Complying with Relevant Laws, Regulations and Best Practice

A new set of information pages is now available as a useful guide for charities which engage volunteers. Where relevant, links to associated charity volunteer template documents are provided to help charities to comply with relevant laws, regulations and best practice.

Volunteers provide a considerable resource for many UK charities. There are charities which could not operate without them. For this reason, it is vital to ensure that charities engage and manage their volunteers in an efficient, effective and professional way.

A charity needs to ensure that, in order to avoid being subject to employment and tax law and other adverse legal implications, the entire relationship between the charity and the individual engaged is in reality one of volunteering, not employment. The information and links to relevant templates can help a charity to make the right decisions so that they engage a volunteer rather than unintentionally hire an employee.

The information covers the following key issues:

• Is an individual a volunteer or an employee?

• Who can be a volunteer?

• Volunteers: legal duties and protections.

• Trustees as volunteers.

• Trustees’ duties and responsibilities.

• Charity policies and procedures.

• Charity health and safety obligations for volunteers.

• Liability/Insurance.

• Volunteer agreements.

• Volunteers’ expenses.

• Volunteer fundraisers and fundraising groups.

• Data Protection, IT Security and Confidentiality.

• Copyright etc.