Volunteer Training Manual and Handbook

Before you write a word, collect what your best volunteers know. Most of it lives in the heads of shift leads and long-serving volunteers, not in any document.

1. 1

   Work a shift

   Do the role yourself, or shadow someone who does it well. Note each task in order, and every judgment call.

2. 2

   Record a walkthrough

   Have an experienced volunteer talk you through a shift while you record it. An SOP writer for walkthrough transcripts turns the transcript into steps and flags the judgment calls they never explained.

3. 3

   Collect what exists

   Gather old orientation sheets, incident notes and the questions volunteers email you. A question that keeps coming back marks a gap.

4. 4

   List the rules you have

   Note your safety and confidentiality rules, age limits and who decides policy, including rules nobody ever wrote down.

It's worth the time. In a 2004 Urban Institute study that sampled nearly 3,000 US charities, training volunteers was one of three practices tied to keeping them¹. The others were recognizing volunteers, and screening and matching them to the right tasks.

Many organizations keep a volunteer handbook with the rules everyone follows, plus training for each role. One document can do both. Put the shared sections first, then give each role its own chapter, so each rule lives in one place.

List tasks in the order volunteers do them. The federal government's plain-language guide on Digital.gov says writing information in the order in which things happen is best for process information². Start each step with a verb, and speak to the volunteer as "you."

Then give the reason. The Nonprofit Risk Management Center (NRMC), which advises nonprofits on risk, says sharing the "why" behind everything you ask volunteers to do³ is key. A volunteer who knows why a rule exists can apply it to the case the manual never imagined.

• Unclear: "Boxes are packed according to household size."
• Clear: "Ask how many people live in the home. Then pack the box for that size, so a family of six doesn't leave with food for two."

The clear version says who acts, what to do and why, with one action per sentence. Define any program term the first time it appears.

Most trouble on a shift is predictable. Ask your shift leads which 8 to 12 situations trip up new volunteers most. Write each one up: the moment, what to do, what to say and who to tell.

Boundaries belong here too. Say what volunteers may and may not do about contact details, gifts and money, rides, photos and advice outside their role. Give an alternative for every "don't."

Rehearse the hard moments before they happen. NRMC suggests giving volunteers chances to practice decision-making, especially in higher-risk roles³, such as a supervisor role-playing a situation with them. Turn your entries into short orientation scenarios and talk through the answers together.

Give confidentiality its own page: what counts as private, such as client names and stories, and who volunteers may discuss it with. In the US, HIPAA counts volunteers as part of a covered entity's workforce⁴. A clinic that bills insurance electronically is a covered entity, so it must train its volunteers on its privacy policies and document that training⁵.

For incidents, say what counts, who to tell, how fast and what to write down. NRMC advises telling volunteers what kind of incidents need to be reported and how to report them³, and that they won't face retaliation for reporting. If you have a whistleblower policy, point to it. The nonprofit policies template includes one that covers volunteers.

Write down each role's scope, too. The US Volunteer Protection Act of 1997 protects volunteers from personal liability only while they are acting within the scope of their responsibilities⁶. It doesn't cover harm from driving a vehicle that requires a license or insurance, and it doesn't limit the organization's own liability. It also lets states attach conditions, such as mandatory volunteer training, so check your state's rules.

Put a version number and date on the cover. Have each volunteer sign a page listing the key rules, and file it with the version they read. If HIPAA applies, keep records of privacy training for at least six years⁵. The volunteer hours tracking template includes a volunteer register with columns for HIPAA training and background check expiry.

Review the manual at least once a year, and sooner after an incident or a change in how the work is done. Have volunteers sign each new version.

For a faster start, describe the role in the box at the top of this page. River drafts each part from your notes and rules, and marks the policies it needs you to decide.