Laura Otten, the Executive Director of La Salle University’s Nonprofit Center, was the opening speaker at the first "National Nonprofit Human Resources Conference: Putting People at the Center," sponsored by Action Without Borders, in Philadelphia, PA, USA, on June 12-14, 2003. This is an article based on her presentation, in which she offers a number of creative and low- or no-cost ways to offer employees meaningful benefits and professional development.

It is striking how many of her ideas involve or relate to volunteering, particularly noting that, if for-profit businesses see employee volunteer programs and board placement opportunities as staff enrichment, maybe nonprofits ought to value these, too. Her comments about the need for schedule and other types of flexibility are also relevant to volunteer managers trying to address the needs of today’s volunteers.

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