Volunteering is varied and diverse.
You could find yourself as a volunteer within a large international charity, or with a small local group, with no paid staff.
There are no hard and fast rules as to what you can expect. In all cases coMMUni encourages organisations to adopt good practice procedures in working with volunteers.
As a minimum, the organisation with whom you are placed should:
- Provide you with a clear description of your role
and what it is they expect from you, including period of commitment.
Let you know who is responsible for managing you and the group. You should be told to whom you are responsible and from whom you can obtain support.
Give you an initial induction, introducing you to the organisation and their relevant policies, including, i.e.: confidentiality, equal opportunities, health and safety, grievance.
Ensure that appropriate health and safety standards are in place and applied equally to all. Insurance policies should cover volunteers.
Should you require any special clothing or equipment in order to carry out your work, this should be provided by the organisation.
Review the work you undertake. It is good practice for organisations to review you and your work after a few weeks, and at regular intervals thereafter. This should be a two way process, and opportunities for training should also be discussed. Your work should develop as your skills grow.
Explain the relationship between paid workers and volunteers. Paid workers should be fully aware of the areas of work undertaken by volunteers. Volunteers should not be asked to carry out work which was once undertaken by a paid employee.
Recognise the work undertaken by the volunteer, and where appropriate, volunteers should be entitled to receive a reference which attests to their contribution, and details the experience and skills they have gained.
Reimburse you for any out of pocket expenses. It is advised that you raise and discuss this as part of your induction, as some organisations due to their size, and funding restrictions may not be able to offer reimbursement of expenses.
Treat you as an equal. It is reasonable to expect to be treated as any other employee in an organisation.
REMEMBER if you are unhappy with any aspect of your volunteer role, you should discuss this with the organisation.
If you are still not satisfied, please contact coMMUni staff who will be more than happy to discuss alternative volunteer opportunities with you. You should not assume that all voluntary work is unsuitable and does not meet your needs.
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