GullyHR
Industries · NGOs and Social Enterprises

HR Management Solutions for NGOs and Social Enterprises

Build HR for an organisation where roles are funded by projects and much of the workforce is voluntary.

NGOs and social enterprises run field programmes with a mix of employees, project-funded staff, consultants and volunteers. Funding cycles determine tenure, and donor reporting requires records that many small organisations do not keep.

  1. Plan
  2. Hire
  3. Onboard
  4. Manage
  5. Develop
  6. Perform
  7. Engage
  8. Retain
  9. Exit
  10. Improve

When HR processes are weak, you may see

  • Project-funded roles ending without a plan
  • Volunteer records incomplete
  • Field-team attendance unclear
  • Donor reporting requires records nobody kept
  • Safeguarding processes undefined
  • Consultant and short-term engagement records
  • Staff turnover between funding cycles
  • Low HR capacity in small teams

We help NGOs and social enterprises build HR that respects funding cycles, covers volunteers, and produces the records donors ask for.

Who we work with

Adapted to organisation size, funding structure, field footprint and the balance of staff, consultants and volunteers.

  • NGOs
  • Foundations
  • Charitable Trusts
  • Section 8 Companies
  • Social Enterprises
  • Educational Foundations
  • Healthcare Foundations
  • Community Organisations

What the HR system covers

Most businesses take a few of these at a time, in an order decided by what is costing them most. Open any area to see what it includes.

Organisation and Programme Structure

Programmes, functions and governance.

What this covers

Programme

  • Programme Managers
  • Project Coordinators
  • Field Officers
  • Community Mobilisers
  • Trainers
  • Monitoring and Evaluation

Support and governance

  • Finance
  • Grants and Compliance
  • Communications
  • Fundraising
  • HR
  • Admin
  • Board and Governance
  • Organisation structure
  • Programme structure
  • Reporting lines
  • Governance and board interface
  • Approval matrix
  • Role clarity across programmes

Project-Funded Roles

Tenure tied to a grant.

What this covers

The hardest HR conversation in this sector is the one nobody plans: what happens to a good field officer when the grant that funds the role ends.

  • Role-to-grant mapping
  • Contract tenure aligned to funding
  • Extension and renewal process
  • Communication of tenure at hiring
  • Redeployment across programmes
  • Notice and transition planning
  • Retention of key staff between cycles
  • Cost allocation across grants

Volunteer Management

A workforce that is not employed.

What this covers
  • Volunteer register
  • Role description for volunteers
  • Induction and orientation
  • Code of conduct acknowledgement
  • Attendance and contribution records
  • Supervision arrangements
  • Recognition
  • Exit and records retention
  • Distinction from employment

Field-Team Attendance

Attendance across communities and districts.

What this covers
  • Mobile attendance
  • Field reporting discipline
  • Activity and beneficiary records
  • Travel and allowance rules
  • Leave approval in the field
  • Missed reporting escalation
  • Attendance for project reporting
  • Attendance cut-off

Safeguarding and Conduct

Working with vulnerable communities.

What this covers
  • Code of conduct
  • Safeguarding policy readiness
  • Child protection awareness where relevant
  • POSH framework readiness
  • Background verification
  • Reporting and escalation route
  • Investigation process
  • Training records
  • Acknowledgement records

Donor Reporting Readiness

Records that support the grant report.

What this covers
  • Staff cost allocation by project
  • Timesheet practice where required
  • Attendance evidence
  • Contract and appointment records
  • Training records
  • Policy acknowledgements
  • Audit-ready employee files
  • Record retention practice

Performance and Development

Measured on programme outcomes.

What this covers

Programme staff

  • Activity completion
  • Beneficiary reach
  • Data quality
  • Reporting timeliness
  • Community engagement
  • Training completion

Support functions

  • Grant compliance
  • Financial accuracy
  • Timeliness
  • Documentation
  • Responsiveness

NGO HR Dashboard

People, projects and cost.

What this covers
  • Headcount by programme
  • Staff vs consultants vs volunteers
  • Roles by funding source
  • Contract end dates approaching
  • Field attendance
  • Attrition by programme
  • Open positions
  • Training and safeguarding completion
  • Staff cost by project
  • Record completeness

NGOs and Social Enterprises HR maturity assessment

Each area is scored on the same five-level scale, so management can see where HR stands today and what to improve first.

Request an HR audit
  1. 1

    No defined process

    Activities happen differently each time.

  2. 2

    Informal, person dependent

    Processes exist but depend heavily on individual employees.

  3. 3

    Documented

    Processes and responsibilities are written down.

  4. 4

    Implemented and measured

    Processes are followed and performance is measured.

  5. 5

    Automated and continuously improved

    Technology-enabled, measured and improved deliberately.

What you receive

Depending on the engagement. Scope and sequence are agreed after the audit.

  • HR Audit
  • HR Gap Analysis
  • HR Improvement Roadmap
  • Organisation Structure
  • Manpower Plan
  • Job Descriptions
  • KRA and KPI Framework
  • Competency Framework
  • Recruitment Process
  • Onboarding Framework
  • Attendance and Leave Process
  • Performance Management System
  • Training Framework
  • Employee Engagement Framework
  • Retention Plan
  • HR Policy Manual
  • Employee Handbook
  • HR SOPs
  • HR Forms
  • HR Templates
  • HR Calendar
  • HR Dashboard
  • HR MIS
  • HR Automation Roadmap
  • HRMS Implementation Framework

Our HR transformation approach

  1. 1

    Assess

    Understand the business, its workforce, current processes and HR challenges.

  2. 2

    Identify gaps

    Find the missing, weak, inconsistent or person-dependent processes.

  3. 3

    Design

    Create the structure, processes, policies, SOPs, dashboards and systems needed.

  4. 4

    Implement

    Help HR and department managers actually adopt the new system.

  5. 5

    Automate

    Digitise repetitive and approval-based workflows where it is worth doing.

  6. 6

    Measure

    Track hiring, attendance, employee cost, performance, training and attrition.

  7. 7

    Improve

    Strengthen the people-management system continuously, not once.

Build an HR function that supports the business

A strong HR function here helps the business:

  • Plan for roles when grants end
  • Keep volunteer records properly
  • See field attendance
  • Produce records donors ask for
  • Strengthen safeguarding processes
  • Retain key staff between funding cycles
  • Allocate staff cost by project
  • Build HR capacity in a small team
  • Support new programmes

Build a better HR system for your organisation

Whether you run one programme or many, we can help build HR that fits funding cycles and covers everyone who works with you.

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