Nonprofit Risk Management 

Tip of the Month - June 2008

summer fun - give those volunteers some guidance

Summer often brings a surfeit of volunteers who are eager to help. Summer is also a time when paid staff take much-needed vacations. As a result, often there are fewer folks around to supervise those eager-beaver volunteers. It’s not good risk management to let volunteers loose on the world without adequate guidance, so here’s a tip to provide an orientation for volunteers that doesn’t require a tremendous amount of staff time. Create a “Volunteer Orientation” slideshow that can be saved on a computer and shown to one or many volunteers at the click of a mouse. The slideshow can cover general safety and emergency preparedness procedures as well as special procedures for various volunteer positions. With a few simple substitutions, the basic slideshow can be customized for certain types of volunteers. Orientation, whether in person or via the wonders of technology, should provide information for volunteers who have concerns about any aspect of their volunteer service so that they know where to report their concern. The slideshow should highlight the nonprofit’s mission statement, giving examples of how the mission is fulfilled on a day-to-day basis, and feature the nonprofit’s Code of Conduct or a list of expectations for conduct that all volunteers are expected to uphold. The history of the nonprofit can be documented, along with photos and biographical sketches of staff, accompanied by a description of their key responsibilities. A slideshow is not as personal as a one-on-one in-person orientation, but it’s a heck of a lot better than not providing any orientation at all!

About the Nonprofit Risk Management Center:  The Nonprofit Risk Management Center (NRMC) was established in 1990 to provide assistance and resources for community-serving nonprofit organizations. As a nonprofit, the Center is uniquely positioned to both understand and respond to questions with practical, affordable suggestions for controlling risks that threaten a nonprofit’s ability to accomplish its mission.

NRMC's mission is to help nonprofits cope with uncertainty. We offer a wide range of services (from technical assistance to software to training and consulting help) on a vast array of risk management topics (from employment practices to insurance purchasing to internal controls and preventing child abuse). We do not sell insurance or endorse organizations that do. Look to the Nonprofit Risk Management Center’s regional meetings, monthly Webinars, and online Risk Management Classroom for additional training at www.nonprofitrisk.org.

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