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Board Manual

  • Mission, Vision, Values

Operations

  • Protected: Locks (Password Protected)
  • Opening & Closing
  • Inclement Weather Policy
  • Address & Location
  • Change Management
  • Preferred Flatpack Furniture
  • Protected: Furniture Outreach Toolkit
  • Planning Volunteer Tasks
  • Inventory Values Explained
  • Protected: Paint
  • Beds
    • Bed Policy
    • Cribs
    • Bed Intake & Outtake Procedures
  • Client Scheduling
    • Protected: Client Conference Line (Password Protected)
    • Appointment Reminder Email
    • Appointment Scheduled Email
    • Client Directions to New Life
    • Self-Moving (U-Haul) Email
    • Preparing for Your Virtual Appointment
    • Preparing for Your Delivery
    • Bed Policy
    • Recordatorio de la Cita (Appointment Reminder)
    • Confirmación de Cita (Client Confirmation)
    • Protected: Scheduling Deliveries
    • Confirmacao do cliente (Appointment Scheduled)
    • Nao esqueca do Apontamento (Appointment Reminder)
    • Agency Resources
      • Agency FAQs
  • Furniture Build
    • Table Leaf Coffee Tables
    • IKEA Dressers
    • Protected: Paint
  • Health & Safety
    • Bed Bug Procedures
    • Fire Safety
    • How to Safely Lift
    • Dollies
    • Tools
    • Elevator Procedures
    • Volunteer Age Restrictions
  • Recycling & Re-donation
    • Smash It 2 Protocol
    • Blessing Barn Protocol
    • St. Vincent de Paul Protocol
    • Lovell’s Flowers, Greenhouse, and Nursery Protocol
    • Welcome Home Protocol
    • Savers Protocol
    • Trash Procedures
    • Wrentham Country Store Protocol
    • Fiddleheads Fine Home Consignment
    • Misfits
    • Textile recycling
    • FY2023 Sorting Procedural Updates
    • Trash & Recycling
    • Protected: Scheduling a Dumpster
  • Repair
    • Paint allowed on-site
  • Technology
    • P-Touch Printer
  • Trucks
    • Truck Maintenance
    • Driver Prerequisites & Training
    • Truck Start & Exit Checklists
    • Mileage Log
    • Driver/Mover Onboarding
    • Metal Recycling Procedures
    • Protected: Retail Partner Pickup Procedures
    • Delivery
      • Protected: New Life-Funded Delivery Request (Password Protected)
      • Protected: Scheduling Deliveries
      • Delivery Procedures
    • Pickup
      • Bed Frames
      • Scheduling Pickups
      • Pickup Procedures
      • Donation Guidelines (What We Accept)

Organization

  • Protected: Info Line Cheat Sheet
  • About
    • Mission, Vision, Values
    • Tax Information
    • History
    • New Life Brand Book
  • Communications & Marketing
    • Social Media & Website Management
    • Preferred Terminology
    • Protected: Client Testimonials & Stories (Password Protected)
    • New Life Colors & Fonts
    • Logos
    • New Life Brand Book
  • Events
    • Dover Days
    • Westwood Day
    • Outreach Event Toolkit
  • Fundraising
    • Protected: Client Testimonials & Stories (Password Protected)
  • Outreach
    • Protected: Furniture Outreach Toolkit
    • Protected: Volunteer Outreach Toolkit
    • New Life Brand Book
    • Donation Guidelines (What We Accept)
    • Drop-off Town Tally
  • Town Halls
    • Town Halls

Volunteers

  • Inclement Weather Policy
  • Software Shortcuts
  • Volunteer FAQs
  • Welcome Letter
  • Volunteer Parking Pass
  • Client Hosting
    • How to Access the Software
    • Protected: New Life-Funded Delivery Request (Password Protected)
    • Questions, Comments, Concerns?
    • Virtual Client Host Guide
    • Client Appointment Troubleshooting
    • Client Host Onboarding
    • Accessing the Store Before an Appointment
    • Client Host Schedule & Scheduling Procedures
    • Bed Policy
    • In-Person Client Procedures
    • Helpful Resources
      • Bed Sizes
      • Appointment Reminder Email
      • Inches to Feet Conversion
      • How to Disable AutoFill/AutoComplete
      • How to Clear Past Autofill Info in Chrome
      • Appointment Scheduled Email
      • Client Directions to New Life
      • Dining Table & Chair/Stool Heights
      • Self-Moving (U-Haul) Email
      • Cribs
    • Info for Clients
      • Client Directions to New Life
      • Preparing for Your Virtual Appointment
      • Preparing for Your Delivery
      • Recordatorio de la Cita (Appointment Reminder)
      • Confirmación de Cita (Client Confirmation)
      • Confirmacao do cliente (Appointment Scheduled)
      • Nao esqueca do Apontamento (Appointment Reminder)
  • Drop-off
    • Bed Frames
    • Team Leader/Duty Officer Report Template
    • Saturday Drop-off Shift
    • Donation Guidelines (What We Accept)
  • Furniture Matters (Medfield HS Club)
    • New Life Colors & Fonts
    • Logos
  • Inventory
    • Bed Frames
    • How to Attach Stickers
    • Furniture Inventory
    • Trash Procedures
    • Dining Table & Chair/Stool Heights
    • Rugs
    • Inventory Counts
  • Sorting
    • Dish Sets
    • Starter Kits
    • Silverware Sets
    • FY2023 Sorting Procedural Updates
    • Packing 101
    • Glass Sets
  • Team Leaders & Duty Officers
    • Protected: Locks (Password Protected)
    • Opening & Closing
    • Inclement Weather Policy
    • Team Leader/Duty Officer Report Template
    • Team Leader & Duty Officer Guide
    • Elevator Procedures
    • Saturday Drop-off Shift
    • Donation Guidelines (What We Accept)
  • Uploading
    • How to Access the Software
    • Dining Table & Chair/Stool Heights
    • Rugs
    • Dish Sets
    • Starter Kits
    • Uploading Artwork
  • Volunteer Management
    • Volunteer Role Descriptions
    • Senior Service
    • Volunteer Age Restrictions
    • Volunteer Welcome Letter
    • Planning Volunteer Tasks
    • Schedules
      • Client Host Schedule & Scheduling Procedures
    • Volunteer Groups
      • Group Interest Form
      • Preferred Flatpack Furniture
    • Volunteer Training/Onboarding
      • Client Host Onboarding
  • Home
  • Volunteers
  • Volunteer FAQs

Volunteer FAQs

What should I wear? #

  • Footwear: If you are lifting furniture at all, you must wear closed-toed shoes with grips on the soles to avoid hurting your feet or slipping. For all others, closed-toed shoes are not necessary. However, wear shoes in which you are comfortable standing for long periods on concrete. 
  • Clothing: Remember, you will be working in a warehouse and potentially moving heavy items (depending on the role). Dress appropriately for the weather and in clothing you do not mind getting stained, sweaty, or dirty. Layers are always a good idea.  In warmer weather, we have industrial fans. In colder weather, there is heat but you may be working on our loading dock or outside.  

Are there age restrictions to volunteering?  #

  • Updated May 2021 The age minimum depends on the activity and is noted on our signup. Though we strive to create the safest environment possible for our volunteers, we are ultimately located in a warehouse and have a lot of moving parts in our operation. 
    • No one under 12 years old is permitted to volunteer at our Donation Center for safety reasons, but are encouraged to get involved in other ways.
    • Volunteers aged 12 to 15 must be accompanied by a parent/guardian, who also must sign up.
    • Volunteers aged 16 and older can volunteer without a parent/guardian.

Where do I park? #

  • Please do not park in the area around the loading dock.Display this parking pass on your dashboard, as these are shared lots. 
    • Weekdays: Park in the satellite parking lot on the other side of the rail bridge (across from the MBTA parking lot) OR in the Walpole Business Station lot on West Street across from the T stop. 
    • Weekends: Park in front of Loan Depot in the larger parking lot.  

What do I go when I arrive? #

  • If you’re facing our building from Elm Street, our entrance is to the far right by the loading dock.
  • Enter through the gray door immediately to the left of the garage doors. The main glass doors do not lead to our space.
  • Go up the half flight of stairs to the first floor. Follow the signs past the elevator and up to the fourth floor.

Is there an elevator to the 4th floor? #

The building has a manual freight elevator. Only those trained on how to use it are permitted to operate it. If you need to use the elevator to get upstairs and downstairs, we are happy to have someone operate it for you. Please contact us in advance so we know to meet you downstairs.

How do I confirm if I am signed up for a shift? #

  • You’ll receive a confirmation email. Check your spam folder if you don’t see it in your inbox. Alternatively, you can check for your name on the sign up at newlifefb.org/vol. If your name is not there, you may have missed a step. Trying signing up again. If your name still doesn’t appear, contact the Volunteer Coordinator.  

How do I complete service hours for school at New Life? #

  • Service is an important part of learning. Most opportunities are open to volunteers ages 14 and up on our signup. Remember, all minors under 16 must be accompanied by a parent/guardian. If you need a form signed to approve hours, ask the Volunteer Coordinator at the completion of the shift or send an email to amanda.hartley@newlifefb.org. Please do not ask a volunteer Team Leader to sign anything.  
  • To complete senior service at New Life, contact the Volunteer Coordinator.

Will New Life close for inclement weather? #

  • We will alert everyone as early as possible to closings or changes in schedule. On poor weather days, we will often reduce the number of volunteer opportunities and reschedule pickups to a completely different day. New Life will close volunteer and truck operations when Medfield Public Schools are closed for inclement weather AND/OR a winter storm warning is issued for the Medfield/Walpole area. We will send an email to any volunteers signed up for a given shift.  

How do I complete my waiver?  #

  • The waiver is built into our sign up. When you sign up to volunteer for the first time, the software will recognize your email as a new profile and bring you to the registration screen. From there you will fill out your information that is tied to the waiver. Within that screen, anyone 18 or old will be able to accept the waiver before they submit their registration. If an adult skips the waiver during registration, it’ll prompt you to accept it when you sign in at New Life. 
  • Anyone under 18 will check the box on the registration screen indicating they are a minor. This will bring up two additional fields to fill out: birthdate and parent/guardian email. Once the registration is submitted, the software will automatically send an email to the parent/guardian asking them to accept the waiver on the child’s behalf with a click of a button.
  • If you don’t see an email, check your spam folder or email the Volunteer Coordinator to have it resent. Therefore, every volunteer needs to sign up and register. A volunteer can’t go right to registration because they will not be tied to to a specific opportunity.  Once you have accepted the waiver once, you will not have to again unless we update it. The system will prompt you to accept a new one if it’s updated or a if you turn 18. 

Does New Life close to volunteers for holidays? #

  • New Life Volunteer Closings 
    • January – New Years’ Day
    • February – MLK Jr. Day (Monday), Presidents’ Day (Monday)
    • May – Memorial Day (Saturday-Monday)
    • July – Independence Day (Saturday-Monday)
    • September – Labor Day (Saturday-Monday)
    • October – Indigenous Peoples’ Day (Monday)
    • November – Veterans Day (Monday), Thanksgiving (Thursday-Saturday)
    • December – Christmas Eve, Christmas, New Years’ Eve

What safety guidelines are in place? #

  • The leadership on duty – whether it’s a Duty Officer, Team Leader, or staff – is trained on safety procedures. Below is a synopsis of our safety guidelines for volunteers. It’s important volunteers listen to directions and follow our guidelines to ensure a safe environment. 
  • Fire Safety: Do not use the elevator in the unlikely event of a fire and, instead, exit using the three fire exits pointed out by leadership.
  • Lifting: Lift by bending at the knees, not the waist, with a straight back. Anything heavy or large should be lifted by two or more people.
  • Tools & Equipment: Minors (under 18) are not permitted to use power tools or sledgehammers. Only those that know how to inspect and
  • Dollies: Dollies and other lifting aids are designed to make moving furniture easier. Do not stand or ride on dollies. One foot must always be on the floor and others should be holding the dolly still if anyone steps on a dolly with one foot.
  • Elevator: We have a manually operated freight elevator that is not for passenger use unless someone is unable to use the stairs. Only volunteers trained on the elevator are permitted to operate the elevator. A trained individual can operate it for someone else.
Volunteer and Development Coordinator
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Updated on March 30, 2022

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Table of Contents
  • What should I wear?
  • Are there age restrictions to volunteering? 
  • Where do I park?
  • What do I go when I arrive?
  • Is there an elevator to the 4th floor?
  • How do I confirm if I am signed up for a shift?
  • How do I complete service hours for school at New Life?
  • Will New Life close for inclement weather?
  • How do I complete my waiver? 
  • Does New Life close to volunteers for holidays?
  • What safety guidelines are in place?
  • Return to main website
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