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Step 1
Contact a consultant. There are hundreds of consultants in the non-profit industry. Most are more than qualified to sit down with an organization and customize a plan to fit the needs of the entity. Gain access to consultants through sites like Guidestar.com.
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Step 2
Find canned policies and procedures. Seasoned professionals may have a comfort level with policies and procedures that negates the need for a consultant. Often, the skeleton or basic plan may be purchased. After that, organizations may tweak the plan to the specific requirements of the non profit industry.
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Step 3
Review organization issues with staff and board of directors. Policies and procedures need to answer potential questions put forth by any stakeholder in the organization. The first place to start with possible questions is staff. The board will also be a significant tool for questioning. Questions like travel policies, mileage and communication with the public are all items that everyone involved will need to know.
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Step 4
Include human resources issues. Non-profits often serve underserved members of society. This makes it paramount that policies and procedures address the nature in which the organization operate with minorities or underserved members of society.
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Step 5
Determine the issues that face the industry. Non-profits address a variety of concerns in the community. One organization may address problem youth while another may seek to support battered women. It’s important to know legislation and current issues surrounding these groups and to customize policies and procedures accordingly.
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Step 6
Join online message boards where issues facing the organization are discussed. This is a way to stay as current as possible with a policy and procedure manual. Keep in mind that this requires a lot work since constant updates to the policy and procedure manual will be required. It is one of the better ways to make sure the manual doesn’t become outdated.
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Step 7
Form a retreat with the Executive Director, senior management and stakeholder in the community. Brainstorm on policy and procedure best practices during this retreat. Combining this final step with all the previous steps will ensure that the final policy and procedure manual for the non-profit organization will be comprehensive and meet the needs of all potential stakeholders.
