What is the best structure of non-profit workers?
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@evan Ideally in my anarchist utopia we have all of our basic needs met and so I voted with my heart and said "entirely volunteer" but realistically in the current climate I think I'd swing 100% the other direction. It can be really hard to manage volunteer labor in a way which honors that labor, particularly if you, yourself are underpaid which is so much of non-profit work in the US.
@evan I volunteer for a pet rescue group. VOLUNTEER. I give my time and skills to help the animals I care about. But the vet clinic the organization runs? That staff is paid and should be paid, along with the half-dozen full-time employees of the organization. Volunteers come and go (though I've been doing this for about 20 years); an organization needs continuity to survive, and that means a living wage.
@evan it depends.
If it is a high profile subject there may be lots of volunteers to be had, and so an organization can have more volunteers than paid staff.
But if the NfP is for an obscure or esoteric subject matter with little publicity then paid staff might be the only option (assuming there is funding).
@evan I'm thinking It Depends
An advocacy group or social services group? Most of them should be paid I think.
Out in the community doing works? Probably a buttload of volunteers.
A member organization (think makerspace or non profit gym)? Few if any paid staff.
@evan unfortunately, at least in the USA, there's a bunch of different kinds of organizations under the heading of nonprofit, and which one you assume is the default is personal.
Like, i3Detroit and Ars Gladii are 501(c)3 nonprofits (member org).
Grand Rapids Trans Foundation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit (advocacy, scholarships, organizing events, etc).
FIRST Robotics and Destination Imagination are national league organizers.
@evan none of these are outliers. Which one you think of is probably going to be the kind you've worked with the most.
@evan another question is type of pay . . . a small stipend or a full salary with benefits.
@evan I've worked with, for, and in a lot of ways this depends on the mission of the organization and it's size. There's no one size fits all
@evan are you saying your don't want any commentary on your polls? You're not interested in any further insight? If so I apologize for infringing on your rules. Pardon me for assuming that social media could be about dialog instead of merely broadcasting
@lakelady no, I get so many people saying the same thing on my polls that I've put together a FAQ with the most common responses and how I reply to them.
If you'd like to reply "it depends" anyway, that's fine. I just don't want to have to rewrite the same message every time someone says it.
@lakelady I *really* like it when people talk about the complexity of the topic and then come up with an answer. If people decide that the complexity is too much for them to find an answer, that's fine, too.
@evan labor is still labor and should be compensated appropriately
@CowboyWho what did you answer?
@evan Would this be enforced with a maximum number of volunteers? Would that be counted by work hours or by heads?
@babble_endanger what do you think would be the right way to define it?
@evan I suppose I couldn't tell until I saw a non profit that either seemed to need more paid members or fewer
@evan People should have the choice to volunteer.
@evan
The idea of working somewhere that is actively helping the world in tangible ways, not deriving profit from their business, and ensuring a living standard for those doing the work is the dream, my friend.
@UrsaAshBear how did you answer?
@evan Entirely Paid
@evan We (small organizing co-op) use a hybrid system where we all mostly volunteer, but we have a small "no-fun fund" to pay an hourly wage for doing necessary tasks that nobody enjoys.