 volunteer code of conduct volunteer code of conduct admin wed 7172024 2355 extending compassion to families and pets volunteer code of conduct first thank you fences for fido relies 100 on volunteers to do the lifechanging and often lifesaving work of this organization we want each person to feel fully supported welcomed and introduced to who we are and what we do this document is designed to convey our fff culture you might consider it our credo our statement of how we work together and represent the organization combined our work and our demeanor essentially are fences for fido in every role with fences for fido courtesy and professionalism are top priorities fences for fido s mission is based on compassionate acts to improve the lives of our fidos and their families we model that compassion in all of our interactions with clients the public each other supporters and even detractors   1 communication with each other is courteous and positive fences for fido volunteers are extraordinarily dedicated many spend as much time on fff work as they spend on their fulltime jobs this commitment deserves a cooperative supportive environment we will treat each other with respect in all of our communications we will honor the vital contribution of each individual whether their work is in the field or behind the scenes in airing complaints we will use direct communication that clearly names the issue and looks for possible solutions because indirect complaining is unproductive and harmful to group morale we bring complaints to the person s with the ability to address them and we approach them in a problemsolving spirit if that fails to resolve the issue volunteers are encouraged to bring the issue to a mutuallyagreed third party personal differences are inevitable but profanity namecalling and other disrespectful communication are unacceptable and threaten our supportive environment  2 communication with clients is professional and nonjudgmental client outreach coordinators cos are the point of contact with our clients volunteers will defer direct client communication to the co when interacting with clients we will be positive and nonjudgmental to respect the privacy and boundaries of our clients volunteers will wait for the co and crew leader to arrive before entering the clients property we protect the privacy of our clients at all times and in every way under no circumstances may a volunteer divulge personal client information in any form  3 electronic communication is positive professional and respectful  facebook and the website are the closest thing we have to a storefront every post or comment must be courteous and represent the organization in a positive light fff emails will be courteous and ontopic and may not be used for any nonfff solicitation or messages c the public fff page is for public messages fff maintains closed facebook groups for various committees and volunteer groups to communicate behind the scenes fff announcements should be fielded to the facebook managers for posting  4 media outreach is referred to board members  public relations and media outreach are handled by the board of directors volunteers will refer media requests to the board of directors when the media attend our events and builds we welcome volunteers to talk about their personal experience of volunteering with fences for fido  5 while we don t expect volunteers to share all of our views we do ask volunteers to support fff s animal welfare policies like most animal welfare groups we support the wider cause of animal welfare by serving plantbased foods at our events this policy covers food purchased and served by fff at its officiallysponsored events volunteers can choose what food they bring to a job site or order at a nohost event we sometimes see our fidos in very sad conditions we do everything we can to improve their circumstances but we accept our limitations sometimes even the police aren t legally able to remedy a bad situation and some animals would not be adoptable if we could get custody of them volunteers will try to trust in our process knowing that our ongoing contact with families can continue long after a build fences for fido supports spaying and neutering as a means of protecting animal health and fighting overpopulation we strongly encourage but do not require our clients to allow fff to spay neuter their dogs  6 volunteers support fff policy and protocol fences for fido s board of directors is bound by certain legal and moral obligations with regard to policies finances mission and public reputation it s impossible for every board decision to please everyone but volunteers will respect the board s administrative authority to make decisions on behalf of the organization cos and crew leaders are responsible for overseeing their projects we understand that there are many ways to complete a job while we re open to improvement our protocols are developed from our experience on hundreds of fences volunteers will follow the directions of crew leaders and cos to maintain the culture of cooperation and respect that keep us moving ahead with our mission fff reserves the right to address issues as they arise depending on severity and circumstances violations of these guidelines may be addressed with a gentle reminder a warning a temporary suspension of duties or even termination of the volunteer s relationship with fff while it s impossible to cover every potential situation we hope these general guidelines will create a friendly and professional environment for all of our volunteers our board members welcome any questions or concerns about these guidelines  