- 1). Talk to administrators to determine what their expectations are from a volunteer program. See if there are already rules or guidelines in place for such a program. Check to see if background checks, identification badges, and paperwork are needed for the volunteer before beginning.
- 2). Find a volunteer coordinator. In some schools, funds can be set aside to pay for this position. The coordinator could be a support staff member or a responsible parent. Inform them of their responsibilities as the primary contact between volunteers, administrators and teachers and overseeing the entire program, schedules, recruiting and training volunteers.
- 3). Create guidelines for the volunteers. Look at other schools' programs and handbooks to see what will work for this program. Edit these guidelines into a concise handbook that will include the volunteers' roles in the school, cell phone policy, use of staff facilities, parking, behavior management and confidentiality.
Create a sign-in area with identification badges, if needed. - 4). Prepare any areas where the volunteers might be working, setting up tables and chairs for the volunteers who will work with students away from the classroom, or setting up a designated work area as needed.
- 5). Recruit volunteers by posting fliers and sending home notices with the students. Include days and times of possible availability and areas of need the volunteers can choose from. Place fliers at open houses and conferences with sign-up sheets in a convenient place. Match preferences and time availability with needs in the school.
- 6). Train the volunteers. The volunteers need to be trained specifically for the area where needed. Those in the office area will learn how to operate all the office machines, those on the playground will learn the rules for the playground and how to manage students that are misbehaving. Volunteers who will be assisting teachers in the classroom may need trained in the area of need. All volunteers need to be aware of the emergency procedures of the school.
- 7). Create a database of all volunteers and events in the school. Pull from this list for volunteers to assist with parties, screenings, field trips and other school events.
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