General Volunteer Application

Attendance

To remain an active member of our volunteer team, at least 2 hour of volunteering should be logged per month.

After 3 months of inactivity, volunteer accounts will be archived and can be reestablished following refresher training. 

After 6 months of inactivity, volunteer accounts will be removed. In order to continue volunteering, removed volunteers must reapply, complete orientation, and pay the volunteer fee again. 

Dress code

All volunteers must identify themselves with a volunteer lanyard (supplied on your first day volunteering). It is also recommended that volunteers wear clothing that they don’t mind getting dirty or ruined. Volunteers are required to wear close-toed shoes with non-slip soles (i.e. sneakers or boots). 

Code of conduct

As a volunteer for LHS you are an ambassador for our organization.  We ask that you do your best to represent us and our pets well, and in order to do that we ask that you adhere to the following policies and procedures:

• No possession of use of drugs, alcohol, or weapons will be permitted

• Harassment of any kind will not be tolerated

• Abusive behavior, verbal or physical, toward LHS staff, other volunteers, or customers will not be tolerated

• Any negative posts on social media will not be tolerated, please be encouraging and point people to LHS with questions or concerns

• If for whatever reason you are no longer able to volunteer at LHS, you must notify the volunteer coordinator. You will be asked to fill out a volunteer exit survey that is meant to help improve our program. 

Volunteer Performance 

Volunteer performance will be evaluated on an as needed basis. This will cover both praise for accomplishments as well as points of improvement. 

Termination Policy

LHS reserves the right to terminate a volunteer’s service if, at the LHS’s discretion, it is in the best interest of the organization and/or the volunteer. Possible grounds for termination include but are not limited to: gross misconduct or insubordination; being under the influence of drugs or alcohol; theft of property or misuse of LHS equipment and materials; abuse or mistreatment of animals, staff or other volunteers; failure to adhere to organization policies and procedures; failure to satisfactorily perform assigned duties; and behavior which is deemed detrimental to the Lynchburg Humane Society. We operate on a 3-strike termination policy for volunteers. The first incidence you will receive a written notice, second will be verbal, and final will be termination. These warnings will be a result of not following any of the above policies or at the discretion of the volunteer coordinator.

Social Media Policy

As a non-profit, public and community organization, it is critical that the Lynchburg Humane Society maintain a positive reputation, uphold the highest level of confidentiality, protect intellectual property and maintain an excellent image in the public eye.  Our reputation is a vital part of our ability to achieve our mission statement, maintain our current services, grow new programs and services and recruit and retain quality staff and volunteers.   

Volunteers who choose to contribute to online spaces such as blogs, social networking sites, wikis, forums, photo and video sharing sites must participate responsibly. This policy is intended to help volunteers understand what is recommended and expected of them while doing so.  

1. In all personal postings, speak respectfully about LHS, our current and potential staff, partners and competitors.  Do not engage in name calling or behavior that will reflect negatively on our organization's reputation. 

2. Please take caution when you use the Humane Society name address or other information in your personal profile.  If you do identify LHS on your personal page, you must make every effort to make sure everything else you post supports the positive reputation and integrity of the Lynchburg Humane Society.

3. Disclosure of any sensitive, proprietary, financial, or confidential information about LHS is prohibited and is grounds for immediate termination.

4. Volunteers may not post photos or information about animals that are not available to the public unless authorized to do so. 

5. Volunteers are not to post photos or information about public owned animals or animals in protective custody

LHS frequently posts adoption videos and pictures that include images of staff members or volunteers.  If you do not want your image used on social media, please let the person who captured the image know immediately.