Nonprofit staff are unique in many ways. It is the responsibility of the human resources department to make sure that employees are upholding your organization’s mission and values. At the same time, human resources must protect the rights of the individual, ensuring that all staff are treated equitably and are provided with adequate opportunity for growth and professional development. In addition to managing existing staff and recruiting new staff, the human resources department needs to have knowledge of pertinent legal requirements, personal policies, salaries and benefits.

Below you will find web links to a variety of human resource sources, including legal information, HR associations, job listing web sites and volunteer management information. You can also find podcasts and articles on human resource topics, such as supervision and hiring interns, under TSNE’s articles and media section.

Web Resources

• Business and Legal Reports
  State-specific human resources, compensation, safety and environmental regulatory compliance and training products
• COBRA
  Information from the Department of Labor on COBRA compliance and requirements
• Nonprofit Good Practice Guide: Staff Development and Organizational Capacity
  Provides a glossary, links to articles, websites and other resources
• Smarterorg.com
  Offers online training and learning systems for staff or clients

Human Resource Associations

• Northeast Human Resources Association
  Northeast association of human resource professionals; access to latest reports and news on HR profession and legal information; members have access to legal questions call-in center
• Society for Human Resource Management
  The national association of human resource professionals

Job Resource Sites

• Bridgestar
  Bridgestar matches high caliber candidates with senior level management positions and board openings; they also serve as a general knowledge base and resource, particularly for career changers from the corporate sector
• CommonGood Careers
  Offers competitive rates for nonprofits on batches of job searches
• Idealist
  The most comprehensive site for nonprofit job listings; also has a thorough online FAQ on HR practices

Volunteer Resource Sites

• Hands On Network
  Matches volunteer groups with local nonprofits
• VolunteerMatch
  Matches millions of individual volunteers each year with local nonprofits

Articles

• Light, P. Fall 2002. “The Content of their Character: The State of the Nonprofit Workforce.”  The Nonprofit Quarterly, Volume 9, Issue 3, p. 6-16.
  Survey results on strengths, weaknesses, and job satisfaction in the nonprofit workforce; a few years out of date, but an important perspective for executives and funders
• Hiring for Organizational Success - Part I and Part II, by Jennetta Hyatt
  TSNE staff article; includes links to websites with information on salary ranges, compliance and recruitment