Other Helpful Information
Volunteer Boards
To use the words of Jim Collins, it is important for every organization to get the right people on the bus. Recruiting, developing and retaining the right people are shared responsibilities of boards and staff in all sectors. In the nonprofit sector, boards tend to be solely or partially responsible for drawing in volunteer talent in addition to the usual duty of recruiting and managing the executive director/chief executive officer and board members. This is due to the fact that in the nonprofit sector, a single organization will not have sufficient resources to hire staff for all the competencies required. The right people are usually a mixture of paid staff, volunteers, partners and external consultants.
This sector characteristic has two important implications for networks and umbrella organizations developing a Labour force strategy (i.e. for paid staff). First, the strategy will in all likelihood need to be paired with a similar strategy for volunteers. (In many cases, a volunteer strategy is developed after a labour force strategy is well underway.) Second, the relevant boards will need to understand and be actively involved in developing the strategy.
Volunteer Management
As stated in the section on volunteer boards, volunteers play a much larger role in achieving the mission in the nonprofit sector. Consequently the management of volunteers takes on a higher priority as well. This is becoming a core competency for paid staff and an important part of board duties.
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Unionized Environments
Developing a labour force strategy in a unionized environment requires additional attention to transparency and openness. Needless to say, representatives from the union should be invited to participate in the planning process as early as possible.
Unions, by definition, share an interest in the well-being of their members so any efforts to improve the working conditions and benefits for employees will be welcomed. However, union leaders and membership will want to know what is being planned and what impacts they can expect.
For leaders who are developing a labour force strategy, it is important to know the terms of the collective bargaining agreement and which employees are in the bargaining unit and which employees are excluded.
Information on most Canadian unions can be found at: Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) and National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE)
