The volunteer manual is one of the most important pieces of a successful volunteer program. The manual serves as an invaluable resource that volunteers can refer to time and again during their service with your organization. When creating your manual, consider including the following:

• The mission and goals of your organization
• The goals of the volunteer program
• A brief history of your shelter and its achievements
• General information about your facility, including operating hours and important phone numbers
• Organizational chart
• A list of services your shelter provides
• Shelter policies such as adoption procedures and holding periods
• Your shelter’s philosophy on sensitive, complex issues such as euthanasia and adoptions
• Shelter statistics regarding intake, adoption, and euthanasia
• Volunteer rights, responsibilities, and privileges
• Volunteer job descriptions, including the duties and skills required of each position
• Sign-in procedures
• Appropriate attire
• Areas that are off-limits to volunteers
• How and when volunteers should interact with the public
• Where they can eat or smoke on the premises
• How to handle grievances
• What a volunteer should do in the event he or she is injured in the shelter
• A list of commonly asked questions