by Kris Kennedy

Created on: March 22, 2010   Last Updated: March 24, 2010

Training Manuals for Volunteers

Just as manuals for employees nonprofit volunteers need manuals. It may be even more important to have a manual for volunteers, the volunteers might not have as many hours with the project to understand fully the mission of the nonprofit. A manual allows them to take the information with them and study at his or her convenience or home

Mission Statement

Your website most likely has a page called about us. Your volunteer's manual needs such a page. It should have the complete mission statement and history of the company. Volunteer may have come on board to volunteer for many reasons, but you need the assurance that volunteers understand the creation and evolution of the nonprofit.

This would also include philosophical differences of your nonprofit from similar charities and corporations within the area. A volunteer might choose to volunteer for your nonprofit because of a financial, community or procedural characteristics. In this case, you will want to be able to provide the volunteer with a philosophical statement that would justify this point of view. Having a manual would clarify this issue for the volunteer and prompt discussion.  If it is a misconception, a discussion with the volunteer might need exploring to keep false information out of the public eye.

Structure

A volunteer needs a full understand of the structure of the nonprofit.  With an understanding of the line of command, the volunteer can take the problems experienced while volunteering to the proper individual. An organizational charter in the handbook would provide him or her with a line of command breakdown.

The volunteer would need to know the rules and regulations of the nonprofit so volunteers follow the standards followed by paid employees. The manual can give information on processes required for completion of the work of the nonprofit accomplished by volunteers. If volunteers receive some privileges, the volunteers need to know how to acquire these privileges.

Forms

The last section of the training manual should be examples of all the forms that need completion in the process of volunteering. Frequently grant programs or other groups request a breakdown of volunteer person-hours to track the value of volunteers to the nonprofits. In some occasions, they can claim and credit the hours of work from the volunteers as a cash donation even though the nonprofit granted any financial compensation.

Thank you

The last page of the manual must thank the volunteer and express your gratitude for the volunteers' gift of time to your nonprofit. After they complete the examination of the nonprofit, they realize they are valued and needed asset of the nonprofit.

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