Running a Non-Profit Organization (NPO) comes with its own unique set of challenges, especially in the area of recruitment and hiring. Working for an NPO is different than working at a for-profit organization, and it’s important to be transparent with potential candidates about that. In this article, we advise you on how best to hire employees for your non-profit organization.
There is a longer list of potential risks associated with international NPOs, which must be factored into hiring so you can expand your workforce safely. You also need to ensure you are hiring compliantly and following local employee protection and taxation guidelines.
Recruiting for an NPO: What Should You Look For?
Hiring employees for an NPO is not easy. You want to find workers who are not just skilled but also passionate and committed to your organization’s vision and goals. Here are some things to consider when hiring new staff for your NPO:
The More Experience, the Better
With an NPO, your main focus is reaching people and communities with particular needs. Meeting these kinds of needs could require a lot of costly training if you need to start from the beginning.
Someone who has worked in the same field before, or perhaps volunteered with an NPO or NGO (Non-Governmental Organization) in the past, is more likely to be familiar with the workings of an NPO and a better fit for your staff team. While having qualified skillsets is undoubtedly essential, experience can be a better indicator of which candidates will have the flexibility and willingness to work with your organization.
Strong Communication Skills
Much of the work of an NPO requires communication, whether with sponsors, outreach, or other activities. Candidates who demonstrate a solid ability to communicate well verbally or through writing are more likely to be long-term assets to your organization.
Flexibility and Adaptability
The trajectory of an NPO is not always smooth. Funding may be dropped or decreased drastically, employee schedules can be hectic, or things can happen in the world that force you to redirect your organization’s goals quickly.
An employee who can adapt quickly and isn’t upset by changes is a good fit for your NPO. Talk through the candidates’ past experiences during the interview stage and see if the employee shows resilience in the face of setbacks or turbulent changes.
Passion
This is perhaps the most crucial factor when hiring for a non-profit organization. An NPO typically offers fewer benefits and compensation than a for-profit company, so having a passion for the work is paramount.
Make sure to state your NPO’s mission in any job posting and discuss your values with the candidates to see how they feel they can contribute.
The Risks and Benefits of Hiring Internationally
As an NPO, having a diverse range of employees can benefit your work with vulnerable people and communities. However, hiring internationally can be risky and comes with its challenges. Here are some factors to consider:
Non-Compliance Complications
When you hire a worker from abroad, you must ensure you follow the employment regulations of the country where the employee will be based. In addition to cultural sensitivities abroad, you must also adhere to the guidelines around international employees in your own countries.
Incorrectly withholding taxes, contract errors, or payroll mistakes will all lead to paying expensive fees and fines.
Time and Language Differences
While having workers worldwide can make your work schedule more effective and available, you may also find issues in communicating with your employees due to time differences. Language barriers are another problem; you may need to hire translators to communicate clearly with your international hires.
Despite these challenges, there are also advantages to having international employees in an NPO. Having a global team can:
Improve Your Outreach Results
As an NPO, you’re likely to work with vulnerable communities worldwide, providing assistance, support, medical needs, etc. Having local staff who can relate to cultural differences in each country and advise you on the best way to help the community can save you from making any mistakes and allow you to give to the community in the best way possible.
Save You Time and Costs
Recruiting workers from around the world means that you’ll be hiring from countries with lower labor costs or minimum compensation requirements. Adding to your workforce with remote hires also saves you expenses on setting up a workspace, getting office supplies, etc.
Diversify Your Team
With a multinational team, you can get through obstacles quickly and without needing to hire outside expertise. Your international hires can assist with translating, local coordination, on-the-ground activities, recruiting local volunteers, and more.
Using a Multi-country Payroll Service to Streamline Administrative Needs
With additional risks to NPO workers, you need to ensure that you run payroll and pay international employees in full compliance with the countries you both work in.
Dealing with multi-country payroll can be a long and arduous process. If you opt to go with international money transfers, transfer fees and exchange rates can make the process more expensive than necessary every pay period.
Taxation is another area you need to be aware of. While NPOs are not usually required to pay the same taxes as for-profit companies, there are still employer tax forms and laws that you must follow that differ according to country, state, or region. Incorrectly filing your taxes can be costly and detrimental to the organization’s morale.
Outsourcing your multi-country payroll needs can be a fast and efficient solution for overseas tax filing. The first step to doing this is making sure the payroll partner you choose is legally secure.
A good multi-country payroll service will help you pay employees and take care of all your needs swiftly and in full legal compliance.
Streamline the Hiring Process with INS Global
Whenever you are hiring international employees to expand your reach, or you’re a small business looking too benefit from the greater global talent pool, there’s a lot of opportunity overseas.
However, you must keep track of local minimum labor laws, employment protection guidelines, local payroll tax regulations, and much more. This can add up to a great deal of extra work and time to manage operations in a foreign country or foreign market.
INS Global is an expert and professional full service provider of EOR and PEO solutions. We can take care of your payroll no matter how many countries you are targeting through our online payroll service. With our dedicated staff and legal advisors, you can rest assured that all the employees of your NPO are paid promptly, securely, and correctly.
We also offer additional services such as recruitment, global payroll operations, hiring, onboarding, and HR, all available through a single point of contact.
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