For nonprofit leaders and operations teams

Virtual assistants for nonprofits

Make space for the people and programs you lead. Your nonprofit virtual assistant can organize board materials, supporter follow-up and the administration around your work. Knows The Drill recruits and prepares your assistant for your sector and agreed responsibilities before handoff.

Find your assistant

The work between meetings deserves an owner.

A board member needs the latest report. A donor's question is waiting for a reply. The volunteer roster has changed again. These details matter to the relationships your organization depends on, and they often arrive at the executive director's desk.

Build a role around the repeatable work that keeps those relationships organized. An assistant can gather the material, maintain the record and follow up on the next action while your leaders set priorities and make decisions.

The work to hand off

Give your team the information to move the work forward.

Assemble board and committee materials

Using the agenda and contribution list supplied by your leadership, an assistant can request reports, organize the packet and identify missing items before review. They can coordinate meeting logistics, distribute the approved version and maintain a list of actions assigned after the meeting.

What you get back: A board packet for review and a separate action register

Keep donor follow-up organized

An assistant can update contact records from information your team provides, log correspondence and prepare acknowledgments from approved templates. They can track promised follow-up and route questions about donations or restrictions to the appropriate person, with the relevant conversation attached.

What you get back: A donor follow-up list with correspondence history and outstanding replies

Coordinate volunteer and event logistics

Give your assistant the roles, event details and assignments approved by your program team. They can collect availability, send confirmations and maintain the roster as people respond. Unfilled shifts and conflicting instructions are flagged for the coordinator to resolve.

What you get back: A current roster with confirmed assignments and open scheduling needs

Gather grant research and application inputs

Working from your program priorities, an assistant can collect published funding information, record source links and deadlines, and organize documents requested by your grant lead. They can flag a possible mismatch with stated criteria for review and track the material your team still needs to supply.

What you get back: A sourced funding research list and an application-input checklist

Illustrative workflow

Prepare a board meeting with the follow-through built in

Use the agenda as the starting point for a packet checklist. Connect each requested contribution to its author, the review step and any action assigned at the meeting.

The agenda is set

Assistant preparesTurn the approved agenda into a list of reports, contributors and requested dates.

Your team decidesWhat the board needs to review and who is responsible for each contribution.

Materials come in

Assistant preparesCollect the files, identify their versions and follow up on missing contributions.

Your team decidesWhether the information is complete and appropriate for the meeting.

The packet is reviewed

Assistant preparesAssemble the draft packet and list unresolved items for the designated reviewer.

Your team decidesWhich materials can be shared and who should receive them.

Members receive the packet

Assistant preparesDistribute the approved version and confirm meeting details using your contact list.

Your team decidesHow to handle late additions, restricted material or changes to the agenda.

Actions are assigned

Assistant preparesRecord the actions and owners supplied by leadership and follow up on agreed dates.

Your team decidesThe official meeting record, priorities and completion of each action.

Illustrative example — not a client record

A board packet with a revised report waiting for review

Use this packet record to show the board secretary which document changed and what must be checked before distribution.

Meeting and agenda item: Example entryNP-015: the Thursday board meeting, agenda item 4, finance update.; What to provide or checkTie the document to its place in the meeting.
Version in the draft packet: Example entryThe draft packet contains the finance report labeled Version 2.; What to provide or checkIdentify what reviewers would currently receive.
New material received: Example entryThe finance lead supplied Version 3 after the draft packet was assembled.; What to provide or checkRecord the newer contribution and its source.
Distribution status: Example entryThe packet is still a draft; the new report has not been substituted or distributed.; What to provide or checkMake the current state clear without assuming the newer file is approved.
Next action and owner: Example entryThe board secretary confirms which report to include; the assistant updates the packet index and prepares that version for release.; What to provide or checkKeep the version choice with the designated reviewer and the assembly work with the assistant.

Ready to hand over when: The secretary can compare the two report versions, identify the one selected for the packet and confirm that the index and attached files agree before release.

Download the blank template (CSV)

No email required. The file includes field names and guidance, with blank spaces for your own inputs. Use it to describe the work during matching; keep private client information out of an initial inquiry.

Shape the role around the workload

Does every board cycle restart the same document chase?

A useful fit when

Board meetings, supporter follow-up and program coordination create recurring work beyond a single event.
Leadership can assign contributors and approve materials while an assistant organizes inputs, versions and reminders.

Discuss the setup first

Most of the work falls around one annual event; discuss the year-round workload before scoping managed full-time support.
Board, fundraising and program teams would share the assistant without one person setting priorities or access rules.

Managed support provides a dedicated, full-time assistant. Direct-hire responsibilities, hours and employment terms are agreed during matching.

Keep stewardship and program decisions with your leaders.

Define who reviews board materials, supporter communications and funding work. Your assistant can keep the supporting information organized and bring questions to the person authorized to answer them.

Leadership retains governance decisions, official board records and approval of grant submissions.
Your qualified team determines donation treatment, financial commitments and any legal or tax advice.
Program leaders set volunteer eligibility, safeguarding requirements and access to donor or participant information.

Start with the next board cycle or program deadline.

01A sample board agenda, packet checklist or recurring program schedule.
02Your donor and volunteer systems, required experience and information-access rules.
03Approved messages and the people who review donor, funding and board work.
04Your busiest periods, working hours and the recurring follow-up you want someone to own.

Recruit. Prepare. Hand over.

Recruited for you. Trained for your industry.

First, we discuss your niche and the work you want your assistant to own. Then we recruit and prepare them in depth for the industry and responsibilities agreed with you before handoff. The matching conversation defines the skills, tools and preparation time your role needs.

We assess English fluency, practical problem-solving and independent judgment, so your assistant can work through the next step and recognize when to bring you in.

Choose the support behind your hire.

Managed assistant

A dedicated, full-time assistant through our service, with ongoing support from our team. One monthly fee.

Explore managed support

Direct hire

We recruit and train an assistant for you to hire directly into your team. You manage the day-to-day. One placement fee.

Explore direct hiring

The examples on these pages are a starting point. Bring the broader range of work you want covered to the matching call. We agree responsibilities, preparation time, working hours, fees and terms before you start.

Before you bring someone on

Do you prepare assistants for nonprofit work?: Yes. We recruit and prepare your assistant for the nonprofit sector and the responsibilities agreed with your organization before handoff. We discuss your programs, working relationships, required skills and preparation time during matching. Your actual meeting and reporting cycles help define the role.
Can my assistant use our donor or volunteer database?: Bring the system and the tasks you need performed to the matching conversation. We can include those tool and workflow requirements in preparation. Your organization decides which records the assistant may access, which fields they may update and how changes are reviewed.
Can an assistant help with grants?: Grant research, deadline tracking and gathering application inputs can be part of the agreed role. Your grant lead evaluates fit, develops the proposal and approves submissions. If you need a specific grant-writing skill, raise that during matching so we can assess it as a separate requirement. Funding outcomes cannot be promised.
Can one assistant support several people in our organization?: We can discuss a role covering leadership, operations and program administration. Bring the recurring workload and busy periods, then identify one person to set priorities when requests compete. This helps define the required hours and a scope your team can manage clearly.
What hiring arrangements are available for nonprofits?: Managed support provides a dedicated, full-time assistant through our service for a monthly fee, with ongoing team support. Direct hire involves a placement fee for recruitment and training before you hire the assistant into your organization. We agree the scope, price and terms before you start.

Give the work behind your mission a dedicated pair of hands.

Tell us which meeting materials, supporter follow-ups and program details need steady attention. We will help define the role and prepare an assistant around your organization's priorities and working rhythm.

Find your assistant

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Explore other ways to organize the work around your team.

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