphin Tale, the
volunteers unfailingly explained that the mission is to rescue, rehabilitate, and release
injured marine life. Volunteers may not remember every rule in the policies and
procedures manual, but if they can understand the mission, they should be headed in the
right direction.
Make administrative work as simple as possible. Few volunteers are eager to spend
their time performing administrative duties. They would rather work toward fulfilling the
mission. Well-designed templates, documents, and online portals can help reduce the
time volunteers spend on administration, including onboarding. Make it as easy as you
can, Hoffman said. Prepopulate the forms, as much as you can, ahead of time.
Make mentoring available. A buddy program matching a volunteer with an employee
can be a great way to help volunteers get familiar with the not-for-profit. Why not allow
your volunteers the opportunity to be linked with a staff person, to feel in tune with the
organization? Lazzaruolo said ... And if something is bothering them or something is
positive, they have that window of communication, directly to staff.
Enable flexibility. Volunteers are eager to help, but often they want to do it on their own
time. Offering flexible scheduling will enable a not-for-profit to more easily use
volunteers services. Flexibility in opportunities also is a plus. Hoffman started
volunteering as a marathon runner in the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Long Island
Chapters Team in Training program. After she served as a participant, mentor, and
training captain, she was invited to join the chapters advisory board, which she now
serves as treasurer. These varied uses of her services would not have occurred unless the
chapter got to know her and understand her skills.
Get feedback. Surveying volunteers on their experience with the organization is just as
important as surveying employees. You want to make sure that your volunteers are
getting the experience that they want to get, Lazzaruolo said. And when a not-for-profit
gets feedback, its important to listen and address any problems that are identified.

Reaching the goal of attracting and retaining good volunteers can have a big effect on a not-for-
profits sustainability. Getting volunteers engaged for the long term can provide a tremendous
boost, and Lazzaruolo said organizations should remain focused on keeping the best volunteers
for years. Griffin even recommends including volunteers children when possible, in hopes that
they will become interested in the mission.

As an organization, maybe you invite the kids, he said, because you plan to be around for a
long time, and you want them to be a part of that experience.