Human Resources

The Panel on Accountability and Governance in the Voluntary Sector describes a crucial responsibility of the non-profit board of directors as "ensuring that an effective management team is in place and overseeing its activities."

Your organization's human resources are essential to the achievement of its mission. When your board establishes and monitors human resources policies and management systems, it provides its personnel with the support and guidance required to accomplish that mission.

Who is in charge?

The size and composition of charitable organizations' human resources vary widely. The work of many smaller non-profits is accomplished only by volunteers, or perhaps by a board and one staff. Larger charities may have workforces consisting of many volunteers and departments of staff to carry out their activities and programs.

In those non-profits that do not employ staff, the board is the management team that assumes responsibility for overseeing the organization's activities. Boards that employ staff typically delegate the management function to a senior staff, usually an Executive Director. The board is responsible for overseeing the work of the Executive Director, and the Executive Director is usually responsible for managing all other staff.

Who makes the rules?

Regardless of the configuration and size of your organization's workforce, it is your board's responsibility to establish appropriate human resource policies that address its personnel, whether they are staff or volunteers (including board members). To ensure your board is creating effective human resource guidelines for your staff and volunteers, consider a few words of advice.

Special considerations

In addition to its responsibility to establish and monitor personnel policies, your board must fulfill some accountabilities specific to certain personnel. Consider your board's responsibilities regarding:

• Volunteers
• Staff
• The Executive Director.
  

Is your board appropriately overseeing its human resources? Check some performance indicators to find out.

Your organization's human resources are essential to the achievement of its mission. When your board establishes and monitors human resources policies and management systems, it provides its personnel with the support and guidance required to accomplish that mission.

Find out how well you know your board's human resources responsibilities ... take the Human Resources Challenge.

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