Most volunteer handbooks are written once, filed and never opened.
The reason is usually simple: they are too long, too formal or full of things nobody asked about. A handbook is only useful if a new volunteer can find what they need in a minute, and a team leader can point to it when someone asks "what do we do if..."
This article explains what a volunteer handbook is for, what belongs in it, how to keep it short enough to be read and gives a ready outline you can copy, section by section.
Key takeaways
- A handbook answers the questions people keep asking. If nobody asks it, leave it out.
- Short beats complete. Ten pages that are read are better than forty that are not.
- It is not a legal document. For safeguarding, safety and data protection, follow the rules that apply to you and, where needed, take advice.
- Written policies and job descriptions were among nine volunteer management practices examined in the Urban Institute's 2003 study of U.S. charities.
What a handbook is for
A handbook does four things.
- It welcomes. It tells a new person who you are and why the work matters.
- It explains. How things work, who to ask and what is expected.
- It protects. Everyone knows the standards, including the ones that keep people safe.
- It saves you time. The same question does not have to be answered twenty times.
It does not replace conversations, training or a good first day. It supports them.
The Urban Institute study examined nine practices, including written policies and job descriptions. It linked three of the nine to retention: recognition, training and screening and matching. A handbook belongs to the supporting structure around those, and it helps most when it is short and clear.
Who it is for
Write for the person who joined last week. Not for the board, the funder or the lawyer.
- Use plain words and short sentences.
- Say "you", not "volunteers shall".
- Use headings and lists so a section can be found quickly.
- Include names and phone numbers, not only job titles.
- Put the most used information first.
What to put in
1. Welcome
A short letter from the leader: what you do, why it matters and what you hope the volunteer will get from it. Half a page.
2. About us
Mission, who you serve, a few words about your history and your values. One page at most.
3. How the team works
A simple picture of who is who: the leader, coordinators, departments and teams. Who to contact for what.
4. Your role
A short description of the main roles, with tasks, time and training. If you have written role descriptions, link or attach them.
5. Schedule and communication
- How you will be asked to serve: a set rota, requests for each event or an open call.
- How to confirm or decline.
- What to do if you cannot come.
- How to tell the team about time you will be away.
- Where changes are announced.
6. Expectations
Arriving on time, dressing appropriately, treating people with respect, using phones and social media sensibly and respecting privacy. Keep it brief and positive.
7. Safety and wellbeing
- What to do in an emergency, with phone numbers.
- First aid and where the kit is.
- Fire exits and assembly points.
- Rules for working with children or vulnerable people, as required where you are.
- Who to tell if something worries you.
8. Policies that matter
Only the ones that apply. Examples are safeguarding, data protection and photography. Write them in short, plain language, and reference the full policy for anyone who needs it. For legal or safeguarding matters, take advice on the exact wording and requirements for your country and sector.
9. Training and support
What training is available, who your mentor or buddy is and who to talk to if you are struggling.
10. Appreciation
How you say thank you, what recognition looks like and how people can give feedback.
11. Leaving and returning
How to step back, how to tell the team and how to come back later. This makes it easier for people to leave on good terms.
12. Quick reference
A final page with contacts, key dates, addresses, parking, Wi-Fi and the answers to the five most common questions.
How long should it be
Aim for ten pages or fewer. A common failure is a long document that tries to cover everything. If a policy needs twenty pages, link to it instead.
A useful test: give it to someone who has never volunteered with you and ask them to find three things in under a minute each, such as the person to call if they are ill, the arrival time and what to do in a fire. If they cannot, simplify the document.
Format and delivery
- Print and digital. A short printed version at the welcome desk and a digital copy people can open on their phone.
- One source. Keep a single master version so the printed and shared copies do not drift apart.
- Date it. Add the date of the last review.
- Share it at the right moment. Not before someone has said yes, and not in a pile of documents on day one. A first message, a short call and then the handbook is a better sequence.
Keep it alive
A handbook gets out of date quickly. Make a habit of reviewing it.
- Once a year, set a date to read it through.
- After an incident or a change, update the relevant page.
- Ask new volunteers what was unclear.
- Remove anything nobody uses.
Mistakes to avoid
- Copying a template unchanged. It will say things that are not true for you.
- Writing it as a list of prohibitions. People remember the tone.
- Hiding the important things. Safety and contacts belong at the front.
- Making it a substitute for a conversation. It cannot replace a person.
- Forgetting that it needs an owner. Name the person responsible for keeping it up to date.
How Planify can help
A handbook describes how things work. Planify can help the practical parts work the way the handbook says.
- How people join. A join link lets a person enter their name and phone number and confirm a six-digit code on WhatsApp. They become an active member without creating an account or password. The handbook can simply include the link.
- How people confirm. Confirming or declining is one tap on WhatsApp, and the handbook can say so in one line.
- Where the schedule lives. Schedule share links give volunteers a page they can open on their phone, filtered by department or position, for a fixed month or a rolling period. A link can expire or be revoked when it is no longer needed.
- How you reach everyone. An announcement can go to the whole team, to departments or to positions, which suits updates to the handbook or a reminder of a policy change.
- Who does what. Positions belong to departments and each one has a coordinator, so the "who to ask" page matches the structure you actually use.
Join links, share links and announcements depend on your plan.
Read next: volunteer job description: how to write one, with examples.
FAQ
What should be in a volunteer handbook?
A welcome, who you are, how the team is organised, role descriptions, how scheduling and communication work, expectations, safety information, key policies, training and support, appreciation, how to leave and a quick reference page.
How long should a volunteer handbook be?
Ten pages or fewer. Link to longer policies instead of including them.
Is a volunteer handbook legally required?
Requirements vary by country, sector and role. Check the rules that apply to you, especially for safeguarding, health and safety and data protection.
How do you get volunteers to read the handbook?
Keep it short, put the answers people look for at the front, share it at the right moment and refer to it in conversation.