Why do people volunteer to write software? Why do people volunteer? Do people working on open source software and nonprofits produce better work? Are they more in touch with their users? If they get paid - or paid more - for that work, does it change how they feel?

CiviCRM and many of the organizations that use it depend on volunteers. And most volunteer organizations are asked how in the world they recruit and keep volunteers. While not every organization is the same, there are definitely some best practices that many open source software projects have discovered and evolved that apply to all organizations. And as some of those volunteers turn into staff, those relationships change.

The keys to a successful nonprofit organization include recognizing the leadership talents in others, helping people identify their passions and enabling them to get things done while creating a strong sense of vision and direction. It also involves good organizational and cultural practices for recognizing contributions, making decisions and even letting people move on. I'd like to share what I've learned about encouraging and growing other people's passions and interests with examples from GNOME, Mozilla and Kids on Computers.

Come explore with me what motivates volunteers and how successful organizations grow leaders, hire staff, make decisions and get things done. After the talk, I hope you'll continue the discussion and share your CiviCRM stories with me.