Elearning provides a cost effective solution to some key issues affecting many not-for-profit organisations.

One example is how to successfully manage volunteers. Many community based organisations rely heavily on volunteers at some level. This might be people on the ground delivering service, or at governance level providing oversight as committee members or trustees.

Challenges can arise from the fact that volunteers typically come from diverse backgrounds and present with a range of skills and experience.

In these circumstance elearning can assist by:

• providing a consistent and cost-effective way to induct new volunteers to your organisation.
• educating your volunteers about the issues or cause your organisation addresses.
• teaching volunteers about internal policies and procedures unique to your organisation.
• addressing risk-management needs by ensuring your people understand health and safety and other compliance matters.
• training in governance and management skills such as strategic and business planning, financial management, or fundraising methods.
• teaching skills specific to your sector like managing sports teams, recognising abuse, or advocacy skills.

By developing your people you build the capacity of your organisation and achieve better results. You also improve consistency of delivery across member organisations at national, regional and local level. You can harness the power of having all workers on message and moving in the same direction.

Perhaps most importantly you can achieve consistently high standards of performance over time. As your people naturally come and go, this consistency allows efforts to build incrementally on the work that has gone before. The effectiveness of your organisation is then not tied to a rollercoaster of strengths and weaknesses of individual people. This is a common issue in many not-for-profits which do not enjoy paid administrators or management.

Finally it demonstrates that you recognise and value the work of your people across the organisation, by investing in their ability. This can aid morale, recruitment and retention.

All of this helps you achieve your goals, and can be achieved for a fraction of the cost of traditional training and development approaches in the not-for-profit sector, especially if your organisation and affiliate bodies operate from a variety of locations.

If you would like to know more about how elearning can greatly enhance your not-for-profit organisation please contact us.

Related posts:

1. Transform with elearning: What do you wish your community, organisation or industry did better?
2. Not-for-profit uses elearning to train 3000+ volunteers
3. Download: E-Learning success stories in the not-for-profit sector
4. E-learning for organisation and people development
5. Linking organisation culture and e-learning