After recently talking with nonprofit organizations about asking staff to donate to their organization or other nonprofits, we thought it would be interesting to ask nonprofits and charities about staff volunteering their time to their own or other organizations.
Volunteering for your own organization
Many people who are drawn to work in the nonprofit sector have big hearts and a passion for their organization’s mission. Further, nonprofits rely on volunteers to do work that might be paid within other sectors. And it almost goes without saying that nonprofit organizations tend to have more needs than budget. All of these factors explain why it is common practice for nonprofit staff to volunteer time for their own organization in addition to their paid hours.
Alice (not her real name) says, “I don’t always keep track of my overtime. I see it as my charitable giving not to bill all of my time.”
As much as Alice and those like her are well intentioned, the various lawyers we spoke to suggest this can be a potentially dangerous practice for nonprofits.
Is it work?
At best, experts call it gray or blurry for nonprofits to encourage or allow staff to volunteer their time for their organization. This is because, as employment lawyer Adrian Miedema states, “Employment standards across the country say that if you work, you must be paid.” Toronto-based labour lawyer Andrew Langille agrees, saying, “Giving time is different than giving money. If an employee agrees to work for free, what’s to say that an employer won’t ask him or her again and again.”
The onus is on the organization to determine whether work is considered employment or not, as this concerns minimum wage provisions, overtime pay provisions, minimum employment standards and human rights.
The closer the ‘volunteer’ duties are to the paid duties, writes Miedema in an article for the Canadian Council of Christian Charities,the riskier it is for the employer. If the volunteer duties are the same or similar to duties done for pay, there is a significant risk. According to Miedema, “If the duties are very different – such as riding in a charity ride—the risk is much lower but there is always a risk when a staff member volunteers hours, that the staff could later say it was an extension of their work.”
Thus, he suggests that employers should document all such arrangements in writing with the employee’s signature, and the volunteer work should be different from the paid work. Even with documentation, however, if the relationship between an employee and an employer sours, the organization risks the employee launching complaints or lawsuits, perhaps saying they felt pressured into volunteering. Such a case may be harder for an employee to prove if they initiated the volunteering and this is documented by the organization.
To avoid concerns while still valuing the passion that staff bring to their organization, Miedema suggests the following best practices:
- Give employees lieu time rather than paying
- Understand your province’s overtime rules
- Create and implement an overtime policy
- Ensure tracking, reporting and record keeping by staff
- Refer specifically to overtime in any release signed by terminated staff.
[“Should Charities be Concerned about Employee Overtime?” Canadian Council of Christian Charities Bulletin Issue 5, 2009 by Heather Card and Adrian Miedema]
Is it voluntary?
Ana (name changed) worked for a credit union that invited staff to volunteer the occasional evening to teach budgeting skills to university students. Ana notes that this was purely voluntary. Paula Speevak-Sladowski, director of programs, policy and fesearch for Volunteer Canada suggests that the emphasis needs to remain on the word voluntary. “The beauty of volunteering is that it is voluntary and is done when people can. We need to recognize that people have capacity to do — or not do — certain things at different times in our lives. People should never feel pressured to volunteer in any way.”
Supporting volunteerism by staff
“Certainly people who work for a nonprofit express their values and passions through that organization,” says Speevak-Sladowski. “But people have multiple interests and roles and may want to volunteer in a way that expresses a different role or interest, such as volunteering at a school or for another cause that matters to them.”
She adds that nonprofits can support their staff in expressing those other passions, likening this to health and wellness programs that holistically nurture staff. Such support often translates into retaining good staff. Staff who volunteer for another organization also learn new skills and have opportunities to practice leadership, and can bring this learning back to their employment roles, enhancing their own organization.
Nonprofit organizations can support staff who volunteer for other organizations in a variety of ways. Speevak-Sladowski says some organizations allow employees to volunteer on company time or provide incentives to volunteers, such as offering time off, recognizing volunteerism in performance reviews or making donations to organizations where staff volunteer.
Ana’s credit union staff benefit package included a provision that staff could take one or two paid days annually to volunteer for a nonprofit organization of their choice. Ana says, “I felt supported that I was given opportunities to do things I wanted to do in the community.”
Volunteering as a team
Just as many corporations find value in volunteering, so a growing number of nonprofit organizations are partnering with other nonprofits and charities by volunteering as a staff team. Research shows volunteering as a team decreases staff turnover rates while enhancing relationships among colleagues and building new and transferable skills. Some nonprofit organizations are deterred by the question of whether it is right to redirect donations for staff to volunteer for another organization. While Speevak-Sladowski thinks this is a fair question, she also sees such volunteerism as a valuable way for a nonprofit organization to be part of the community and to build bridges among organizations.
Two case studies of volunteer teams
Historica Canada is a nonprofit organization dedicated to Canadian history, identity and citizenship. Its staff recently approached president Anthony Wilson-Smith to propose a team-building exercise that would make a difference in their community. They wanted their activity to be hands-on, results-oriented, something for a good cause and an opportunity for this intellectual property organization “to get our hands dirty.” Wilson-Smith says, “Historica Canada educates people about Canadian values. This decision to volunteer was an opportunity to live out those values, helping an element of society in need.” The Historica Canada team decided to spend Valentine’s Day volunteering as a staff team for the North York Harvest Food Bank.
In advance of their volunteer day, Wilson-Smith approached the board of directors to explain that while staff was volunteering during work hours, they would use their own time to finish their assignments so no productivity would be lost.
At the food bank, staff sorted donated food and packaged it for distribution. At the same time, they got to know each other better in a different environment. This is something Speevak-Sladowski’s research found is a prime benefit to team volunteering, as people see colleagues outside of the roles they usually play within their organization, thus enhancing staff morale and communications. The staff also felt satisfied with this opportunity to live out their values, caring for fellow Canadians on Valentine’s Day.
Pathways to Education is a Canada-wide nonprofit program helping youth in low-income communities graduate from high school and successfully transition to post-secondary institutions. Last spring, staff of Kitchener, ON’s Pathways to Education program volunteered at a Habitat for Humanity build site in one of the neighbourhoods in which they work. Kevin Rempel, program facilitator for mentoring and media, initiated a staff volunteer day so staff could work as a team for a good cause. “The fact that we were able to serve in the community in which we work — and perhaps build a home for a future Pathways student —dovetailed into a great experience.” Rempel adds that Pathways encourages their students to volunteer so this was an opportunity for the staff to lead by example, demonstrating their belief in volunteerism.
Staff raised funds in advance as a donation to Habitat for Humanity. Because of the nature of Pathways’ work, they already had the insurance coverage needed to volunteer on the Habitat site. Rempel says that some of the volunteers had physically demanding tasks while others were less so, but by the end of the day, everyone was tired and happy. The Pathways to Education staff are already planning another staff volunteer event, this year making a meal for a local Out of the Cold program.
“By virtue of what nonprofits do, they express citizenship and contribute to society,” says Speevak-Sladowski. “There are various ways of doing this. It could be ensuring that diversity and inclusivity values are included in a hiring process. But I also think that nonprofits see themselves as having responsibilities in the community beyond their mandate. “ Supporting staff as volunteers and volunteering as a staff team are ways to express that contribution to society.
Susan Fish is a writer/editor at Storywell, a company that helps individuals and organization tell their story well. She has written for the nonprofit sector for almost two decades and loves a good story.
Photos (from top) via iStock.com. All photos used with permission.
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