The killing of a young African-American teen by a neighborhood watch volunteer is putting neighborhood watch groups in the spotlight. The tragedy in Sanford, Florida became front-page news across the country—even replacing the near-constant stream of coverage on the Republican presidential nomination race.

The homeowners association (HOA) of the neighborhood where the shooting took place—and where the father of the young victim, Trayvon Martin, lives—is facing questions. Was its volunteer watchman authorized to carry a gun on patrol? Did he have any training? And did he do enough to avoid the incident, much less its tragic ending? Is the homeowners association responsible for his actions?

Many HOAs carry liability insurance on their directors and officers of the board, but not always on the individual volunteers who carry out business on its behalf. The watchman, George Zimmerman, was the volunteer captain of the neighborhood watch.

According to legal experts, if the association knew Zimmerman regularly carried a weapon while on volunteer patrol, it could provide a basis for a lawsuit (Martin’s family has not yet sued the association).

Using professional security firms can help avoid these types of situations. And besides, if there are security and safety problems in the neighborhood, professionals are better equipped than untrained volunteers to handle them.

As increased foreclosures lead to lower income and reduced budgets, some homeowners associations are relying more on volunteers for services they once paid for. They may not realize the importance of running background checks on volunteers. Consulting with an insurance provider about additional coverage is a good idea, too. And finally, ask local law enforcement or an attorney before starting any sort of volunteer neighborhood patrol.

Whether you need to ask for a favor, solicit a donation or delegate a task, the art of persuasion can help you do it better. Unfortunately, most of us don’t know the basics of persuasion, so we either fail at asking for something, or we avoid it altogether.

It doesn’t have to be that way. Persuasive powers can be yours if you follow these tips. Try them next time you ask for something from a donor or volunteer. You may be surprised at your success.

• Use reciprocation to your advantage: It takes effort, but when you give of yourself, it’s a lot easier to ask for something in return. So when someone asks for your advice, your time or your expertise, give willingly, and you shall receive.
• Adjust your framing: Framing is a popular tactic in business and politics. How an argument, incident or request is framed makes a huge difference in perception. For example, opponents of inheritance taxes call them “death” taxes. Think about whether you are putting something in a negative or positive light.
• Tap into the power of timing: They say timing is everything. And they’re right! Do your homework to make sure the timing is right before try persuading someone to do something. Don’t ask a donor for a gift when they’ve written a big check in the past six months. Check your volunteer logs to see who has not been putting in hours lately—maybe they’re feeling a little guilty about it, and are ready to give some time again.
• Congruence is compelling: Congruence means coming together in agreement. Try framing your requests as though congruence was already happening. You know that salespeople often close the deal long before you’ve made up your mind. They’ll start wrapping an item and before you know it, it’s yours. Try assuming a donation will happen, or a volunteer will sign on, shake their hands, and seal the deal. Think of it as helping them make a great decision!

It’s a common scenario: a board member from your non profit finishes his or her board service, but still wants to contribute to the organization. The next thing you know, you have a volunteer to manage who was once helping to manage you. This can create an uncomfortable dynamic, but it can be handled successfully.

There should be a balance between treating this new volunteer just as you do the rest of your team, and treating her with the high level of respect you’ve always shown. Hopefully, that’s the same level of respect your other volunteers are already seeing from you.

In most cases, having a former supervisor become a volunteer will work out well. But it doesn’t always go smoothly. Some former board members might feel like they need to keep managing you. Others will try to “improve” everything they get their hands on. Another might think she’s the boss, since she knows so much about the organization. She may not see other volunteers as her peers.

If you start seeing problems, or hearing about them from staff or other volunteers, you’ll need to step in. Instead of confronting the issue in your office, show the former board member your respect for her by inviting her to lunch,. Ask open-ended questions about how they’re enjoying their volunteer duties, and steer the conversation to the establishment of a few rules.

Remember how important it is for you to remain in charge. If one volunteer starts undermining your authority or treating others unfairly,  or you could see a decline in morale and increased turnover.

You’ve successfully recruited and brought on some new volunteers for your nonprofit organization. Before you put them right to work, take some time to bring them up to speed. They’ll be happier – and so will you. And they might even stick around longer, too.

No matter what position you put your new volunteer in, you can’t assume they know how to do the work you expect from them. Other new volunteers come into a non-profit with great enthusiasm and ideas, and anxious to do a good job. Without clear direction, they may start making improvements or changes without understanding the organization. Both of these situations can lead to conflict.

A better approach is to invest some time to help new volunteers get off to a good start. Allow them to get to know your organization, meet paid and volunteer staff, ask questions and shadow other workers to see how things are done. Encourage them to observe the culture.

• While you’re working with new volunteers, make sure they hear about the “unwritten rules.” If whoever takes the last cup of coffee is supposed to make another pot, be sure they know that. If everyone brings in snacks on board meeting day, pass that along, as well as rules covering perfume, parking, and other etiquette issues.
• Designate a mentor for each new volunteer—someone they can go to when they have question or problems. Between yourself and the mentor, demonstrate what success at your organization looks like, so the new volunteer knows has a clear picture to work toward.
• Let your new volunteers take their time becoming oriented and integrating into your non-profit. Schedule a weekly 10-minute meeting for the first month, to check in and make sure they feel comfortable.

Putting in some extra time up front with your volunteers will pay off in higher productivity, less turnover, better morale and easier volunteer recruiting.

Volunteer management can be a satisfying and rewarding career. If you’re thinking about joining the field, it may be helpful to know some of the myths surrounding volunteers and non profits.

1. Volunteers are free: Not true. While they do not receive wages or benefits, volunteers often do require resources such as training and supervising. The wages and benefits paid to any staff member involved with volunteers is a direct cost of having them. And keeping volunteers happy may involve buying gifts, throwing parties, or other forms of appreciation that will cost the organization money, as well.
2. Anyone can manage volunteers: Another myth. Volunteering is on the rise, and as more people seek ways to give back or gain experience in a down economy, more organizations find they need someone to manage them. And that takes a variety of skills. For example, state and federal funding, and private grants may require extensive reporting on volunteer hours and activities. Volunteers need to be communicated with, regularly and well. And recruiting volunteers takes yet another set of skills, with networking, interviewing and screening volunteer backgrounds and criminal histories.
3. All organizations can handle volunteers: Knowing that volunteers require management and can be a significant expense to an organization, it is worth asking if yours can take on volunteers. Ask questions such as:

• Do you have tasks that need to be done that would be appropriate for volunteers? Where will you use volunteers?
• Will volunteers further the mission of your organization?
• Who will manage them?
• What benefits will volunteers gain working with you organization?
• What problems can you anticipate and how will they be handled?
• And most important: Why should you bring in volunteers?

Volunteers are an investment and an asset to an organization. And while many people are suited to manage them, not everyone is. And not all non profit organizations are suited to bringing in volunteers. If you’re being recruited to be a volunteer manager, assess your skills and the organization’s needs before jumping in!

While the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) has been in place for more than 20 years, many non-profit agencies think it does not apply to them, or are confused about which aspects of the law do.

Here are some facts about the ADA:

• The ADA gives rights of equal access to places of public accommodation, including non-profit organizations.
• Places of public accommodation must give persons with disabilities equal opportunity to participate in and benefit from their services.
• Small employers are not subject to ADA. This includes those with fewer than 15 employees.
• Employers with 15 or more employees may not ask whether a person is disabled when interviewing for a position, and must make reasonable accommodations for a worker’s disability.
• Making accommodations can be as simple as providing a foot stool to a volunteer with a disability, allowing a volunteer with lupus to take rest breaks or changing the orientation of a desk to accommodate a wheelchair.
• Temporary conditions, such as broken limbs or illnesses, are not covered under the ADA.
• You may choose a non-disabled volunteer over a disabled volunteer, according to qualifications.

About 20% of the U.S. population is disabled, and if you have not yet welcomed volunteers with disabilities into your agency, you may be missing out on a wealth of talent and skill.

For many non profit organizations, volunteer retention is a major challenge. Professional volunteer managers know that every volunteer needs something different from their volunteer experience.

Here are six ways to enhance the experience for your volunteers, and help them stick around as long as you need them:

1. Give the big picture: While the day-to-day tasks are important (someone needs to update the donor database), keep the focus on the long-term. The seemingly unimportant contributions made by volunteers allow the bigger work of the organization to be go on—so make sure they know what that is.
2. Be open: Share the challenges, both operational and financial, with trusted volunteers. If things are tough, let them know—they may be more inclined to stick around and help the organization through.
3. Move them around: Help volunteers develop new skills, if they’re interested in the opportunity to do so. Don’t think that just because Marcy seems happy greeting visitors at the front desk that she wouldn’t enjoy learning more about how to lay out the newsletter. Ask your volunteers about the skills they would like to develop.
4. Treat them fairly: Volunteers usually know when they’re being treated unfairly. And even if they’re not, they may feel it anyway. Avoid problems by being creative about finding ways to treat all of your volunteers fairly. Spread out the workload. Show your appreciation evenly. Don’t play favorites.
5. Challenge them: Don’t expect the least from your volunteers. Expect their best effort. Keep them challenged, and they will feel valued and engaged. If you can, offer training to volunteers to help them excel in their positions.
6. Respect their time: Volunteers need balance, too. If you have volunteers who are putting in too much time with your organization, gently let them know they need to take some time off. Burned-out volunteers might soon be ex-volunteers.

Volunteers can cost your non-profit organization money. While they don’t get a paycheck every two weeks, are not enrolled in your healthcare plan and don’t require any payroll taxes, volunteers are more of an investment than free employees.

Improper volunteer management can cost a charity dearly. Consider the case of one non-profit volunteer who was dismissed inappropriately. She campaigned for 18 months to clear her name, causing widespread negative publicity for the NPO, along with the expense of an internal investigation. Eventually, she was cleared and the executive director was forced to apologize. Who knows what impact the negative publicity had on donations?

Advertising, networking and recruiting for volunteers takes an investment of time. And sometimes there are out of pocket expenses – like background checks and training supplies. You don’t want to add in the costs of fighting a lawsuit to that total, do you? A volunteer recently sued a non-profit for discriminating against her because of a disability. Even though volunteers are not employees, it’s a good idea to become familiar with and follow the guidelines of the Equal Employment Opportunity Act.

This particular case was settled in favor of the NPO, but they still had a significant outlay of cash to cover legal defense. The ideal defense is a good offense; so to avoid expanding problems and expenses, consider creating a policy and a procedure for volunteer complaints. When volunteers submit complaints or grievances, acting quickly can prevent the problem from growing in scope and in cost.

Finally, a thorough background and credit check on potential volunteers can also help you avoid litigation – especially if your organization serves vulnerable populations. Keep your employees, clients and other volunteers safe by conducting thorough volunteer background checks.

Can a non-profit organization (NPO) be held liable for the actions of its volunteers? In general, common law allows that negligence in hiring is viewed equally whether a case involves a paid or unpaid volunteer position. Putting volunteers in positions where they can cause harm to others is a principle source of liability to NPOs.

Whether or not the volunteer coordinator, executive director, or board of directors know or should have known a volunteer posed an unreasonable risk of harm, and whether or not the NPO has any control over the volunteer’s activities are important considerations.

The best defense is a good offense, so knowing up front if a volunteer poses an unreasonable risk is the first step in preventing harm and the liability that comes with it. Screening volunteers is the only way to determine whether or not they pose a risk to a non-profit organization or its clientele.

Strong and safe volunteer recruiting procedures always include volunteer screening. It’s important to know what position a volunteer applicant will be filling once they are approved, so you can determine the level of screening required. This is typically based on the potential risk the position presents.

• Low-risk-level volunteer positions
  Filing, answering telephones, database management, marketing
• Medium-risk-level volunteer positions
  Serving meals, working in a service office, making deliveries to clients, cleaning, painting, landscaping
• Higher-risk-level volunteer positions
  Board of directors, financial and accounting, operating NPO-owned vehicles or equipment, caring for animals, any contact with the general public, working directly with clients, especially young, elderly and vulnerable populations

Professional volunteer background screening and credit checks can assure a non-profit organization’s clients and the public that its volunteers do not present a risk of harm. A trusted, thorough volunteer screening partner can recommend the most appropriate level of screening for your needs.

Managing risk in a non-profit organization can take many forms: proper management, adequate insurance coverage and financial oversight are three ways to prevent loss. Another is thoroughly screening all volunteers. Here are some basic guidelines:

• Create some standards for your volunteer screening process, and apply them to every volunteer applicant. You may decide to run the same level of background and credit check on each applicant. Or, you may determine the risk level to the organization of each volunteer position, and increase or decrease the screening level accordingly.
• Decide what to do with the information you receive on the credit and criminal background report. For example, if a potential volunteer has had several speeding tickets or other moving violations, you may decide they are qualified to supervise a kids’ basketball game, but not to drive the organization’s van to the game. It’s also important to decide at what level of legal trouble an applicant will be rejected.
• Keep good records. A spreadsheet listing the volunteer’s name, position, important dates, and results of the background check and reference checks could come in handy some day.
• If your organization serves vulnerable populations, it makes sense to take extra care with your interview and screening process. The same applies for any position that requires the volunteer to interact with the general public. But keep in mind that anyone deemed unsuitable to work with the public will probably have contact with other volunteers and staff—do you want them exposed to such a risk?

Remember, whether an employee is paid or a volunteer, the organization could be subject to liability for any harm resulting from his or her actions. Don’t subject your non-profit to unnecessary risk—conduct volunteer background screening on every applicant!