Volunteer Policies
MISSION
BINA Farm Center brings together individuals with and without special needs by offering a variety of inclusive enrichment programs that help them to both thrive personally and make their best contribution towards the communities in which they live. BINA provides a comprehensive therapeutic and recreational environment utilizing Equine-Assisted Services and Therapies, Vocational Training Programs and Creative and Complementary Therapies for children and adults with physical, developmental, and emotional challenges.
VOLUNTEER REQUIREMENTS
The minimum age for volunteers is 14 years old and all volunteers must have the ability to volunteer independently with minimal staff supervision. Some areas of volunteering require moderate physical exertion, so please be sure you are comfortable with the physical effort required for the volunteer role you select.
SCHEDULING & COMMITMENT
Volunteers commit to volunteering in the same role on the same day at the same time each week during our seasonal Sessions. Consistency is important for our horses, barn staff, instructors and participants, but we understand things come up to cause a change of plans.
- Winter (January - March) and Spring (April - June) are typically 12 weeks.
- Summer (July - August) is typically 7 weeks.
- Fall (September - December) is typically 15 weeks.
New volunteers receive their basic volunteer training and qualifications to begin signing up for volunteer shifts following their successful completion of volunteer orientation. Volunteer assignments and schedules are based on BINA's needs, and the volunteer's interest, experience, and availability.
If you are unable to attend scheduled shifts once confirmed to your schedule, please be sure to:
- remove the shift from your volunteer portal schedule
- email us at volunteer@binafarm.org
- or for less than 24-hour notice, please call us at (781) 862-5020.
NEW VOLUNTEER ORIENTATION AND TRAINING
New volunteers are required to attend a volunteer orientation. Volunteer orientation and additional trainings are conducted with both classroom and hands-on training. Due to the nature of the services we provide, BINA reserves the right to make the final determination as to the appropriateness of volunteers for our organization. Due to scheduling considerations for horse use, instructor involvement and programming needs, our process may take longer to onboard new volunteers.
CONFIDENTIALITY POLICY
At BINA Farm Center, we place great importance on protecting the confidential information of our participants, staff and volunteers. “Confidential Information” includes, but is not limited to, personally identifiable information such as surnames, telephone numbers, addresses, emails, etc., as well as the non-public business records of the BINA Farm Center. In particular, medical information about participants and information about their disabilities or special needs must be protected as Confidential Information. Volunteers shall never disclose confidential information to anyone other than BINA staff. Volunteers must seek staff permission before taking any pictures or videos.
I HAVE READ & UNDERSTAND BINA’S CONFIDENTIALITY POLICY AND AGREE TO ABIDE BY THE SAME.
