Volunteer Orientation Agenda
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| Time | Recommended Topic and Action |
| 10 minutes | Welcome Welcome the volunteers to the organization. |
| Introduction Include paid staff from the nonprofit, particularly those who work directly with volunteers. In an icebreaker exercise, pair the volunteers and paid staff, and have one interview the other and introduce the other using information they learned. |
|
| 5 minutes | Nonprofit's
History and Mission Understanding the history and mission of the organization is essential to volunteers, particularly as the mission of the organization provides the basis for the nonprofit's programs. If the history of the organization is lengthy, just give the significant highlights. It's particularly important to clearly link the ways in which the organization's mission has been played out over the history of the agency. |
| 15 minutes | Volunteering
History and Opportunities Describe the history of volunteer involvement in the organization. This discussion needs to clearly link the organization's mission with the history of involving volunteers. Participants need to be able to understand how their volunteer assignments help to accomplish the organization's mission. The overview of opportunities should cover the variety of volunteer assignments within the organization. If possible, paid staff and/or other volunteers should describe these opportunities and the categories of tasks or other commitments, such as time or length of assignment, relevant to the responsibility. |
| 30 minutes | Performance
Expectations This segment of the orientation is crucial to articulating expectations of performance and behavior. The discussion needs to be clear and straightforward. It's particularly important to include a discussion about how volunteers will be evaluated. Address issues related to public relations and volunteer service. Make volunteers aware of the implications that staff performance - paid and unpaid - has on the level of clients, stakeholders and members of the public have in the nonprofit. Explain what the volunteer's role is in maintaining the public's trust, and how the way in which clients, stakeholders and the public are treated reflects on the organization. Discuss prohibited behaviors. Describe the organization's policies on drugs/alcohol, sexual harassment and any others that define prohibited behaviors and their consequences. Emphasize that the prohibited behaviors and the consequences apply to all staff regardless of their pay status. Include
what volunteers can expect from the organization. Volunteers need to know
that the organization has a grievance process and that issues related to
assignments or working conditions should be brought to the attention of
the director of volunteers who is willing to work with volunteers to
resolve problems. |
| 5 minutes | Volunteer
Handbook Distribute the volunteer handbook. Review the categories, tell them where to view the handbook online, and on the nonprofit's Web site. Explain that they will receive revisions as they are published. |
| 15 minutes | Questions & Answers |
Nonprofit
Risk Management Center
15 N. King Street, Suite 203, Leesburg, VA 20176
Phone: (202) 785-3891 - Fax: (703) 443-1990
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This
document is from the Nonprofit Risk Management Center’s
Accident Preparation and Response Tutorial (www.nonprofitrisk.org),
which was
made possible by financial support from the Public Entity Risk
Institute.
