Volunteers Handbook

BY GORDON OWEN

IGO EBOOKS

INTRODUCTION

Volunteering Handbook

Welcome to a Volunteering Handbook guide

About Volunteering

SECTION 1

Forward

Any voluntary organisation relies on the contribution of all

kinds of people to make its work a success: its staff, its

members, many of whom give their time to the organisation

as part of their work, its advisors, Committee members,

Trustees and volunteers. It is this rich range of experience of

disability, education provision and getting on with life that

enables us to promote, create awareness in regeneration

and eco-tourism.

As a voluntary organisation we value your

contribution of time from volunteer(s) as an essential

ingredient to its success.

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Volunteering contribution

Valuing Volunteers

SECTION 2

Introduction

We hope you will find this Handbook useful.

It aims to answer most of the questions you may have about

volunteering with the Organisation.

Other useful and important information is kept

in a Volunteer Information Folder. You will be shown where

this is kept on the first day. Make sure you have a look

through this as well.

If you want more general information about the organisation

itself, or have any further questions then please ask us.

3

Discover more!

Helpful Information

SECTION 3

Coming to the Organisa-tion

Travel arrangements

Train: The closest Station is

Bus: There are bus service links to neighbouring Boroughs.

Car Parking: facilities vary from location to location and

details can be determined when it operational location is

decided.

NB: We are not a static-based Organisation and operate out of

various locations and community centres.

4

Commuting to & from the organisation

Transport & Travel

SECTION 4

Access to the Organisation

We strive to use buildings which are wheelchair friendly/

accessible and that there is an accessible toilet.

The Organisation aims to enable everyone to volunteer and

has equipment to facilitate involvement by people with a

range of disabilities.

If you have any queries please talk to us about your individual needs.

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SECTION 5

ExpensesWe will cover reasonable daily travel expenses on any day you

volunteer with us. We will also pay lunch expenses of up to

£3.50 if you arrive before 1.00 pm and spend more than four

hours at the organisation.

If you do not have money to buy lunch on a particular day

then we can advance you up to the daily allowance from petty

cash – please ask.

Expenses for lunch and travel can be paid daily on production

of a receipt. If you are coming in more than once a week we

can pay at the end of the week if you prefer. Amounts up to

£15 can be paid in cash, anything more than that will be paid

by cheque.

We do not currently pay for childcare or other caring expenses

but will be looking at this should the need arise by seeking

funding for this area.

6

Disbursements

Recompense

NB We do not want you to be out of pocket as a result of your

volunteering so please keep all your receipts/vouchers,

(required for accounts purposes), and remember to claim

what is due to you

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SECTION 6

Receiving Benefits?

As long as you only receive out-of-pocket expenses there

should not be a problem with volunteering while on benefits.

It is always good practice to keep the Benefits Agency in-formed if you are volunteering.

Please talk to us if you have any concerns.

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Out-of-Pocket-Expenses

Benefits

SECTION 7

While you are in the OfficeBreaks & refreshments

Arrangements will be made to have available tea. Coffee &

water where ever we are located during the day.

Volunteers are entitled to an hour’s lunch break.

Notices & information

Memos and e-mails will be issued from time to time about any

information, events relevant to volunteer(s).

Meetings

You are welcome to attend staff meetings. Details of the dates

and times are advised verbally, by memo, and./or email. If

you cannot attend but would like to bring something to the

attention of the meeting then please discuss it with us.

Office outings

Volunteers are welcome to come on staff outings and attend

events, where arranged.

Use of phone & photocopier

If you need to make an urgent local call while at the

organisation you can do so. how to do this.

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Things to consider when in the Office

Office Practices & Protocols

Where made available, you can also use the photocopier if you

need to for Jobsearch or occasional personal copies. Please

tell us, or the organisation responsible for the machine before

you do this.

Smoking

Most, if not all locations and community centres we use are

designated ‘no smoking’ zones.

Dress code

The Organisation staff dress relatively informally in the office,

but look smarter when they have important meetings. In the

same way we would like you to be clean and tidy when you are

volunteering with us, and look smart when you know you are

going to be meeting the public or representing the organisa-tion.

Insurance

Where appropriate and necessary, individuals who are

volunteering or on work placement with the organisation will,

like staff, be covered by the organisation’s insurance while on

the premises.

Health & Safety

At the being of events at locations/community centres we

should be advised of the Fire Exits and procedures on the day,

but if you have any queries please talk to us or any of the

designated Fire Marshall’s who’s names will be displayed on

Fire Notices around buildings.

First Aid

Similar to Fire Safety, provisions should exist for First Aid,

including notices showing who are First Aid Officer(s).

Please contact them if you need assistance or before taking

anything from the First Aid box, or to ascertain where the

First Aid box is kept.

Privacy

The organisation respects your privacy and right not to be

questioned about your personal circumstances, your disability

or prescribed medication that you are taking. You will be

asked for some personnel details on your first day, (e.g. emer-gency contacts) and if there is anything you want to

tell us at this time it will be treated confidentially.10

SECTION 8

Our mutual AgreementVolunteer Agreement

On your first day at the organisation we will discuss your

arrangement with us, and outline the times you will be com

ing to volunteer, and what tasks you will be performing. Once

this is agreed we will keep it on file and refer to it during your

time with us.

Flexibility

We are happy to make an Agreement that allows you more

freedom about the hours you come to the Organisation: please

talk to us about this.

Trial period

We really hope you enjoy volunteering with us. However in

case there are any initial worries, we treat the first three weeks

you spend with us as a trial period. At the end of that time we

will have a chat and if you want to stop volunteering with us,

that’s ok. If you want to clear up some concerns or maybe

change some of the tasks you’re doing, that’s also when we can

discuss it.

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Working together - Organisation <> Volunteer

Reciprocal Arrangements

Length of Agreement

Once you’ve decided that you want to stay with us, we can

make a joint decision on how long your Agreement will last

for. This will depend on the tasks you will be doing, and what

you hope to gain from your time with us.

On-going Support and Training

While you are with us we will help you to complete the tasks

you have agreed to perform. This may involve initial training,

which we would identify during selection or induction.

You will be given the name of people who can give you the

best day-to-day support for the tasks you are undertaking.

If you are not happy with anything you are doing or being

asked to do you should talk to us as soon as possible. You will

not be asked to do the work of any staff member whose post

has been made redundant.

We will also discuss your Volunteer Agreement on a regular

basis with you – at least every three months. At this time we

will look at what you have been doing recently, and see if

there are any other areas of the organisation;s work you might

want to become involved in. If you or the organisation feel

you need training to perform any tasks better then we will

discuss it at this point.

Personal details

All your details are kept securely – either in a locked filing

cabinet or in electronic format on our computer. If you want

to look at any of the data please ask us.

Reporting absence or sickness

We value your time and rely on you to turn up when you say

you will.

However we will understand if you cannot come for any

reason on a day you agreed to, please let us know as soon as

possible so we do not worry and can make other arrange

ments accordingly.

If we do not hear from you for two weeks after you were due

to come the organisation, we will assume you are no longer

interested in volunteering with us and end your Volunteer

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Agreement.

If you want to return to us after this time, please do contact

us, but we may have to negotiate a new Agreement.

Problems

The organisation wants you to be happy while you are

volunteering with us. If you have any problems or concerns

while you are volunteering, please talk to us as soon as

possible, and we will try to sort them out promptly.

If we think there is a problem with the work you are doing for

the organisation then we will also try to talk to you as soon as

possible.

Equal Opportunities

Volunteers are expected to comply with the organisation’s

policies on Equal Opportunities. As part of our transparency

code, this is opened published and can be viewed on our web

site.

Copyright

The copyright of any documents or work created by individu

als who are volunteering or on work placement during their

time with the organisation will be deemed to belong to the

Organisation.

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SECTION 9

Moving OnReferences

Once you have volunteered with the organisation for three

months, we will provide a reference if you need one for paid

work, study or another voluntary position.

Jobsearch & Computer Use

If you want to use the computer(s) at the organisation to work

on your CV or application forms then please ask your point of

contact within the organisation who will check access and

availability for you.

Please check before you use the Internet or e-mail facilities for

personal use.

Leaving the Organisation

When you decide to stop volunteering, whatever the reason,

we hope you will fill in a Leaver’s Questionnaire so we get

some feedback about how you have found your time with us,

and any suggestions you may have for improving the

Volunteer Programme.

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Helping to move on!

Goodbye!

SECTION 10

.....and FinallyAny more volunteers out there?

If you know anyone – friends, family, colleagues – who may

be interested in volunteering then we would love to hear from

them!

They can phone the organisation directly at the contact

details that will be provided.

Spread the word!

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SECTION 11

DisclaimerNo part of this book/eBook may be reproduced or transferred in any form or by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechani-cal, including photocopying, recording, taping, or by any infor-mation storage retrieval system, without the written permis-sion of the author.

The accuracy and completeness of information provided herein and opinions or guidance, or referrals stated herein are not guaranteed or warranted to produce any particular re-sults, and the advice and strategies, contained herein may not be suitable for every organisation/group or individual. The author shall not be liable for any loss incurred as a conse-quence of the use and application, directly or indirectly, of any information presented in this work. This publication is de-signed to provide experienced guidance in regard to the sub-ject matters covered.

The author has used his efforts in preparing this book/eBook. Published with the understanding, the author is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, financial or other professional services. If legal or financial advice or expert assistance is re-quired, the services of a qualified or competent professional should be sought. Contact can also be made to the relevant statutory department. GO

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SECTION 12

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FURTHER, READERS SHOULD BE AWARE THAT INTER-NET WEBSITES LISTED IN THIS WORK MAY HAVE CHANGED OR DISAPPEARED BETWEEN WHEN THIS WORK WAS WRITTEN AND WHEN IT IS REA

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SECTION 13

Copyright & Liability© 2004-2013 by Gordon Owen

All Rights Reserved. These materials are the copyright of Gor-don Owen and any dissemination, distribution, or unauthor-ised use is strictly prohibited. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means, including scan-ning, photocopying, or otherwise without prior written permis-sion of the copyright holder.

Liability Disclaimer

By reading this document, you assume all risks associated with using the advice given below, with a full understanding that you, solely, are responsible for anything that may occur as a result of putting this information into action in any way, and regardless of your interpretation of the advice.

You further agree that the Author cannot be held responsible in any way for the success or failure of your business as a re-sult of the information presented below. It is your responsibil-ity to conduct your own due diligence regarding the safe and successful operation of your business if you intend to apply any of the presentation and information in any way to your business operations.

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Terms of Use & Trademarks

© Terms of Use

You are given a non-transferable, “personal use” license to this product. You cannot distribute it or share it with other in-dividuals. Also, there are no resale rights or private label rights granted when purchasing this document. In other words, it's for your own personal use only.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a re-trieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under statute in the UK with-out the prior written permission of the Publisher.

Requests to the Author/Publisher for permission should be ad-dressed to Mr Gordon Owen at iGOeBooks@iCloud.com - on-line at http://igoebooks.yolasite.com

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All other trademarks are the property of their respective own-ers. Gordon Owen is not associated with any product or ven-dor, or organisation mentioned in this book.

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Index

An introductory guidance to having a Volunteering handbook. The following pages in this eBook serve as a guide model to use and should users can add, alter, or amend to mould into the organisation’s structure so as to be mutually suited for the organisation and volunteers.

It should not be treated as a definitive document as no ‘one-size fits all’ so should be modified and tailored accordingly

Related Glossary Terms

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