<aside> 🚨 The best way to support us as an organization and your fellow volunteers is to only sign up to volunteer if you know you have the capacity to follow through on the expectations of the role.
When volunteers sign up with good intentions but aren’t able to fulfill the volunteer role it prevents us from moving forward as an organization. Our #1 ask for volunteers is to communicate regularly and follow through on what you agree to do. Let us know should things change so we can plan accordingly.
The following are guidelines for a rewarding volunteer relationship for both parties. This is not a contractual agreement and volunteers can leave at any time.
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For Chapter & Hub leaders, we ask for a volunteer duration of 1 year. For all others, we ask for 6 months. Occasionally we work with advisors short term in which case we ask for engagement through the duration of the project.
With the exception of leadership roles, our volunteer roles average 1-2 hours a week. This can flex up and down as needed. We recognize our volunteers have other work responsibilities and work with volunteers to make the experience sustainable over time.
Once onboarded, team communication happens on Slack.
We expect volunteers to be responsive on Slack, and check in at least once a week. Responses or acknowledgement of direct messages is expected within several days. Notifications should be dialed in accordingly, with email notifications turned on if you do not check Slack regularly.
If volunteers are consistently unresponsive on Slack and email, we will consider them inactive and offboard them as a volunteer.
We share out weekly video updates in our all team Slack channel. Please watch these and/or read the notes to stay informed about what’s happening at the organization.
With the exception of advisors, volunteers are all a part one of our core departments, as well as individual teams within those depending on the circumstance. All volunteers are expected to attend at least one monthly meeting, and some teams have more frequent meeting schedules. This will be specified in the volunteer role post, and may shift over time as work ebbs and flows.
Department Meetings
The cadence for team and department meetings vary between weekly, bi-weekly, and monthly. Volunteer attendance is expected 75% of the time. Times are adjusted to maximize possible attendance as our teams evolve. If a volunteer is regularly unable to make a recurring meeting, they are expected to watch meeting recordings and participate asynchronously.
All Hands Meetings
We have All Hands Meetings quarterly. Attendance is strongly encouraged, and watching a recording is required as this is when we share important updates about the organization.
We recognize volunteers have other work responsibilities, and with the exception of leadership positions volunteer roles are structured be sustainable over time. We welcome those who would like to take on larger projects, but that is up to the discretion of the volunteer.
It is important that volunteers follow through if they agree to take on a project. Otherwise it is difficult for teams and the org to function effectively. Please be clear and communicative about what you can and cannot take on. If your ability to complete a project changes, let your team know so they can plan accordingly.