Volunteer management

Role descriptions are important for several reasons – but mostly it gives the volunteer insight on what they would be doing, if they would be a good fit and how they will benefit from the position.

You need support at your event, but the volunteer also needs their experience to be valuable to them in a measurable way. This can be through skills developed, networking or an educational component – both you and the volunteer need to benefit.

The role description should not be longer than a page and should be precise with no fluff – bullet points and numbering are fine to use. You do not want to throw every detail on this page; it is more so an introduction to the position – just like a paid job description. Closer to the event is when you send a volunteer briefing with the breakdown of all the details.

A volunteer role description should include the following:

• Event Name, Date, and Time
• Event Location
• Volunteer Manager
• Dress Code
• Event Description
• Role Description
• Key Responsibilities
• Qualifications
• Required Training
• Benefits
• Skills Developed

In the past we have used Google Forms, SignUp, and SignUpGenius to create volunteer registrations but it still involves manual coordination and communications. In effort to streamline our process and make everything automated, we now currently use an online platform called VolunteerLocal. If you are interested in using this platform, reach out to Elizabeth Cross for further information and training on the platform.

Regarding your volunteer role description, you can choose to put it directly on the registration platform or email it when sending the volunteer, or both!

Part of creating a registration is determining your volunteer shifts. The sweet spot for a volunteer shift is three hours. If your event is for six hours, you will have two or three shifts depending on how long the setup and strike will take. Most importantly, you want your volunteer shifts to overlap – if your first shift is 12:00 – 3:00 p.m., your second shift should be 2:30 – 5:30 p.m. This allows the second rotation of volunteers to check in and briefed by the current volunteers before they leave their post at 3:00 p.m. At 3:00 p.m., the next set of volunteers take over. This allows your dedicated volunteer manager to focus on making sure there is adequate coverage and rearrange people as needed while the current volunteers take care of the briefing.

We strongly suggest asking these questions in your registration form regardless of which platform you choose:

• Name
• Email
• Cell Phone
• What is your classification? (Ex: student, staff, alumni, donor, other)
• What is your department? (Ex: SCAI, TPS, SEMTE, GOEE, etc.)
• Are you part of a Fulton engineering student org?
• What is your ASU mail code, if applicable?
• Do you have any dietary restrictions? (Vegan, Vegetarian, Gluten Free, Allergy)

TIP #1: Make all your questions the drop-down style when possible. It will be much easier for you when you are working with your data on spreadsheets and want to sort them by specific answers. When people can type in their own answer, sheets are messy and sorting features become useless as people typically type the same answer differently (example: Gluten free, gf, gluten free, GLUTEN, etc.).

TIP #2: Always ask people for any allergies! Allergies are more common these days and the last thing you want is someone getting sick at your event.

Now that you have finalized your registration it is time to recruit. We suggest using these methods to get attention to your event and drum up volunteers.

• In the loop
• Inner Circle
• Full Circle
• Fulton Student Organization Newsletter
• Engineering Staff distribution lists
• Engineering Student distribution lists
• Engineering Faculty distribution lists
• FSE Development to connect with Alumni and Industry Partner engagement.
• Word of mouth
• Past volunteers

TIP: If the platform of choice does not offer a volunteer database tool, then you should create one internally. Every time you use volunteers, add them to one main list. When the next volunteer need occurs, you now have past volunteers you can contact to invite to volunteer again — making your recruitment efforts easier over time.

Check-In/Out
It is important that you establish a strong check-in and out process. When managing volunteers, it is important that you know where they are always and why we ask them to check out in case of an emergency. Make sure you designate a clear accessible area, or a room, if possible, to hold check-in and check-out.

Area Leads
If you are hosting a large event consider having area leads. These positions could be open to anyone, or depending on the level of responsibility you could personally recruit for the specific areas. These positions function as your next in command and rather than two hundred volunteers coming to you with overlapping questions or concerns, you have one coming to you as the spokesperson for an area. This allows efficient communication at events, especially in case of an emergency.

Food
We typically recommend having water and light snacks at all events for all volunteers. Any volunteer working for three hours or more should receive an additional full meal. Make sure to include these people in your catering numbers or arrange a second catering drop at volunteer check-in away from the other event attendees. Keep allergies in mind; try to arrange catering that does not include any known allergen or keep items separate to avoid cross contamination.

Typically, it is best to use wristbands when not all volunteers qualify for a full meal. Include a wristband with the eligible volunteer’s name badge. If they have a wristband then that grants them a full meal, if they do not have a wristband, they do not get a full meal. Have someone monitoring the food line checking for wristbands. In effort to streamline this, we typically make all shifts a minimum of three hours so that way everyone gets a full meal.

Volunteer Hospitality
You should allocate an area at your event to be volunteer hospitality. This is where volunteers can eat, take a break, fix something, or do anything else they need to do away from event attendees. This can also be your storage area and your rest area, should an injury occur. This can be in the same location as your check-in and out or in a separate area, whatever works best for the venue.

Wardrobe
Make sure you clearly identify what is appropriate to wear as a volunteer at the event. It is best to have them wear matching shirts to easily identify them. If that is out of your budget, try to stick to an ASU theme or our Fulton polo’s that staff members have as well as student organizations.

Parking/Transportation
Keep in mind your volunteers need to transport themselves to your event. If the event is on campus during the workday your volunteers will simply walk over. If it is after hours or on the weekend, you may have to find parking options for them or budget the cost of parking validation. Practical options include:

• Reserve spots ahead of time in an ASU Parking structure (we recommend validating their spots as a volunteer should never have to pay to help you at your event)
• Suggest the light rail and/or other transportation.
• Suggest carpooling.

Radios
Depending on the size and complexity of your event, radios may be necessary to have for your lead volunteers and immediate events crew — never have more than ten people on a radio, too many cooks in the kitchen! If using radios, you need to establish radio protocol for your event and then train your volunteers accordingly.

It is important to create a volunteer briefing including at minimum the information below. This should be emailed to all volunteers about two days before the event, after hosting formal training.

• Check-in/out location and process
• Contact information for on-site volunteer manager.
• Area leads, if applicable
• What food they will be getting and how/where to go
• Required wardrobe, who is providing what.
• Parking/transportation options, free or at what cost?
• Specific details on how to complete their role.
• Role expectations and decision-making limits
• Medical emergency protocol
• Physical threat protocol
• Disruptive attendee protocol
• Weather threat protocol
• Necessary event information that allows them to answer basic attendee questions
• Include any helpful maps.

To have a smooth check-in and check-out process for volunteers we suggest having the following supplies. You may think these items do not belong on this list but in my experiences, there has been a time when I have used everything below at least once. It is better to be over prepared than under prepared!

• Physical sign in sheets (if not using online platform check-in tool)
• Required ASU Volunteer Waivers with clipboards dedicated to the waivers.
• Printed name badges
• Wristbands for each volunteer that is eligible for food.
• Extra wristbands
• Extra blank name badges
• T-shirts (if applicable)
• Water
• Snacks
• Rocks or paperweights in case your event is outside and is windy.
• Lysol wipes
• Paper towels
• Ziploc bags
• Reference list of all volunteers by name; by area; by job
• Catering contracts and eligible volunteers list

Volunteer Kit including:

• Pens
• Pencils
• Highlighters
• Sharpies
• Markers
• Packing tape
• Scissors
• Rubber bands
• Paper clips
• Kleenex
• Stapler
• Staple remover
• Doorstops
• Small notepads
• Small first aid kit
• Hand sanitizer
• Sunscreen
• Few sheets of card stock/colored paper

If you have Fulton Engineering students volunteering at your event, you must take into consideration which students might be deans funding points eligible. This is important to ask during initial registration which Fulton student organization they are a part of.

Furthermore, you must have a second check-in and check-out process for them to sign in on behalf of their organization. To confirm their participation, they MUST sign IN and OUT. At the conclusion of your event, you will then email this list to Academic and Student Affairs. We recommend you keep a copy of this list for your records in case there are any issues down the road.

Example FSE Deans Funding Sign in Sheet

Volunteers may need to complete an ASU waiver. Reference ASU Risk Management’s Volunteer Policies for the most up to date information to see who this would apply to.

Should you have any questions or want some guidance please reach out to Elizabeth Cross.