Volunteer Policies - Please Review
Thanks for your interest in volunteering with the Clermont County Park District! Whether you want to get outside and get your hands dirty, connect with the community through outreach and environmental education, or donate your time to organizational tasks, we have a space for you.
Please take some time to review the policies and guidelines at Clermont County Park District (CCPD) before getting started with your application.
Clermont Parks Volunteer Policies
Volunteer Onboarding: All new volunteers must complete an application and a one-on-one volunteer introduction. Due to interaction with the public, and children specifically, a background check for all volunteers 18 and older will be conducted in compliance with applicable federal and state law.
Equal Opportunity Environment: Clermont Parks is an equal opportunity environment, with the goal of continuing to make our region an inclusive and welcoming place to visit and live. Clermont Parks accepts all volunteers, regardless of age, race, gender, sexual orientation, religious background, national origin, disability or other non-merit factor. We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. We work to provide an inclusive environment, free of discrimination to our employees, community partners, guests and professional affiliates.
Anti-Harassment Policy: Harassment, bigotry or hate space towards any guest, community partner, volunteer, employee or vendor will not be tolerated. Any conduct that has the purpose or effect of creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive environment is strictly prohibited and will result in a separation of the volunteer agreement. Harassment includes, but is not limited to, epithets; slurs; jokes; pranks; innuendo; comments; written or graphic material; stereotyping; or other threatening, hostile, or intimidating acts based on race, color, ancestry, national origin, gender, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, religion, age, disability, veteran status, or another characteristic protected by state or federal law. This can also include sexual harassment, defined under both state and federal law as unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature.
Drug and Alcohol Policy: Any volunteer who shows up under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs will be sent home from volunteering. There are no drugs or alcohol permitted during the volunteer shift.
“Two-Deep” Rule: When working with children, volunteers must adhere to the”two-deep” rule, meaning that a volunteer should never intentionally be left alone with a minor. There should always be two adults present. This is to protect both the children and the volunteers.
Customer Service: You’ll be wearing a Clermont Parks shirt, so be sure to represent well. Limiting cell phone use and being actively engaged with the participants in a friendly manner is always appreciated.
Dress Code: Volunteers are asked to wear their t-shirt and name tag when representing CCPD. If you are volunteering a lot of hours and need an extra shirt, please reach out!
Safety and Insurance: “Official” park volunteers are covered under the insurance policy. This is in the event that there is an accident that affects a guest, equipment, a facility or the volunteers themselves.
It is required that all volunteers and employees should use safety principles when using sharp tools and always wear the proper safety equipment. Do not use any chemicals, carts or power tools that you have not been given permission for and trained to use.
Bringing family or pets to volunteer: There are two types of volunteer events that are held at CCPD. One type are the “drop-in” weekend community event – these are one-day projects that anyone in the community are welcome to attend! The more the merrier. Waivers are signed on the day of the event. However, no pets are allowed, unless they are service animals.
The other type are long-term volunteer opportunities. These are listed on our Better Impact Volunteer website. These are for those volunteers who are registered as a volunteer, have completed the background check and have signed a waiver. Please do not bring any pets, children, friends or parents to long-term volunteer projects. There are two reasons for this: 1) sometimes they are a distraction to the task at hand, and 2). we ask for a number of volunteers based on the amount of work to be done. When there are too many volunteers that have unexpectedly joined us, some may feel as though the parks have wasted other volunteer time because there is not enough for them to do.
Canceling a shift: If you cannot make a shift, please communicate to your project lead, preferably 24 hours in advance. A phone call or text is the best method for this – not an email. Your park lead should provide you with a phone number. Sometimes park staff is counting on you to make their program or event a success. Good communication is important. We’ll be sure to let you know if the parks have to cancel any event or project 24 hours in advance, except in the event of last-minute emergencies.
Logging Hours: Please utilize Better Impact to log those hours!
