Avoiding Legal Pitfalls in Non-Profit Staff Serving As Volunteers

The Practice of Nonprofit Leadership

Send us a text

Can nonprofit staff members also serve as volunteers in the organization at which they work? Good question! Small nonprofits with limited staff and volunteers, often see this as a way to get needed roles filled. But it's complicated!
On today's episode, Tim and Nathan dive into what is an important but sometimes murky topic. Important because if not handled correctly, it could lead to legal issues down the road.
By the way...Tim and Nathan are not attorneys so any advice given is from experience only and any action taken should be done so after consulting your organization's attorney.
Here are the 6 points shared on this episode:

1. Verify that the employee is freely volunteering
2. Make sure that the type of volunteer work is not similar to an employee's regular duties
3. Ensure the volunteer work being done by an employee does not displace a regular employee position
4. Make sure the volunteer work is done outside of regular work hours.
5. Do not compensate for volunteer work
6. Ensure the nature of the volunteer work is in keeping with the typical types of volunteer work

To sign up for the Fundraising Fundamentals class mentioned in this episode, go here.
Support the show

The Hosts of The Practice of NonProfit Leadership:
Tim Barnes serves as the Executive Vice President of International Association for Refugees (IAFR)
Nathan Ruby serves as the Executive Director of Friends of the Children of Haiti (FOTCOH)
They can be reached at [e-mail]
All opinions and views expressed by the hosts are their own and do not necessarily represent those of their respective organizations.

فصول

1. Avoiding Legal Pitfalls in Non-Profit Staff Serving As Volunteers (00:00:00)

2. How Not to Get Sued (00:00:07)

3. Considerations for Staff Volunteering (00:10:13)

4. The Importance of Following Volunteer Regulations (00:19:46)