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Managing Paid Staff and Service Volunteers Staff
Keeping employees engaged and motivated is central to the long term success of any
organization. Identifying the motivational needs of the employees is, therefore, among the key
responsibilities of executives. The issue of managing paid and service volunteers is of
particular importance to a nonprofit organization because the organization may not have the
financial capacity to compete adequately with organizations whose primary focus is profit
maximization. Besides, the prevalence of volunteers in the workforce presents a unique
challenge the management of employees in a nonprofit organization (Worth 229). The
following is a summary of chapter nine of the course book analyzing the dynamics of
managing both paid staff and service volunteers.
The total compensation model is the first method through which executives can
address the motivational needs of their workforce. The model appreciates that in the modern
business characterized by the principles of capitalism, it is difficult for nonprofit organization
to compete on the market based way in compensating employees. Consequently, it is
important to view volunteers as opportunities to enhance productivity at relatively lower
operational costs, but with the possibility of retaining them in the organization similar to the
practice in mainstream business practice (Worth 235). To this end, the total compensation
model identifies a hierarchy of needs which managers can use as a framework to understand
the motivational needs of employees.
At the bottom of the pyramid is the need for receive material compensation. Unlike
employees in for-profit organizations, employees in nonprofit organizations have material
compensation as the least of their concerns (Worth 237). The reason for that is they are
passionate about the course. Second from the bottom of the happiness quotient for employees
and volunteers is the need to have a social interaction which represents social compensation.
Besides, employees feel more motivated if they work in an engaging work environment where
they feel personally appreciated and as part of a group. Psychic compensation is the third of
the four levels of needs for employees and volunteers. It addresses the emotional need of
people and the need of individuals to feel useful in the pursuit of a broad objective. Finally,
spiritual compensation is the ultimate aim of employees and volunteers. They want to believe
that their actions give them life meaning and purpose and share in the vision and mission of
the organization (Worth 238).
The authors note that not all employees or volunteers are interested in achieving the
four levels of compensation. Consequently, it is incumbent on the nonprofit organization
manager to ascertain the compensation needs of the staff and develop appropriate
remuneration structures (Worth 240). In this regard, it is essential for executives to manage
the process of hiring volunteers. The first step is to establish the reason why individuals
volunteer. Among the reasons include enhancing self-worth, learning, giving back to society,
finding meaning in life and enhancing career growth (Worth 245). It is worth noting that these
motives fall under the social compensation in the hierarchy of needs. Consequently, managers
should know that volunteers cannot be viewed as cost-free assets. Even though they may not
impose huge cost implications, they require compensation through others means. They
should, therefore, be made useful through three processes namely ascertain their role in the
organization, recruit them and put them in the appropriate segment, and align their jobs with
