VOLUNTEER AGREEMENT
By ticking the box, you agree to the following Agreement between:
The Returning Indigenous Corporation (The Organiser)
and you (the volunteer)
This Agreement is not intended to be a legally binding contract between us and it may be cancelled at any time by either us or you.
1. You are a volunteer
Your role at The Returning Indigenous Corporation is a volunteer role. This means you are not an employee of, or contractor to, The Returning Indigenous Corporation and, if you accept the role, you perform all duties on a voluntary basis and you will not receive remuneration or payment for your work, other than reasonable reimbursement of pre-approved expenses (see below at paragraph 9).
Neither The Returning Indigenous Corporation nor you intend any employment or contractual relationship to be created (you are not an employee, independent contractor or consultant at The Returning Indigenous Corporation. If this changes at any time, and there is a possibility that you might perform paid work for the organisation, we will discuss this and document the arrangement in a formal contract.
2. What you can expect when volunteering at The Returning Indigenous Corporation
The Returning Indigenous Corporation values its volunteers and we will endeavour to provide you with:
a verbal role description upon commencement of your volunteering role so you understand the tasks you are authorised to perform
a full induction, orientation and training relating to the volunteer role
a safe environment in which to perform your role
respect for your privacy, including keeping your private information confidential
a supervisor, so that you have the opportunity to ask questions and get feedback (see paragraph 4 below)
reimbursement for any pre-approved expenses so you are not out-of-pocket as a result of volunteering for us (for further information see paragraph 9 below), and
insurance to cover you for the volunteer duties you are authorised to perform (see paragraph 10 below).
3.What The Returning Indigenous Corporation asks of its volunteers
We ask that you:
• Support The Returning Indigenous Corporation’s aims and objectives
• Participate in all relevant induction and orientation sessions
• Only perform duties you are authorised to perform and always operate under the direction and supervision of The Returning Indigenous Corporation’s staff and obey reasonable directions and instructions
• Understand and comply with the organisation’s policies and procedures including Code of Conduct Principles of Participation, ICIP Workshop Participation Deed, health and safety and privacy and confidentiality policies.
• Notify your supervisor or another member of staff of any health and safety issues or potentially hazardous situations that may pose a risk to you or others and report any accidents or incidents relating to staff, volunteers, or the workplace
•behave appropriately and courteously to all program managers, staff, core crew and attendees in the course of your role
• Use any property or equipment given to you in your role safely and only for purpose of the role and return it to the organisation when you finish your volunteer role
• Let us know if you wish to change the nature of your contribution (for example, hours, role) to The Returning Indigenous Corporation at any time
• Let us know immediately if there is anything, or anything arises, that makes you unsuitable or unable to legally or physically carry out your volunteer role (for example, your role requires you to drive and you lose your licence or you injure yourself)
• Comply with the law at all times, and
• Be open and honest in your dealings with us and let us know if we can improve our volunteer program and the support that you receive.
4.Supervisor
Your supervisor at The Returning Indigenous Corporation will be Steffi Davis. If you have any questions or concerns about your role, your health and safety, or if you need any assistance to help you perform your role, please contact Steffi Davis as soon as possible via email jinjila@thereturning.com.au.
5.Role description and details
We ask that you only perform duties you are authorised to perform, always operate under the direction and supervision of The Returning Indigenous Corporation’s staff and obey reasonable directions and instructions. This is particularly important for health, safety and insurance reasons (see paragraph 6 below).
If you are unsure whether a particular task or work is part of your role, or who you should receive directions and instructions from please don’t hesitate to talk to your supervisor.
6.The health and safety of you and others
At The Returning Indigenous Corporation volunteer safety, and the safety of everyone who is involved in our organisation, is a priority. The Returning Indigenous Corporation has safety obligations towards:
• You in your capacity as a volunteer at The Returning Indigenous Corporation, and
• The people that you interact with as a part of your volunteer role.
It is important to understand that you may be personally liable (that is legally or financially responsible) for any harm or damage caused to yourself or others if you act outside of the volunteer role description, outside of the instructions given to you or you are affected by drugs or alcohol when you are volunteering.
It is therefore important that you only perform the tasks in your role description and that you follow the instructions of your supervisor and The Returning Indigenous Corporation’s staff.
Under the law, The Returning Indigenous Corporation has a duty of care to minimise risks to everyone affected by its conduct (including paid employees and volunteers). It also means that as a volunteer, you may have duties under the law too. These include:
• Taking reasonable care for your own health and safety
• Taking reasonable care for the health and safety of others
• Complying with any reasonable instruction by The Returning Indigenous Corporation
• Letting The Returning Indigenous Corporation know of any concerns you may have about safety or fitness in performing our role, and
• Cooperating with any reasonable policies and procedures of [The Returning Indigenous Corporation.
7. Induction and orientation required before you start in the volunteer role
The Returning Indigenous Corporation is committed to providing suitable training in support of the organisational policies relevant to your role as a volunteer. For this reason, it is our policy that all volunteers undertake induction and orientation at The Returning Indigenous Corporation before starting their volunteer role. We will confirm the details of the induction and training schedule with you.
8.Information we need before you can start in the volunteer role
Before you can start the volunteer role, we need the following information: NSW Working with Children Check and Drivers License.
9.Volunteer expenses and other benefits
As a volunteer, The Returning Indigenous Corporation will reimburse you for any reasonable out-of-pocket expenses that you incur when performing authorised tasks associated with your role. We do this to ensure that you are not financially disadvantaged as a result of your volunteer role with us. These payments are not remuneration or wages. You may need prior approval and will always need to produce receipts. We may sometimes provide you with other benefits as part of your volunteering role (examples include training, free food, accommodation, event entry, clothing or equipment). Where this occurs, it is on a gratuitous basis at the discretion of The Returning Indigenous Corporation and is not payment in lieu of salary.
10.Insurance
We are committed to providing adequate insurance cover for volunteers while carrying out their volunteering roles that have been approved and authorised by us. The Returning Indigenous Corporation has the following insurances: Volunteer Workers Personal Accident Insurance, Professional Indemnity and Public Liability. To ensure this insurance covers you for any incidents that occur while you are volunteering with us, you need to: sign in and out of your rostered shifts accurately, follow the instructions of our staff and management and follow health and safety advice.
We want to let you know that the following events are unlikely to be covered by our insurance:
actions that are beyond the scope of your volunteer role, or that occur without appropriate authority or permission from us
criminal activity (including criminal charges arising out of driving incidents), and
dishonest or reckless activities (for example turning up intoxicated).
11.Confidential information
Volunteers are likely to be given access to The Returning Indigenous Corporation’s confidential information as part of, or to assist them with, their role. Confidential information includes any information about The Returning Indigenous Corporation, its business, services and clients which has been designated by The Returning Indigenous Corporation as confidential or which is, by its nature, confidential or proprietary to The Returning Indigenous Corporation.
You are not permitted to use or disclose any confidential information for any purpose other than the proper discharge of your duties as a volunteer of The Returning Indigenous Corporation
12.Intellectual Property
You agree to transfer all intellectual property rights and interests (including copyright) in any ideas or materials you create relating to your provision of voluntary services at [The Returning Indigenous Corporation to The Returning Indigenous Corporation. You consent to the use by The Returning Indigenous Corporation of such creations in a manner reasonably contemplated by the voluntary services provided under this document. As a volunteer you also agree not to bring any claim for infringement of your moral rights in respect of that use.
13.Consent to use photographs and images
You agree that The Returning Indigenous Corporation may take photographs and video footage of you carrying out your volunteer work and use it for the purposes of marketing and promotion of The Returning Indigenous Corporation and its goods or services. This may include printed and digital marketing, including the use of your image on social media platforms for the purposes of promoting volunteering. If you do not consent to the use of your image for marketing purposes, please advise Steffi Davis via email at jinjila@thereturning.com.au
By ticking the box you acknowledge that you have read and agree to this volunteer agreement.