ABSTRACT
This chapter explains the different components of a volunteer development program and identifies sources of volunteer motivation. It aims to understand the different federal laws that apply to non-profit organizations (NPO) and discusses different legal issues as they relate to volunteers. The chapter explores compensation as a current issue in NPOs and concludes with a case study that shows the complexity of addressing the issue of sexual orientation in non-profit management. Even though NPOs share several similarities with for-profits and public organizations on key Human resource management (HRM) functions and issues, they face some unique HRM issues and operations. The NPO leaders need to have realistic expectations about how much volunteers can contribute, in what areas, and how stable that support could be. Considering the legal precedence of using federal legislation in cases involving volunteers, it is only prudent for NPOs to provide volunteers with the same protection and rights that it would otherwise provide to its paid staff.
