Volunteer Policy
The Volunteer Policy is designed to:
- Set the minimum volunteer time requirement for families who are participating in national or international travel programs (Village, Interchange, Summer Camp, JC, Seminar Camp, National Camp, IYM, and IPP);
- Encourage families to donate time to the functions of greatest benefit to CISV Ottawa; and
- Establish clear mechanisms to manage the application of the policy.
- Submit a Volunteer Deposit at the time the first program fee deposit is due (see Program Fee Policy);
- Commit to a Key Volunteer Role or General Volunteer Support; and
- Meet the volunteer commitment by the Volunteer Deadline or have the Volunteer Deposit payment deposited to the chapter bank account.
- Volunteer Deposit: Cheque for $250, made out to CISV Ottawa and postdated to the Volunteer Deadline.
- Volunteer Deadline: June 30 of the year in which the travel associated with a national or international program ends.
- Key Volunteer Role: A role that is important to ongoing CISV Ottawa operations as designated by the Board. It may include participation on the Adult Board or a Junior Branch leadership role, carrying out an ongoing important organizational role, playing a leadership function in connection with a major event, or other contributions as the Board deems appropriate.
- General Volunteer Support: A minimum of 10 hours of volunteer time for CISV tasks such as mini-camp support, fundraising, or event preparation.
- Volunteer Coordinator: Board member (volunteer @ cisvottawa.ca) who coordinates volunteers for chapter activities and verifies that the volunteer commitment has been met.
- Volunteer Hours Tracking Sheet: Online form used to track General Volunteer Support hours.
All members of CISV Ottawa are encouraged to volunteer their talents and time to the functions necessary to manage the chapter, deliver CISV programs, raise funds, and increase the impact of CISV in the Ottawa community. In the case of high school students, CISV volunteering also counts towards high school community involvement requirements.
Recognizing the immediate and direct benefits of participation in CISV programs, each family with a member participating in a CISV national or international travel program in a particular year is required to:
Families are responsible for seeking out and fulfilling any volunteer activities. These are communicated on the CISV Ottawa website, through e-mail messages, and through announcements at CISV Ottawa events.
Families may provide volunteer hours by arranging for the involvement of non-member individuals in roles that cannot be fully met from among current CISV Ottawa member families. This may include a Key Volunteer Role or a specialized professional or other skill requirement such as the services of a notary public, accountant, or health professional to support the program. The use of hours provided by another individual can only take place with the advance approval of the Volunteer Coordinator and is subject to CISV risk management policies and processes before Volunteer Deposit credit will be given.
If a family is offering General Volunteer Support, they shall record the hours worked on the CISV Ottawa Volunteer Hours Tracking Sheet, obtain any required signatures, and submit it to the Volunteer Coordinator. This is not necessary if the family opted for a Key Volunteer Role at the time of registration.
By the Volunteer Deadline, each family that has made a Volunteer Deposit shall confirm with the Volunteer Coordinator that their family commitment has been met or is on track to being met. If the family's volunteer commitment has been met, the Volunteer Coordinator will return the Volunteer Deposit to the family. If it has not been met, the Volunteer Coordinator will communicate with the family, providing them a final opportunity to submit any missing volunteer hour forms or commit within one week of the date of the communication to volunteering for specific activities that would ensure the commitment is met. After that one week, the Volunteer Deposit shall be returned to the family if the volunteer commitment is demonstrated. The Volunteer Deposit will be deposited to the CISV Ottawa bank account if the commitment has not been met and is not on track to being met in the opinion of the Volunteer Coordinator.
