Chatting to a VA over the weekend made me realise how much a Virtual Assistant working with a Not For Profit is a perfect fit. You could say it’s the perfect marriage.
Organisations run by volunteer committees at some time or another get to the point of overload. The committee members have to make a decision of where to go next, they’ve come to the cross road. Some struggle or find more committee members but more often than not, many get burnt out and move on, leaving the organisation lacking in skills and experience. Others decide to engage someone to support them but then comes the question of who, when, where, how much and so on.
Enter the Virtual Assistant who has suitable skills for this role. They already have their own office, equipment, software and furniture and this immediately elminates the need for those items to be considered by the committee of the organisation. So, the next thing they really need to do is decide what needs to be done and how much they are willing to commit to financially.
Some organisations agree to an annual rate which is paid on a monthly basis on contract and others simply pay on invoice to the VA who supports them. I have done it both ways and for 10 years supported several NFPs, some for several years. At one stage I was supporting 3 simultaneously and really enjoyed this line of work.
The services I provided as a Secretariat (Association Management) for NFPs are: database management, website maintenance, membership management, broadcast emails, daily contact with members (provided a phone line), receiving and opening mail, banking of membership payments, reporting to the treasurer and president as needed, prepare agendas for meetings, take minutes of meetings and organise networking and educational events for the members. The majority of this work was done in my own office but once a month I may have been required to attend committee meetings or networking events held for members – it really depended on the organisation.
If you enjoy working with groups of people and have a personal interest in certain areas, then you could look to see what NFPs operate in that area, for example: sport, medical, ethnic groups, business councils, specific industry groups and so on.
