Employee handbooks are a standard practice in the modern workplace, serving as an all-in-one informational and legal resource for both employees and organizations. However, there is markedly less recognition of the importance of volunteer handbooks, which provide many of the same benefits to nonprofits and their volunteers. Even if your nonprofit does not rely heavily on volunteerism to function, it can be a good idea to invest some time in creating a handbook. There are a lot of benefits to offering your volunteers a handbook, not the least of which is shortening the training time they need to contribute to your mission.
Studies suggest that volunteers play a critical role in nonprofit operations, with some estimates indicating they may contribute up to one-third of total labor, though this varies widely by mission and organizational size. This includes temporary and part-time volunteers as well as full-time and unpaid board members. This heavy reliance on volunteers can also create challenges, including recruitment and retention. Although their labor is unpaid, managing and utilizing this labor effectively can take up a lot of time, which is part of what makes a handbook so valuable. As a nonprofit leader, you need to be constantly attending to the needs of your organization, which can make something like a volunteer guide seem extraneous and unnecessary. However, a properly written and maintained guide can also help you make the most of your team’s efforts.
Here are some basics to consider:
Volunteer guide basics
Volunteers occupy a unique category in the modern economy, doing a tremendous amount of unpaid work. An estimated 25% of the adult population of the United States volunteers, contributing $193 billion in value. Despite this, volunteers are often treated much more informally than paid employees. But as this data shows, volunteers are indispensable, and creating a sustainable process for onboarding and supporting them could be key to helping your organization meet its goals.
A volunteer guide can be a great first step to making a more formal volunteer program, as it exists to lay out the goals, responsibilities, and expectations of your organization, and to give the volunteers a clear sense of their place and importance. It can also be a useful way to think through some of the ways your organization approaches volunteer work, as you may identify missed opportunities or come up with new ideas. Above all else, offering a guide shows that you are interested in investing time and care into your volunteers, which can in turn encourage greater investment from them and improve retention.
Key elements to consider
Much like an employee guide, your volunteer guide is not meant to be exhaustive, but rather a useful reference outlining the way volunteers function at your organization. You may even find it makes sense to use similar or identical language to that of your employee guide where it makes sense. Some other sections to consider are:
- Introduction and welcome: Depending on how the guide is proffered, writing a warm and inviting welcome to your volunteers can be a great way to encourage engagement. You can also include an organizational mission statement, giving them a deeper sense of your organization’s approach and perspective on the shared mission.
- Roles and expectations: This will depend on how you use your volunteers, as some organizations may have a greater variety of volunteer opportunities and need multiple versions of this section. For each role, you can spell out the basic day-to-day responsibilities, including work hours, location, and other basics. For digital handbooks, you can also provide links to more in-depth internal or third-party resources, including role-specific training modules, workplace safety guides, and other information.
- Code of conduct: An important element of any handbook, this is especially crucial for volunteers, as they may have an expectation of a certain amount of informality. This section can formalize what behavior is and is not appropriate, including activity on social media. In addition to the standard rules on workplace conduct, you can also include information about how to handle any issues with third party organizations and individuals, particularly those who your organization is meant to assist.
- Organization chart: This is a great way to speed up your volunteers’ integration and productivity, as it shows them the structure of your organization and gives them a clear idea of where they can expect to find certain resources. This could also be a good place to include an employee directory and guide to internal communication processes, such as email accounts, chat clients, and so on.
- Impact and goals: This section depends on the nature of your mission, and can include everything from testimonials, information about major organizational milestones, documentation and statistics on your impact, and so on. This can help motivate your volunteers and give them an idea of their importance. You can also discuss potential future goals and aspirations, and offer an invitation to volunteers to bring their ideas to your organization.
- Volunteer agreements, contracts, and other forms: Many organizations request a formal acknowledgement of policies along with other legal documents such as confidentiality agreements when taking on volunteers. Depending on the role, these may be relatively straightforward or more involved, including such things as training documents, drug testing, and other types of pre-volunteer screening. (Consult legal counsel to ensure any agreements, background checks, or testing comply with applicable state laws and organizational policies.)
A continuously improving resource
While it is primarily geared towards volunteers, your handbook can also be a good opportunity to engage with other stakeholders about potential new projects and areas for improvement. Gathering continuous input from your staff and volunteers can increase their investment in the mission and help you make any changes to the handbook that seem relevant to your current organizational priorities. As your organization takes on new projects, you may find it necessary to alter significant portions of the handbook in order to maximize its usefulness.
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The information contained in this article is not a substitute for legal advice or counsel and has been pulled from multiple sources.
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