Zoho, best known for its suite of free productivity and collaboration online tools, a direct competitor to Google Apps, has just launched Zoho People, a free online Human Resources Management Application. It's designed for small and medium-sized businesses, but Zoho People could be just as useful for a nonprofit that needs an efficient way to manage a workforce of volunteers.

Very small businesses can keep track of people in ad-hoc ways, (spreadsheets work!) but once a company reaches a certain size (even 25-30) keeping track of things like recruitment, IT resource allocation, benefits, vacations, skill management etc. becomes time consuming. In fact, that is the level at which a business typically gets a dedicated HR person. That is where Zoho People steps in.

Set up as a collection of task-based modules complete with flow charts and checklists, Zoho People is surprisingly easy to use, even for non-HR professionals.

Drag-and-drop to customize a wide variety of forms or create your own — then copy a snippet of code to embed any form on your website. Add details of job openings (or volunteer opportunities) and post them to your site, along with a resume form for applicants to fill out online. Individuals can update their own personal data online, or put in their HR requests for everything from holiday time to training to travel expenses. A note appears on your personal Zoho dashboard when an item is waiting for action or approval, while security settings let you control who gets access to different areas and actions.

For a quick overview of the application's key features, see the video tours or screenshot tour at http://people.zoho.com.