Over the past few weeks, we’ve explored the best practices for working with paid staff and volunteers, but what about the need for contractors? While not always necessary, depending on the size of your organisation or level of workload, contractors can play a crucial role in the success of not-for-profit organisations and professional membership associations.
Working with contractors requires a different approach to staff and volunteers. While they bring specialised expertise and offer flexible support on projects, to see results it’s important to understand the unique challenges and opportunities that arise when hiring contractors.
Understanding Their Role
Staff members tend to take on broad responsibilities across the organisation, and volunteers offer their time out of passion for the industry, but contractors are typically hired for their specific skills to meet the organisation’s short-term or project-based needs. This deems them an extremely valuable asset when your organisation requires additional support during busy periods.
Contractors aren’t used within organisations in the same way that employees or volunteers are. They may juggle multiple clients, and possibly because of this, focus on delivering specific results within a timeframe they have been contracted to work in. This time restricted efficiency can act as a huge advantage but may make your relationship more transactional. The engagement is usually focused on deliverables, as opposed to a day-to-day organisational aspect.
Mission Alignment
While contractors may not have a deep connection to the organisation, it is still vital to align them with its mission. Contractors who understand the “why” behind their work will provide much better outcomes, and be more motivated to deliver quality results.
As contractors are usually driven by their expertise and professionalism, it’s important to relay the organisation’s mission and values at the start of their contract.
Collaboration
The work dynamic between contractors, staff and volunteers will greatly differ. Unlike staff, contractors aren’t expected to navigate office policies or be involved in team-building efforts. However, creating an environment where contractors can easily integrate with the wider team is essential for smooth collaboration.
Effective coordination in projects allows for seamless work efforts, without the need for check-ins and micromanagement. Regular updates will help everyone stay on the same page, without burdening contractors with any unnecessary meetings.
Flexibility
One of the biggest advantages of hiring contractors is the flexible support they offer. You will usually find that contractors are able to quickly adapt to the changing need of your organisation.
On the other hand, there is a need for clarity and clearly defined goals. Having well outlined contracts, task briefs and regular feedback is critical to quality control. Keeping all parties in the loop regarding any changes in terms or scope creep is crucial in avoiding misunderstandings.
Differences
Engagement
Contractors are incorporated into an organisation to deliver results. Their level of engagement with the wider organisation may vary, so it’s important to have a clear understanding of the terms of the contract, and not expect the same level of engagement as you would from a member of staff.
Commitment
Contractors may only be engaged for a specific period of time or certain project, which is why time management and commitment expectations should be clearly set out in the beginning of the contract. Unlike staff, contractors are not available on demand, so be mindful that your expectations align.
Responsibility & Accountability
Contractors usually work to a specific set of deliverables outlined within their contract, making what they’re accountable for extremely clear. Having structured framework in place can make this easy for all parties, but requires careful oversight to ensure deadlines and standards are met.
How We Can Help
While there are a huge number of benefits to being part of a professional membership associations management committee, it’s important to realise that there are heavy responsibilities. Many tasks can seem quite daunting or time consuming, which is why it’s important to work alongside a reliable administration management team.
At Cygnul we work in partnership with our clients and are seen as trusted advisors to the Board. We can undertake the full range of membership, secretarial and bookkeeping services as well as offering advice and support to associations around the UK. If you want to explore how these services could help your organisation, please get in touch with us.