It will be the responsibility of the Executive Director to provide orientation to familiarize new staff with the agency. Orientation for the Executive Director will be the responsibility of the Executive Committee. New personnel will sign off that they have read and understood key documents which may include the constitution and bylaws, the mission statement, policies, recent funding proposals, financial statements, business plan/strategic planning documents, recent minutes and reports. A tour of key program sites to meet staff and volunteers will be included in the orientation.
Experienced volunteers will be trained as “ambassadors” to help staff orient the new volunteers.
All staff are encouraged to continue their professional development activities. A request for reimbursement of training and incidental costs should be submitted in writing to the Personnel Committee for consideration prior to taking any training. A budget is allocated annually for staff training and development.
We believe that the Personnel Committee should take an active role in assessing staff and volunteer training needs. The committee will receive written applications from staff who request time off or funds to attend courses, workshops, conferences or training.The Chair of the Personnel Committee can authorize expenditures up to $200. Costs higher that $200 should be recommended by the Personnel Committee for final approval by the board.
All requests and suggestions for volunteer training should be brought forward by the Volunteer Coordinator to the Executive Director.The Executive Director has discretionary authority to spend the money specified for volunteer training.
The agency will maintain active memberships in appropriate groups and service agencies, in order to provide opportunities for staff (and volunteers) to liaise and network.
Each time staff and/or volunteers change their duties, they will be given an orientation specific to the new position. They will also be subject to a probationary review.
We believe that professional development is a joint responsibility of the employees and the organization. Within the constraints of budget and operational requirements, we support and encourage staff to develop knowledge and skills relevant to their present and future positions with our agency.