Help! We need administrative assistance!

[Karen Peairs]

I recently joined a small nonprofit organization. Due to some recent staff turnover, we are in need of an executive/administrative assistant. The trouble is that we do not have money in the budget to cover those expenses. Members of the professional staff have been filling in the gap for a long time, but given programmatic expansions, we will no longer be able to continue in this way. Please offer any creative suggestions you have used to get even part-time administrative assistant help.

Thanks in advance.

[shonna]

Have you considered a virtual assistant?  You only pay for the hours used.

[walterhuber]

I have to second Shoanna. A virtual assistant who you can recruit on the internet can be incredibly helpful.

[chrstnsln22]

You could visit this website odesk.com and sign up and you can post the job in their.. I am a member and is looking for a job as a virtual assistant also.



Christine

[larkru]

You could use volunteers or inexpensive virtual assistants.  But buyer beware...you only get what you pay for.  Should you have the misfortune of obtaining incompetent administrative assistance, you will project an incompetent image of your agency.  Stakeholders and funders expect expertise and success for their charitable time and dollars.  I think you will hurt your future in the long run.  I would suggest putting program expansion and the dollars involved on hold until you have resources enough to pay for professional administrative assistance.  These people are the face of your organization to your publics.  If that face does not reflect your mission through and through, your current programs will suffer funding losses and program expansion efforts may fail miserably from lack of administrative support.  Funders today have enough tools at their disposal to understand the prudence you demonstrate by being certain of topnotch infrastructure.