Volunteer Management
Volunteers are an important part of the nonprofit community. Almost all organizations started with an idea and the hard work of one or two people. Many organizations operate solely with volunteers. Others use volunteers to expand their programming efforts. The vast majority of nonprofit board members are volunteers. Savvy managers realize volunteers can pose risks to an organization if they are not well managed in the areas of recruitment, training and supervision.
Recruitment
A written volunteer application will help an organization to obtain information on an applicant so that the best use can be made of the applicant’s experience and talents.
In addition to the applicant’s name and basic contact information, a volunteer application should collect information on the applicant’s education, work experience, previous volunteer experience, and support for your organization’s mission.
Screening Volunteers
Of course, not every volunteer is right for every organization.
Organizations should require background checks of any volunteers who will be working with children, the elderly or the disabled, handling money or driving a vehicle. They can check the applicant’s criminal, credit, motor vehicle and child protective services records to the extent such reviews are permitted by state law. Background checks can now be done quickly and inexpensively thanks to the Internet.
A volunteer application should include a notice that the organization will conduct a background check, the type of background check to be conducted, and a place for the applicant to authorize it. If the volunteer application is on-line, it will need a separate form authorizing the background check that applicants can download, sign and deliver to the organization.
Special care should be taken with volunteers who drive vehicles as part of their duties. They should be asked to provide a copy of their driving record. The organization’s management should review the driving record and ask if this is a safe person to be driving on behalf of the organization. The driving records of any volunteers who drive for an organization should be reviewed annually. The organization should also check with its insurance carrier to see which insurance policy, the organization’s or the volunteer’s, will be primary in the event of an accident and the volunteers should be given this information. As an additional step, volunteer drivers can be given an accident report form to carry in their vehicles and complete if an accident should occur.
If volunteers need any skill certifications or licenses to perform their volunteer duties, a copy of their certification should be kept in the organization’s file. Examples of skill certifications are first aid, CPR and lifesaving. Licenses are usually required for professionals such as nurses, doctors and veterinarians. Someone should regularly check to make sure all volunteer certifications are current.
Orientation
All volunteers should receive orientation. The orientation program should be customized to fit the needs of the volunteers. At a minimum it should include a brief history of the organization, a review of the mission and current strategic goals, and a review of the volunteer handbook. The orientation should also provide information to each volunteer about what they will be doing for the organization and how their role fits into the organizational structure and meeting the organization’s mission.
Volunteer Handbook
A volunteer handbook can help to quickly integrate volunteers into an organization. It can also help to reduce or eliminate potential legal problems. The volunteer handbook should clearly communicate to an organization’s volunteers what they can expect from the organization and what the organization expects from them. Every volunteer should receive a copy of the handbook and sign a receipt acknowledging that they received a copy and have read (or will read) it. The volunteer handbook may also be posted on the organization’s website for easy access and updating. If the handbook is posted on-line, the acknowledgment the volunteers sign should indicate that the most current version of the handbook will be on-line.
A good volunteer handbook includes:
- Basic information about the organization – its history, mission, values and strategic goals;
- Policies that impact volunteers;
- Procedures that volunteers should follow;
- Information on how volunteers and staff are integrated in the organization;
- Explanation of any terms, program names or acronyms used by the organization;
- Volunteer benefits (if applicable);
- Samples of forms; and
- Volunteer recognition programs.
Policies and Procedures
Policies to include in a volunteer handbook are: nondiscrimination, sexual harassment, conflicts of interest, confidentiality, code of conduct, copyright and trademark use, e-mail use, privacy, dress code, evaluations, travel, use of property, publicity and political activity. Each policy should be reviewed by an attorney to ensure that it complies with current state and federal laws.
Examples of procedures to include in a volunteer handbook are scheduling, purchasing, petty cash, expense reimbursement, and access to the organization’s premises after hours. Having clear and detailed procedures on purchasing, petty cash and expense reimbursement can help to reduce the likelihood of any impropriety arising out of a volunteer’s handling of money or purchases.
Training
New volunteer should receive instructions on their particular duties and training on any equipment to be used. They should be told who can answer their questions. A volunteer mentor or a staff member should be designated as the person to provide guidance as the new volunteer becomes familiar with the organization and the volunteer’s duties.
All volunteers should receive training. This gives the organization an opportunity to share new information with its volunteers and review information previously presented. It is also an opportunity to correct any practices or bad habits that may have arisen that are not in compliance with the organization’s policies and procedures.
Some organizations require specific training (such as youth protection) that should be repeated after the passage of time. Other organizations keep track of who has completed a training program and the date of completion and will not allow volunteers to participate if their training has “expired.”
An organization’s training program may vary depending on the material it has to convey to its volunteers and their demographics. It is important to measure the effectiveness of the training programs and make changes as needed to keep them fresh and responsive to current volunteer needs.
Expectations
No matter what their level in the organization, volunteers cannot be successful unless they have been provided the information and the opportunities they need to succeed. A good orientation and training program, volunteer handbook and clear policies and procedures will help to set the framework of the organization’s expectations, but the volunteer also needs to know how all of that applies to his or her specific volunteer duties. Volunteer “job descriptions” are helpful in describing what the volunteer should be doing and in setting boundaries for what might be beyond the scope of the volunteer’s authority. Setting spending limits for the organizations funds or indicating who is authorized to speak to the press are examples of setting boundaries. Rather than suffer in silence, if a volunteer has gone beyond what was expected (in a negative sense), someone in authority needs to politely speak with the volunteer and reinforce the volunteer’s role in the organization and the boundaries for that role.
Supervision
Volunteers should be adequately supervised. The supervisor can be a staff member or an experienced volunteer. The supervisor should treat any volunteer failures or misconduct appropriately including documenting any complaints and any action plans to improve performance.
Sometimes an organization has a problem volunteer whose service needs to be terminated. The reason for the termination should be clearly stated to the volunteer and documented. While it is always difficult to fire someone, sometimes it is in the organization’s best interest to terminate a volunteer. Someone who is verbally abusive to staff, volunteers, members or clients is doing more harm than good. A volunteer who exceeds the given spending authority or is quick to place a phone call to the media is a serious problem. Termination is a drastic step and efforts can be made within reason to improve performance but sometimes terminating a volunteer is the only thing an organization can do to protect the organization.
Volunteer Recognition
Although volunteer recognition programs are often focused on recognizing and rewarding devoted volunteers, they have other uses as well. Recognition – even if it is as simple as a service pin or an annual luncheon – can help to motivate and retain volunteers who might otherwise lose interest in their volunteer work. Recognition can also be used to help guide the behavior and improve the performance of volunteers who are not meeting the organization’s expectations. By recognizing outstanding volunteers, the organization is affirming for the other volunteers what it takes to be a successful volunteer. Events that recognize outstanding volunteers also open the door for conversations with other volunteers as to why they were not selected and what they can do to improve their performance.
Volunteer Protection
Federal and most state laws (including the District of Columbia) give special protections to volunteers. The federal Volunteer Protection Act of 1997 protects volunteers from personal liability for harm they cause unintentionally while serving as volunteers. This protection only applies to the volunteers and it only protects them for claims by injured parties. It does not protect a volunteer for claims by the nonprofit organization nor does it protect the organization from liability for failure to adequately train or supervise the volunteer.
To qualify for the federal protection, a volunteer must meet four conditions: 1) the volunteer must have been acting within the scope of his or her responsibilities as a volunteer at the time of the act or omission; 2) if a license is required for the volunteer’s activities, the volunteer must have been properly licensed; 3) the volunteer must not have been acting with willful or criminal misconduct, gross negligence, reckless misconduct, or a conscious, flagrant indifference to the rights or safety of the individual harmed; and 4) the harm may not have been caused by the volunteer operating a motor vehicle, vessel, aircraft, or other vehicle for which the state requires the operator to have a license or the owner to maintain insurance.
Most state volunteer protection statutes are modeled on the federal law. Some states have separate statutes that provide protection from liability for medical personnel (doctors, nurses, EMTs, etc.) performing volunteer emergency service at the scene of an accident or natural disaster. A few have similar protection for veterinarians providing emergency veterinary services.
Insurance
Organizations should regularly review with their insurance broker any changes in their programs and their use of volunteers. Directors and officers liability policies (known as D&O policies) cover the actions of volunteers serving as board members and officers but rarely cover other volunteers. Most nonprofit association liability policies cover volunteers. Organizations should have both a D&O policy and a general liability policy. Additional insurance such as automobile or multimedia coverage may also be advisable. Organizations should make sure all of their policies cover their volunteers.
Conclusion
Volunteers are an important asset of any organization. The volunteers and the organization will all benefit from an appropriate recruitment, training and management program. It takes time and organizational resources to have a strong volunteer program but the rewards are worth the effort.
The information contained here is not intended to provide legal advice or opinion and should not be acted upon without consulting an attorney. Counsel should not be selected based on advertising materials, and we recommend that you conduct further investigation when seeking legal representation.