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Let’s start at the beginning. Assuming little prior knowledge, we commence with the definition of human resources (often abbreviated as HR). Webster's Dictionary defines the term as follows:

1. (plural noun) The persons employed in a business or organization; personnel.
2. (singular noun) The field of personnel recruitment and management.

Through this definition, we understand that whether or not there is a dedicated HR function or staff person, every organization, regardless of size, has human resources, and is engaged in human resources. Realizing this, it follows that the more informed we are about organizing employee records, conducting lawful interviews and effectively managing staff members, the better we will serve our nonprofit organizations, and the better our organizations can carry out their missions.

Workforce experts generally agree that the broad role of HR is changing from a heavily administrative function (where it was once called "The Personnel Department") to a more strategic activity. In small nonprofit organizations, administrative HR activities may be outsourced or done by an administrator, while recruiting, compensation, and volunteer and employee relations may be handled by the Executive Director. In mid-sized organizations, a Business Manager may handle HR among many other tasks, or a part-time HR manager may handle all paid and unpaid staffing.

In larger organizations, there may be a dedicated HR department with one or multiple staff members. Just as there is no standardized staff structure, there is no standardized HR structure within nonprofit organizations.

This section serves as a brief overview of human resources. To continue in the HR Introduction section, choose a topic from the list below.

	Helpful Links Nonprofit-specific About.com "The New Roles of the Human Resources Professional" (undated) Free Management Library Human Resources Management guide National Council of Nonprofit Associations Human Resources Management guide Net-Temps Recruiting "Recruiting and HR: Industry Overview" (2003)