Volunteers' rights and responsibilities

VOLUNTEERS HAVE THE RIGHT to expect that the organizations they work for:

• Assign suitable tasks to volunteers which respect their training and experience, both personal and professional, as well as their personal interests.
• Furnish precise job descriptions to volunteers, stating tasks, responsibilities and role in the organization.
• Indicate clearly to volunteers what their schedule is and to whom they report.
• Offer volunteers suitable training for the jobs assigned.
• Offer regular ongoing training allowing volunteers to update their knowledge or take on greater responsibility.
• Offer volunteers the chance to be promoted or to be transfered to new projects, or to other activities allowing them to acquire more varied experience.
• Treat volunteers as full members of the organization and consider them colleagues rather than mere unpaid help.
• Offer support, resources and structure to volunteers.
• Offer regular feedback to volunteers on their work.
• Listen to what volunteers have to say.
• Furnish proper supervision by competent and patient individuals who have the time to offer advice and guidance to volunteers.
• Furnish a workspace suitable for the assigned task.
• Allow volunteers to participate in the planning and development of new projects, and encourage them to make suggestions with the assurance that their opinions will be respected.
• Show appropriate and tangible recognition of volunteer effort (e.g., through offering new responsibilities, giving prizes or simply showing on a day-to-day basis that the volunteers' work is appreciated and valued by the organization).
• Inform volunteers about the organization's policies with respect to certain benefits available to them, such as the reimbursement of expenses.
• Offer volunteers any other information which may concern them.

AN ORGANIZATION HAS THE RIGHT to expect that its volunteers:

• Be open and honest about their motivations and goals.
• Understand what a job requires before accepting it.
• Carry out their tasks efficiently and honestly.
• Accept guidance and supervision from the person in charge of volunteers.
• Participate in any training offered by the organization.
• Respect confidentiality.
• Express to the volunteer coordinator their satisfaction or dissatisfaction with the job assigned and suggest improvements or changes.
• Notify the coordinator as soon as possible if they are unable to attend a training session or carry out their assigned duties.

"Volunteers' rights and responsibilities" is an excerpt from our Volunteer Guide.

The Volunteer Bureau of Montreal is available to help you choose a volunteer activity and put you in touch with an organization according to your needs. To make an appointment with one of our placement counsellors, call 514.842.3351 between 9 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.