The volunteer who freely and willingly provides their service to an organisation without receiving compensation has a number of rights and the organisation has a number of responsibilities to the volunteer.
The first and most basic right is for the volunteer to be respected and to be treated as a professional colleague by the organisation, program directors, coordinators and fellow leaders at all times.
The volunteer has the right to confidentiality of information about themselves such as phone numbers and personal details.
The volunteer also has the right to be fully informed by the organisation and to attend a training program conducted by the organisation. Training is for the purposes of briefing the volunteer on the specific organisation details of a program, the role and responsibilities of the volunteer in the program and strategies for facilitation of an effective program.
The volunteer has the right to be insured for accidental injury and death and personal liability, while on the program. This insurance is to be taken out by the organisation. In the interests of personal awareness, the volunteer should know the conditions and benefits of this insurance and in some cases may be encouraged to also take personal liability insurance.
The volunteer has the right to be supported by the organisation at all times against all actions that may be taken against him or her. This may not be the case if the volunteer is found to be negligent in their duty of care.
The volunteer has the right of access to the coordinator, program director, or organisation manager should a major concern arise.
The volunteer has the right to time on their own (time-out), when negotiated with the program director and taken at a time mutually agreed upon if on an overnight program.
