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MUNICIPAL VOLUNTEER PROGRAM Adopted 3/2/2010 1 Section 1. Purpose The purpose of the Municipal Volunteer Program (MVP) is to connect City of Lewiston residents with municipal departments through active volunteer participation. Such interaction will benefit the City by providing a capable resource pool to assist employees and will benefit residents by providing a greater understanding of local government and an opportunity to make a difference. Section 2. Volunteer Recruitment The City’s Community Relations Coordinator (CRC) will facilitate outreach that will include community presentations, media contacts, social networking, flyers, posters, and use of the Internet, Facebook, and Twitter. Section 3. Volunteer Application Residents interested in community engagement within Lewiston municipal government may volunteer by completing the program’s “Municipal Volunteer Application,” understanding that a criminal background check will be completed on all volunteers considered for service; the background checks will be conducted by Lewiston’s Human Resources Department. The application will be accessible on the city’s web site and at municipal service windows. Section 4. Volunteer Assignment a) When a municipal department wishes to engage an individual in a volunteer capacity, a “Request for Volunteer Assistance – Duty Description” form shall be completed and submitted to the Community Relations Coordinator. b) The content of the form shall consist of the following information: department requesting volunteer, location of assignment, name of departmental supervisor, contact number for departmental supervisor, days and hours needed, length of time needed, specific description of expected volunteer duties, required qualifications and skills, necessary training for the volunteer to effectively perform the requested duties, and resources available to the volunteer. c) Volunteer duties may include assignments or projects that are short-term or long-term. In addition, some duties may have a definite completion date while others may have an unidentified end date. d) It is the program’s intent to provide volunteers with duties that match their skills and interests as well as municipal operational needs. e) Volunteers will not be assigned to displace any City employee from a paid position. ---PAGE BREAK--- MUNICIPAL VOLUNTEER PROGRAM Adopted 3/2/2010 2 Section 5. Volunteer Qualifications a) An individual will be selected as a volunteer if the department head/supervisor* deems the person to have the qualifications, skills, or training potential to perform the duties needed. b) All volunteers considered for service will be subject to a criminal background check and reference checks. c) For all activities related to the recruitment and retention of volunteers, the City of Lewiston does not discriminate against or exclude individuals based upon their ethnic origin, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, physical or mental disability, veteran status, or inability to speak English. Individuals requesting accommodation or accessibility information should inform the City’s Community Relations Coordinator at the initial screening interview. Section 6. Screening, Placement, & Follow-Up to Volunteer Applicants a) The Community Relations Coordinator will conduct screening interviews with residents who submit a Municipal Volunteer Application to determine their qualifications and skills in regards to available volunteer assignments within Lewiston municipal government. b) Following the screening interview, the Community Relations Coordinator will forward the interested individual’s application and CRC screening notes to the respective department head/supervisor where there is either an available volunteer opportunity—that would best match the applicant’s qualifications and skills—or the individual is specifically interested in volunteering within a particular department. c) If upon receiving and reviewing an individual’s application and the CRC’s screening notes, the department would like to engage an individual as a volunteer, the department head/supervisor shall schedule an interview with that individual within two weeks thereafter. d) Volunteers are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of all proprietary or privileged information to which they have access while serving as a volunteer. Prior to starting their volunteer duties, volunteers will be required to sign a City of Lewiston “Confidentiality Agreement.” e) Volunteers shall wear a City-issued volunteer identification badge when serving as a City of Lewiston volunteer. The name badge should be used only when volunteering for the City and at no other time. f) A volunteer may be terminated by the department head/supervisor at any time with or without cause, with documentation provided to the Community ---PAGE BREAK--- MUNICIPAL VOLUNTEER PROGRAM Adopted 3/2/2010 3 Relations Coordinator. There is no appeal process for a volunteer who has been terminated. g) A volunteer who has been terminated from a particular department’s assignment may also be removed from consideration for future volunteer duties within other departments of Lewiston municipal government. h) Communication shall regularly occur between the volunteer and his/her departmental supervisor to make sure the duties being completed are on track with what the department head/supervisor assigned. At the end of a volunteer’s time with a specific department, the volunteer and supervisor will meet to review the volunteer assignment and evaluate how it was performed. The evaluation process will provide useful and constructive information to the volunteer, as well as provide the City with a reference as to possible additional use of that volunteer in the future. i) Once a volunteer evaluation is completed--for the purpose of building a volunteer resource pool--the department head/supervisor will inform the Community Relations Coordinator as to whether he/she recommends that an individual’s name remain active when volunteers are needed for future duties. The resource pool will be maintained by the Community Relations Coordinator in an effort to consistently have a listing of volunteers to call upon. Section 8. Departmental Duties a) Each City of Lewiston volunteer shall be assigned a clearly identified supervisor in the department for which that person is volunteering, and each departmental supervisor must attend “MVP Departmental Supervisor Training” that will be provided by the City of Lewiston. b) Upon receiving a volunteer application and screening materials from the Community Relations Coordinator, the departmental head/supervisor shall make every attempt to contact the prospective volunteer for an interview within a two-week time period. c) During the interview, the department head/supervisor should inform the prospective volunteer of all aspects of the volunteer assignment. d) The department head/supervisor will make the final decision relating to the placement of a volunteer, and should he/she decide to do so, he/she will contact the Community Relations Coordinator requesting that a criminal background check be conducted on that individual. If the criminal background check results are acceptable, the Community Relations Coordinator will coordinate with the department head/supervisor as to the first day the volunteer will be expected to start volunteering and then notify the applicant in that regard. ---PAGE BREAK--- MUNICIPAL VOLUNTEER PROGRAM Adopted 3/2/2010 4 e) Volunteers under the age of 18 must have an “Agreement for a Minor to Serve/Background Check Consent Form” signed by a parent or legal guardian; the form will be provided to the youth prior to the first day of service. f) Department heads/supervisors will provide volunteers with the training and supervision needed to successfully complete the assigned tasks. Such training must be listed on the department’s initial “Request for Volunteer Assistance – Duty Description” form. g) Department heads/supervisors are also responsible for ensuring that department volunteers understand and comply with City policy and operating procedures, as well as state and federal safety regulations. Section 9. Community Relations Coordinator The role of Lewiston’s Community Relations Coordinator shall be multi-faceted and is outlined below: a) Will ensure a uniform, consistent, and efficient approach to volunteer recruitment. b) Will provide support and consultation to departments that are utilizing volunteers. c) Will conduct screening interviews for prospective volunteers as to their availability, duty preferences, qualifications, and skills. d) Will forward a copy of the application and CRC screening materials regarding each prospective volunteer to the appropriate municipal department for possible interview and placement. e) Will develop and maintain connections with area non-profits and business and service groups that serve the City of Lewiston community in order to advocate volunteerism and civic engagement. f) Will maintain a volunteer resource pool of effective volunteers utilized by Lewiston municipal departments. g) Will work with departments as to recognition of volunteers. Section 10. Orientation Prior to commencing volunteer duties, an individual selected to serve as a Lewiston municipal volunteer will be required to participate in an orientation session within the city’s Human Resources Department in regards to customer service, sexual harassment, Internet usage, and confidentiality (to include the signing of the Lewiston Municipal Volunteer Program Confidentiality Agreement). The orientation may take place the day of the volunteer duty start-up date or the day before. ---PAGE BREAK--- MUNICIPAL VOLUNTEER PROGRAM Adopted 3/2/2010 5 Section 11. The Volunteer a) The City of Lewiston municipal government volunteer is an individual who willingly and freely offers services with no expectation of payment or other compensation. Volunteers are not employees of the City. b) Volunteers must comply with the guidelines, policies, and procedures highlighted during their orientation and as explained to them by the respective department head/supervisor. c) Volunteers must comply with any and all state and federal safety regulations. d) Time served logging sheets will be available in each Lewiston municipal department. The volunteer is expected to honestly log his/her time for each day and submit the weekly logging sheet to the respective department head/supervisor. The information shall be forwarded to the Community Relations Coordinator for centralized logging. e) Upon being selected to serve as a Lewiston volunteer, each participant will be asked to sign a “MVP Photo Release” form if they feel comfortable doing so. Photos shall be taken as the program evolves, and photos will be used for promotion and in “getting the word out” about City of Lewiston volunteer opportunities. Section 12 – First Day of Volunteering On the first day of a volunteer assignment with the City of Lewiston, the volunteer shall first meet with the Community Relations Coordinator at Lewiston City Hall to receive his/her volunteer identification badge. If the individual will be volunteering in a municipal department located outside of Lewiston City Hall, the CRC will then contact the respective department as to picking up the volunteer. If the volunteer assignment is in City Hall, the Community Relations Coordinator will accompany the individual to the respective office. * When department head/supervisor is noted, it is to be interpreted as either a department head or the departmental supervisor assigned to supervising a particular volunteer.