I am the president of a local nonprofit organization that heavily utilizes its volunteer base in its operations. Many times, the roles and responsibilities of volunteers not been clearly understood. In discussions with the ED, we decided that we needed a vounteer handbook and/or job descriptions to assist us. If anyone has such a document as an example, I would appreciate it. You can email me directly at [Email Removed]. Thanks! Michael Bankert VP, Finance & Administration California State Parks Foundation

Hi Mike, I can't give you our example, but I can give you some direction. Go through your employee handbook and look at the things you want to require of volunteers. For instance, your policy against sexual harassment and hostile work environment should apply equally to employees or volunteers. We require a confidentiality oath related to client information, which may not apply to your situation. We also have an internet and email usage policy that is very restrictive. Anti-drug policy applies, as does the no weapons policy. We make sure volunteers understand that there is no pay or benefits. In Nevada, we do not cover volunteers with Workers Comp - and based on attorney advice, do not even require them to sign an acknowledgement. If you miss the acknowledgement and a volunteer gets injured, are they covered for WC? It got to sticky to administer. Because of our work, we also require a background check through the use of fingerprints. These are just some examples, if you scan the topic headings of your employee manual, you can quickly pick out the ones you want to apply to your volunteers. Good luck.