Reviewing the pack's volunteer and grant agreements
The Non-profit pack's volunteer and grant agreements are starter wording. Who should review them, how often, and how to send the reviewed version to sign.
By Achekam · · 4 min read · For Non-profit businesses in South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya
Launching soon. The Industry CRM add-on described in this article is launching soon. This article describes it as it will work at launch.
A ready-made agreement is tempting. The Non-profit & fundraising pack in Achekam's Industry CRM comes with a volunteer agreement and a grant agreement already in place, and the onboarding and grant workflows send them for signature as part of their steps. It would be easy to switch the pack on, accept the wording as it stands and start signing.
Don't. Every contract or agreement in the industry packs is marked as starter wording that the organisation must review before use. That label is not a formality. An agreement is a promise your organisation makes and can be held to, and wording written for every non-profit in three countries cannot know your programmes, your volunteers, your funders or your country's law.
This article explains where each agreement is used, who should review the wording, how often, and how the reviewed version goes out for electronic signature.
Starter wording, by design
Starter wording gives you a structure and a checklist of the usual topics. It saves a lawyer from starting with a blank page, and it reminds you of clauses you might otherwise forget. What it cannot do is reflect:
- the law of your country, and any rules specific to your type of organisation;
- your own policies on safeguarding, confidentiality, expenses and conduct;
- the risks of your particular work, which differ greatly between a soup kitchen and a children's mentoring programme;
- the conditions your funders impose, which often have to be passed on to staff and volunteers.
Treat the pack's agreements as drafts for your reviewer, and do not send them to anyone until the review is done.
The volunteer agreement in onboarding
The pack onboards volunteers through a set sequence: a request for their details and references, screening, a coordinator's approval, a volunteer agreement signed electronically, and an induction. The agreement sits after screening and approval, and before the induction, which is the right place: you only agree terms with someone you have decided to accept.
What a reviewer will look at in a volunteer agreement:
- The relationship. A volunteer agreement that reads like an employment contract, with fixed hours, payment beyond expenses or disciplinary procedures, can blur the line between volunteer and employee. Your reviewer will know where that line falls in your country.
- Expenses. What will be repaid, how to claim and what evidence is needed.
- Safeguarding and conduct. Especially where volunteers work with children or vulnerable adults.
- Confidentiality and personal information. What volunteers may see, and what they must not share.
- Ending the arrangement. How either side can end it.
The full onboarding sequence is described in onboarding volunteers with screening and agreement.
The grant agreement signed by the funder
The pack takes a grant application from research to submission, with a director's approval, to a grant agreement signed electronically by the funder, and then to the reports the funder requires; see grant applications from research to funder reports.
Large institutional funders usually send their own agreement, and you will negotiate on their wording rather than yours. The pack's starter grant agreement is most useful with smaller funders, local businesses and family foundations that have no template of their own. For those, review it with particular care around:
- the purpose of the grant and any restrictions on its use;
- reporting obligations and their dates;
- what happens to unspent money;
- the funder's rights to visit, inspect and audit;
- how the agreement can be changed or ended.
Whichever wording is used, the director's approval step in the workflow is the moment to confirm that someone has actually read the final text.
Who should review, and how often
| Who | What they bring |
|---|---|
| A lawyer familiar with your country's law | Whether the wording is enforceable and lawful, and the right clauses for your organisation type |
| The programme or volunteer manager | Whether the terms match how the work is really done |
| Your finance lead | Expenses, reporting and refund clauses |
| The board, or a committee it names | Approval of the final versions as organisational policy |
Review the agreements before first use, then at least once a year, and whenever your work changes significantly, a funder imposes new conditions or the law changes. Keep each approved version with the date of approval, so you can always show which wording a particular volunteer or funder signed.
The National Council of Nonprofits' page on volunteers gathers resources on recruiting, engaging and managing volunteers, which can help your reviewer see the agreement in the context of the whole volunteer relationship.
Sending the reviewed version for signature
Once approved, the reviewed wording is what goes out. Any document can be sent for electronic signature, with signature and initials fields placed on it, signers in order or all at once, an expiry and reminders. The signed PDF and a completion certificate are filed back into Documents. A document can also be composed from text blocks with merge fields, or saved as a template, which is a sensible way to keep your approved wording in one place.
A few points to settle before the first envelope:
- Save the approved version as a template, and make sure nobody sends the old starter wording by mistake.
- Decide the signing order: for a grant agreement, often your director first and then the funder.
- Set an expiry and reminders that suit the signer.
- Check that signed copies land where your team can find them.
Nigerian and Kenyan organisations should note one limit at the time of writing: the signing completion certificate always describes the signatures under South Africa's Electronic Communications and Transactions Act, whatever the workspace's country. Ask your lawyer whether that matters for the agreements you sign, and keep that advice on file.
Board decisions are another document you may want signed electronically; see board resolutions signed electronically.
Before you switch the pack on, book the review: send both starter agreements to your lawyer, with a short note on your programmes and the funders you work with.
General guidance only, not advice on your own circumstances. Tax and payroll rules change: check the current position with the authority or your adviser.
