Policy: Introduction

The Feilding and District Art Society is a charitable organisation whose operations are undertaken primarily at Feilding Art Centre (the Art Centre) on 104 Manchester Street, Feilding. Our primary constitutional objective is to establish, govern, and manage the Art Centre.

The Art Centre is managed by one paid employee, but its operations are dependent on the work of unpaid volunteers. These volunteers work at all levels of the organisation, from the governing committee, through to front-of-house and maintenance.

The intention of this document is to provide an overview of volunteers’ roles within the Society as well as set out the procedures for recruiting, managing, and retaining volunteers.  

Scope

The Volunteer Management Policy is applicable to all individuals who conduct work for, or on behalf of the Feilding and District Art Society in an unpaid capacity, except for committee members. The terms of this policy are also not applicable to employees or contractors. 

Legislative Requirements

The Feilding and District Art Society is required, under the Incorporated Societies Act (1908), to act within the rules and objectives stated in our constitution. The Volunteer Management Policy ensures those aspects of our operations which are delegated to volunteers are conducted in line with the Feilding and District Art Society’s Constitution, and therefore within the obligations imposed by the Act.

The Feilding and District Art Society is also bound by the Health and Safety at Work Act (2015). The Act is applicable to all personnel undertaking work at the Art Centre, including volunteers. The Volunteer Management Policy is to be used alongside, and in accordance with, the Health and Safety Policy, which sets out how the Society meets its obligations under the Act.

The Privacy Act (1993) must be adhered to when storing and using information about volunteers, including names and contact details.

The Clean Slate Act (2004) applies when undertaking police vetting on volunteers who are working with children/vulnerable people or are assigned financial responsibilities. The Act enables those who have met certain criteria to have their criminal records concealed, or be deemed to have no criminal record. 

Compliance

The Art Centre Manager is responsible for day-to-day implementation of the Volunteer Management Policy. Escalation to the Committee may occur when questions are raised about the contents of the policy, or in cases where legislation may have been breached. 

Responsibilities

The Committee, Art Centre Manager and volunteers all share responsibilities under the Volunteer Management Policy.

Committee Responsibilities:

• Overall compliance with relevant legislation.

• Contribution to a culture conducive to volunteer engagement and satisfaction.

• Ambassadorship – advocating for the benefits of volunteering with the Feilding and District Art Society, and work with the Art Centre Manager to recruit volunteers.

• Act as an escalation point for complaints or concerns from volunteers and employees.

 Art Centre Manager Responsibilities:

• Creation and application of the Volunteer Management Policy.

• Developing procedures which ensure compliance with policy and legislation.

• Working with committee to ensure organisational knowledge of legislation remains up-to-date.

• Manage, support, encourage and communicate with all volunteers.

• Seek out opportunities for volunteers.

• Look for opportunities to invite and engage volunteers.

• Implementation of other operating procedures which may affect or involve volunteers. E.g., Health and Safety, shop and exhibition processes.

• Work collaboratively with Whatunga Tuao | Volunteer Central to ensure volunteering best practice is up to date.

Volunteer Responsibilities:

• Adhere to the procedures set out in the Volunteer Management Policy, and any other reasonable instruction given by the Art Centre Manager during the course of volunteering

• Work collaboratively and co-operatively with all other staff and volunteers.

• Be an ambassador for the Society, visual arts, and volunteering in general when engaging with the public on  behalf of the Society.

• Adhere to the applicable role description, and discuss with the Art Centre Manager where you feel modifications to your role are necessary.

Policy Aims and Principles

 The Feilding and District Art Society aims to:

• Recruit volunteers skilled volunteers with an interest in advancing the constitutional objectives of the Society.

• Provide learning opportunities for volunteers so that they may grow with the Art Centre.

• Retain volunteers by ensuring they feel valued and recognised for their contribution to our organization and wider community. 

We seek to fulfill these ambitions through implementation of activities that align with the following key principles.

Key Principles

Volunteer Roles and Recruitment

• The Society will be governed by a Committee of volunteers, whose recruitment is subject to the election process outlined in the Feilding and District Art Society Constitution - these volunteers are not subject to the volunteer management policy.

• All other volunteer roles are determined by the Art Centre Manager, with roles created, modified, or removed according to current operational requirements.

• All volunteers will be inducted for Health and Safety as well as role-specific responsibilities.

• New volunteers will be assigned roles that meet their skillset and support their personal goals, and existing roles may be adapted for this purpose.

• When recruiting volunteers, precedence will be given to the following candidates:

  • Members

  • Non-member artists

  • Members of other clubs and societies

• Volunteers will be recruited for a specific role or task, but this may be modified by mutual agreement with the Art Centre Manager (verbally or in writing).

• If a prospective volunteer is unable to meet the requirements of existing roles, the Society may investigate alternative opportunities for that individual before declining them.

• Volunteers are not employees – tasks assigned to volunteers should not be those which any paid staff member is employed to undertake.

Volunteer Records

• The Society will retain volunteers’ contact information and any information applicable to their role, in a secure location for the length of time they are actively volunteering for the Society.

• Information collected will only be used for the purpose it is collected, and only information relevant to the volunteer and their role should be collected.

• Volunteer information will be securely destroyed within 3 months of them no longer being available for volunteering with the Society.

• Digital records are available only to the Art Centre Manager.

• Hard copy records are accessible only to the Art Centre Manager and Committee .

• Volunteers’ information will not be shared with third parties without the volunteer’s written consent.

Volunteer Recognition

• The Society will regularly recognise the contributions made by volunteers, and ensure each volunteer feels valued for their work.

Volunteer Rights and Responsibilities

• The Society recognizes that volunteers have the right to feel physically, mentally and emotionally safe while on duty, and to speak up if that isn’t the case.

• Volunteers have the right to feel valued for their knowledge and skills.

• Volunteers have the right to share their ideas.

• Volunteers also have responsibilities in ensuring they behave in a manner that guarantees the same rights for all other users of the Art Centre and are responsible for ensuring their own conduct aligns with the values of our organisation.

• Volunteers are responsible for keeping confidential any business information garnered during work. This is any information available to the public and may relate to staff, contractors, shop suppliers, other volunteers, members, or organisational finances. 

Volunteer Expenses

• Petty cash will be made available to volunteers for the purpose of buying milk, tea and coffee only.

• The Society will reimburse other expenses only if agreed in advance.

•  Volunteers are not permitted to place orders or incur expenses on any credit account held by the Society.

• Volunteers will be liable for any expenses incurred in breach of this policy.

 Volunteers with Disabilities

• Neither physical, mental nor intellectual disabilities will be barriers for volunteering with the Society.

• The Society will, to its best endeavors, make all volunteering opportunities inherently suitable for people with disabilities.

• Where a role requires modification to meet a specific volunteer’s needs, the Society will make such modifications in consultation with the prospective volunteer where this is not cost prohibitive.

• To support volunteers with visual impairments, electronic volunteer communications will be sent in plain text to allow for interpretation by screen readers.

Police Checks

• Police vetting will be conducted on all new volunteers, and when a volunteer changes roles.

Disputes

• Where disputes may arise from time to time, the Society will work toward a swift, mutually agreeable resolution.

• An independent party may be asked to assist to resolve a dispute at the request of the Art Centre Manager or the volunteer involved.