An introductory guidance to having a Volunteering handbook. The following pages in this eBook serve as a guide model to use and should users can add, alter, or amend to mould into the organisation’s structure so as to be mutually suited for the organisation and volunteers. It should not be treated as a definitive document as no ‘one-size fits all’ so should be modified and tailored accordingly.

1. Volunteers
Handbook
BY GORDON OWEN
IGO EBOOKS

2. INTRODUCTION
Volunteering
Handbook
Welcome to a Volunteering Handbook guide
About Volunteering

3. SECTION 1
Forward
Any voluntary organisation relies on the contribution of all
kinds of people to make its work a success: its staff, its
members, many of whom give their time to the organisation
as part of their work, its advisors, Committee members,
Trustees and volunteers. It is this rich range of experience of
disability, education provision and getting on with life that
enables us to promote, create awareness in regeneration
and eco-tourism.
As a voluntary organisation we value your
contribution of time from volunteer(s) as an essential
ingredient to its success.
2
Volunteering contribution
Valuing Volunteers

4. SECTION 2
Introduction
We hope you will find this Handbook useful.
It aims to answer most of the questions you may have about
volunteering with the Organisation.
Other useful and important information is kept
in a Volunteer Information Folder. You will be shown where
this is kept on the first day. Make sure you have a look
through this as well.
If you want more general information about the organisation
itself, or have any further questions then please ask us.
3
Discover more!
Helpful Information

5. SECTION 3
Coming to the Organisa-
tion
Travel arrangements
Train: The closest Station is
Bus: There are bus service links to neighbouring Boroughs.
Car Parking: facilities vary from location to location and
details can be determined when it operational location is
decided.
NB: We are not a static-based Organisation and operate out of
various locations and community centres.
4
Commuting to & from the organisation
Transport & Travel

6. SECTION 4
Access to the Organisation
We strive to use buildings which are wheelchair friendly/
accessible and that there is an accessible toilet.
The Organisation aims to enable everyone to volunteer and
has equipment to facilitate involvement by people with a
range of disabilities.
If you have any queries please talk to us about your individual
needs.
5

7. SECTION 5
Expenses
We will cover reasonable daily travel expenses on any day you
volunteer with us. We will also pay lunch expenses of up to
£3.50 if you arrive before 1.00 pm and spend more than four
hours at the organisation.
If you do not have money to buy lunch on a particular day
then we can advance you up to the daily allowance from petty
cash – please ask.
Expenses for lunch and travel can be paid daily on production
of a receipt. If you are coming in more than once a week we
can pay at the end of the week if you prefer. Amounts up to
£15 can be paid in cash, anything more than that will be paid
by cheque.
We do not currently pay for childcare or other caring expenses
but will be looking at this should the need arise by seeking
funding for this area.
6
Disbursements
Recompense

8. NB We do not want you to be out of pocket as a result of your
volunteering so please keep all your receipts/vouchers,
(required for accounts purposes), and remember to claim
what is due to you
7

9. SECTION 6
Receiving Benefits?
As long as you only receive out-of-pocket expenses there
should not be a problem with volunteering while on benefits.
It is always good practice to keep the Benefits Agency in-
formed if you are volunteering.
Please talk to us if you have any concerns.
8
Out-of-Pocket-Expenses
Benefits

10. SECTION 7
While you are in the Office
Breaks & refreshments
Arrangements will be made to have available tea. Coffee &
water where ever we are located during the day.
Volunteers are entitled to an hour’s lunch break.
Notices & information
Memos and e-mails will be issued from time to time about any
information, events relevant to volunteer(s).
Meetings
You are welcome to attend staff meetings. Details of the dates
and times are advised verbally, by memo, and./or email. If
you cannot attend but would like to bring something to the
attention of the meeting then please discuss it with us.
Office outings
Volunteers are welcome to come on staff outings and attend
events, where arranged.
Use of phone & photocopier
If you need to make an urgent local call while at the
organisation you can do so. how to do this.
9
Things to consider when in the Office
Office Practices & Protocols

11. Where made available, you can also use the photocopier if you
need to for Jobsearch or occasional personal copies. Please
tell us, or the organisation responsible for the machine before
you do this.
Smoking
Most, if not all locations and community centres we use are
designated ‘no smoking’ zones.
Dress code
The Organisation staff dress relatively informally in the office,
but look smarter when they have important meetings. In the
same way we would like you to be clean and tidy when you are
volunteering with us, and look smart when you know you are
going to be meeting the public or representing the organisa-
tion.
Insurance
Where appropriate and necessary, individuals who are
volunteering or on work placement with the organisation will,
like staff, be covered by the organisation’s insurance while on
the premises.
Health & Safety
At the being of events at locations/community centres we
should be advised of the Fire Exits and procedures on the day,
but if you have any queries please talk to us or any of the
designated Fire Marshall’s who’s names will be displayed on
Fire Notices around buildings.
First Aid
Similar to Fire Safety, provisions should exist for First Aid,
including notices showing who are First Aid Officer(s).
Please contact them if you need assistance or before taking
anything from the First Aid box, or to ascertain where the
First Aid box is kept.
Privacy
The organisation respects your privacy and right not to be
questioned about your personal circumstances, your disability
or prescribed medication that you are taking. You will be
asked for some personnel details on your first day, (e.g. emer-
gency contacts) and if there is anything you want to
tell us at this time it will be treated confidentially.
10

12. SECTION 8
Our mutual Agreement
Volunteer Agreement
On your first day at the organisation we will discuss your
arrangement with us, and outline the times you will be com
ing to volunteer, and what tasks you will be performing. Once
this is agreed we will keep it on file and refer to it during your
time with us.
Flexibility
We are happy to make an Agreement that allows you more
freedom about the hours you come to the Organisation: please
talk to us about this.
Trial period
We really hope you enjoy volunteering with us. However in
case there are any initial worries, we treat the first three weeks
you spend with us as a trial period. At the end of that time we
will have a chat and if you want to stop volunteering with us,
that’s ok. If you want to clear up some concerns or maybe
change some of the tasks you’re doing, that’s also when we can
discuss it.
11
Working together - Organisation <> Volunteer
Reciprocal Arrangements

13. Length of Agreement
Once you’ve decided that you want to stay with us, we can
make a joint decision on how long your Agreement will last
for. This will depend on the tasks you will be doing, and what
you hope to gain from your time with us.
On-going Support and Training
While you are with us we will help you to complete the tasks
you have agreed to perform. This may involve initial training,
which we would identify during selection or induction.
You will be given the name of people who can give you the
best day-to-day support for the tasks you are undertaking.
If you are not happy with anything you are doing or being
asked to do you should talk to us as soon as possible. You will
not be asked to do the work of any staff member whose post
has been made redundant.
We will also discuss your Volunteer Agreement on a regular
basis with you – at least every three months. At this time we
will look at what you have been doing recently, and see if
there are any other areas of the organisation;s work you might
want to become involved in. If you or the organisation feel
you need training to perform any tasks better then we will
discuss it at this point.
Personal details
All your details are kept securely – either in a locked filing
cabinet or in electronic format on our computer. If you want
to look at any of the data please ask us.
Reporting absence or sickness
We value your time and rely on you to turn up when you say
you will.
However we will understand if you cannot come for any
reason on a day you agreed to, please let us know as soon as
possible so we do not worry and can make other arrange
ments accordingly.
If we do not hear from you for two weeks after you were due
to come the organisation, we will assume you are no longer
interested in volunteering with us and end your Volunteer
12

14. Agreement.
If you want to return to us after this time, please do contact
us, but we may have to negotiate a new Agreement.
Problems
The organisation wants you to be happy while you are
volunteering with us. If you have any problems or concerns
while you are volunteering, please talk to us as soon as
possible, and we will try to sort them out promptly.
If we think there is a problem with the work you are doing for
the organisation then we will also try to talk to you as soon as
possible.
Equal Opportunities
Volunteers are expected to comply with the organisation’s
policies on Equal Opportunities. As part of our transparency
code, this is opened published and can be viewed on our web
site.
Copyright
The copyright of any documents or work created by individu
als who are volunteering or on work placement during their
time with the organisation will be deemed to belong to the
Organisation.
13

15. SECTION 9
Moving On
References
Once you have volunteered with the organisation for three
months, we will provide a reference if you need one for paid
work, study or another voluntary position.
Jobsearch & Computer Use
If you want to use the computer(s) at the organisation to work
on your CV or application forms then please ask your point of
contact within the organisation who will check access and
availability for you.
Please check before you use the Internet or e-mail facilities for
personal use.
Leaving the Organisation
When you decide to stop volunteering, whatever the reason,
we hope you will fill in a Leaver’s Questionnaire so we get
some feedback about how you have found your time with us,
and any suggestions you may have for improving the
Volunteer Programme.
14
Helping to move on!
Goodbye!

16. SECTION 10
.....and Finally
Any more volunteers out there?
If you know anyone – friends, family, colleagues – who may
be interested in volunteering then we would love to hear from
them!
They can phone the organisation directly at the contact
details that will be provided.
Spread the word!
15

17. SECTION 11
Disclaimer
No part of this book/eBook may be reproduced or transferred
in any form or by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechani-
cal, including photocopying, recording, taping, or by any infor-
mation storage retrieval system, without the written permis-
sion of the author.
The accuracy and completeness of information provided
herein and opinions or guidance, or referrals stated herein are
not guaranteed or warranted to produce any particular re-
sults, and the advice and strategies, contained herein may not
be suitable for every organisation/group or individual. The
author shall not be liable for any loss incurred as a conse-
quence of the use and application, directly or indirectly, of any
information presented in this work. This publication is de-
signed to provide experienced guidance in regard to the sub-
ject matters covered.
The author has used his efforts in preparing this book/eBook.
Published with the understanding, the author is not engaged
in rendering legal, accounting, financial or other professional
services. If legal or financial advice or expert assistance is re-
quired, the services of a qualified or competent professional
should be sought. Contact can also be made to the relevant
statutory department. GO
16

18. SECTION 12
© Limit of Liability/
Disclaimer of Warranty
THE PUBLISHER AND THE AUTHOR MAKE NO REPRE-
SENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES WITH RESPECT TO THE
ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF THE CONTENTS OF
THIS WORK AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIM ALL WARRAN-
TIES, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION WARRANTIES
OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. NO WAR-
RANTY MAY BE CREATED OR EXTENDED BY SALES OR
PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS. THE ADVICE AND STRATE-
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DERSTANDING THAT THE AUTHOR/PUBLISHER IS NOT
ENGAGED IN RENDERING LEGAL, ACCOUNTING, OR
OTHER PROFESSIONAL SERVICES. IF PROFESSIONAL AS-
SISTANCE IS REQUIRED, THE SERVICES OF A COMPE-
TENT PROFESSIONAL PERSON SHOULD BE SOUGHT.
NEITHER THE PUBLISHER NOR THE AUTHOR SHALL BE
LIABLE FOR DAMAGES ARISING HEREFROM. THE FACT
THAT AN ORGANISATION OR WEBSITE IS REFERRED TO
IN THIS WORK AS A CITATION AND/OR A POTENTIAL
SOURCE OF FURTHER INFORMATION DOES NOT MEAN
THAT THE AUTHOR OR THE PUBLISHER ENDORSES
THE INFORMATION THE ORGANISATION OR WEBSITE
MAY PROVIDE OR RECOMMENDATIONS IT MAY MAKE.
FURTHER, READERS SHOULD BE AWARE THAT INTER-
NET WEBSITES LISTED IN THIS WORK MAY HAVE
CHANGED OR DISAPPEARED BETWEEN WHEN THIS
WORK WAS WRITTEN AND WHEN IT IS REA
17

19. SECTION 13
Copyright & Liability
© 2004-2013 by Gordon Owen
All Rights Reserved. These materials are the copyright of Gor-
don Owen and any dissemination, distribution, or unauthor-
ised use is strictly prohibited. No part of this publication may
be reproduced in any form or by any means, including scan-
ning, photocopying, or otherwise without prior written permis-
sion of the copyright holder.
Liability Disclaimer
By reading this document, you assume all risks associated
with using the advice given below, with a full understanding
that you, solely, are responsible for anything that may occur
as a result of putting this information into action in any way,
and regardless of your interpretation of the advice.
You further agree that the Author cannot be held responsible
in any way for the success or failure of your business as a re-
sult of the information presented below. It is your responsibil-
ity to conduct your own due diligence regarding the safe and
successful operation of your business if you intend to apply
any of the presentation and information in any way to your
business operations.
18

20. Terms of Use & Trademarks
© Terms of Use
You are given a non-transferable, “personal use” license to
this product. You cannot distribute it or share it with other in-
dividuals. Also, there are no resale rights or private label
rights granted when purchasing this document. In other
words, it's for your own personal use only.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a re-
trieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or
otherwise, except as permitted under statute in the UK with-
out the prior written permission of the Publisher.
Requests to the Author/Publisher for permission should be ad-
dressed to Mr Gordon Owen at iGOeBooks@iCloud.com - on-
line at http://igoebooks.yolasite.com
Trademarks:
iGO eBooks/Gordon Owen/Messrs G Owen & Co logos, are
trademarks or registered trademarks of Mr Gordon Owen
and/or its affiliates in the United Kingdom and other coun-
tries, and may not be used without written permission.
All other trademarks are the property of their respective own-
ers. Gordon Owen is not associated with any product or ven-
dor, or organisation mentioned in this book.
19

21. Index
An introductory guidance to having a Volunteering handbook. The following pages in
this eBook serve as a guide model to use and should users can add, alter, or amend to
mould into the organisation’s structure so as to be mutually suited for the organisation
and volunteers.
It should not be treated as a definitive document as no ‘one-size fits all’ so should be
modified and tailored accordingly
Related Glossary Terms
Index
Drag related terms here
Find Term