Policies and procedures for volunteer programs
By Monika Penner
February 18, 2002
Developing Policies and Procedures
Policies are expectations, definitions, and courses of action agreed upon
by an organization's governing members, such as the Board of Directors. Policies
can be general (i.e. smoking is only allowed outside of the premises) or specific
to a volunteer program (i.e. volunteers must complete a criminal record check).
Ideally, policies should be adopted before a volunteer program is implemented.
However, this is not often the case. For legal and accountability reasons,
it is important for nonprofit agencies to have policies which protect the
agency, its staff, clients/patrons, and volunteers.
Procedures, on the other hand, refer to directions, instructions and/or step-by-step
courses of action. Procedures may be part of policy (i.e. before preparing
food, one must wash his or her hands and wear gloves), or just practical knowledge
(i.e. when arriving at the Centre, everyone must sign in). Many agencies shy
away from policies and/or put them on the 'back-burner'. However, policies
need not be intimidating or overwhelming. Policies should suit the agency,
not the other way around, and they should be developed with the following
in mind:
- Are there any foreseeable risks
involved with the volunteer program/agency as a whole?
- Can these risks be minimized? How?
- Would a policy bring clarity to a particular issue,
such as expectations of volunteers or staff and volunteer roles?
- Are there
unwritten assumptions or values that should be expressed in policy, for clarity?
- Is there an action plan and/or timeline, for developing and implementing
policies?
- How will volunteer input be used when defining policy?
Many organizations have committees dedicated to defining and researching policy,
and then presenting their recommendations to the governing structure of the
agency. This allows discussion surrounding policy, and perhaps, makes the task
a little less daunting. It is useful to keep track of policies currently in
place and in progress. There are many ways to do this, including 'task sheets'
or tables. Identify the policies that currently exist. As issues arise, document
them and consider whether they should become a policy in the future. Prioritize
policies, and work first on the ones that are most needed. Some important policies
to consider:
Confidentiality
While volunteers often sign confidentiality forms, are the forms clear and easily
understood? Does agency staff go over the reasons for confidentiality, and what
it really means? Are volunteers encouraged to ask questions about what constitutes
confidentiality- information about clients, staff, or other volunteers? Depending
on one's agency, the importance of confidentiality will differ. Some examples include:
- An individual assisting a child with special needs should not disclose,
without the consent of the child's parent(s)/ guardian(s) personal information
about the child, such as his or her disability.
- A volunteer with a family planning agency should not discuss with her
or his friends or family the details of patients, including the fact that
they came to the agency.
- An individual who volunteers on a crisis line is never to discuss calls
with anyone outside of the agency.
- Members of the Sexual Assault Response Team are never to disclose the
details of the assault without the victim's consent, unless legally obliged
(i.e. if a child is in danger).
- Volunteers at a daycare are not to share personal
information about the child with anyone without the parent/guardian's permission,
even people who may say that they are a friend or family member of the child.
Safety Precautions
There are certain procedures and expectations of volunteers regarding matters of safety. These should be clearly defined during the orientation process. Examples include: location of fire escape and all fire exits; location of first aid supplies; specific procedures dealing with injuries, i.e. wearing gloves if an individual is bleeding; and protocol in the event of an emergency.
Final Thought on Developing Policies
Often people mistake 'wordy' and lengthy policies as being somehow innately
superior to simple, clear policies. The reasons for policies are to protect
the agency, volunteers, staff and clients. Thus, policies need to be easily
understood by all. Go with your gut feeling; think of potential problems, such
as conflict of interest, and policies that can be created to minimize the risks.
And don't feel you have to write a 300-page policy manual. It is really not
necessary.
Excerpt from "Volunteer Synchronicity". To order this 400+ page manual
please call (250) 762 2355 or e-mail the Kelowna Women's Resource Centre at kelwomenscentre@telus.net.
