Volunteer Guidelines

Volunteer Guidelines

Volunteers are central to the mission of Northern Ocean Habitat for Humanity, and it is because of our volunteers’ collective energy, compassion and enthusiasm that we are a successful non-profit homebuilder and community builder. Our organization provides a very unique opportunity for volunteers of varying levels of relevant experience to participate in a wide variety of projects.

Many of our construction and A Brush With Kindness™ projects carry inherent risks which are often difficult or impossible to avoid.

The ReStore involves a lot of lifting, moving, and handling of heavy and/or breakable objects.

Northern Ocean Habitat for Humanity takes all necessary precautions when working with volunteers on our sites, and we work hard to lower risks as much as possible by giving all volunteers a detailed safety orientation at the beginning of the work day and supervising volunteers throughout the day.

It is REQUIRED that all construction volunteers and requested that all ReStore volunteers take advantage of free safety training provided through our Lockton partners at http://www.hfhvolunteerinsurance.com/contact.htm.

Specific courses will be assigned as appropriate.

Construction worksite volunteers must complete and have a certificate issued for the course: “Volunteering on a Habitat for Humanity Job Site“ before they will be allowed onto the site.
ReStore Volunteers are encouraged to complete the course: “ReStore Safety Loss and Control. ”

In addition, prior to beginning any volunteer assignment the volunteer form and liability waiver must be submitted. These forms can be found online at www.northernoceanhabitat.org and can be completed online and emailed to volunteer@nohfh.com for preliminary review. Original signed forms should be mailed to: Northern Ocean Habitat for Humanity Attn: Volunteer Coordinator PO Box 1754 Toms River NJ 08754-1754, or can be delivered to the ReStore at 1201 Route 166 (Lakewood RD) in Toms River during operating hours. Hours can be verified by calling 732-818-9500.

In order to ensure everyone’s safety when on our worksites, it is important that all volunteers understand the following information before they begin working with us. We want to work with as many volunteers as we can, and these guidelines help us ensure a productive and fulfilling day for everyone involved.

Information about Volunteering with NOHFH

Volunteering with Northern Ocean Habitat for Humanity is a privilege! Sites are supportive environments in which everyone should be comfortable. All volunteers are asked to maintain a mature and respectful demeanor towards others the entire time they are with us. Behavior that is aggressive, demeaning, non-compliant or otherwise detrimental to team functioning will not be tolerated. This includes: racist, sexist, profane or otherwise discriminatory/offensive language; all forms of harassment (including sexual harassment); violations of the law; and any behavior deemed to be serious misconduct. Volunteers behaving inappropriately may be required to leave the site with or without prior warning from staff.

Volunteers should make sure they can meet the physical criteria of the project they are signed up for. Please use common sense—we encourage you to challenge yourself while remaining safe and keeping your well-being in mind. If you have questions or are concerned about the physical demands of a project, please contact the Volunteer Coordinator, Construction Supervisor, or Construction Project Coordinator! It is your responsibility to inform us of any physical or other limitations that might be relevant to volunteering with us, or any accommodations you’d like us to try to make for you (if the project permits). If we can’t make these changes we’ll match you with a volunteer opportunity that’s better suited to your needs, or we’ll work with you to come up with other ways you can support our cause. Remember that volunteers are involved in many different aspects of our organization—at our ReStore, in our offices, on committees and all kinds of support projects. Northern Ocean Habitat for Humanity does lots of things besides construction work!

Volunteers should have the ability to fully understand and follow all directions given by Northern Ocean Habitat for Humanity staff. When appropriate or requested by staff, an individual volunteer should be accompanied by a companion (such as a case worker, support person, job coach, etc.) to ensure his or her personal safety.

All volunteers work at the sole discretion of Northern Ocean Habitat for Humanity and its employees. We reserve the right to assign volunteers to a new task as needed. We may ask an individual not to sign up for further volunteer days with us. We may also ask an individual to leave the worksite in the middle of the day, if this is deemed to be in the best interest of the project.

We appreciate the time and effort our volunteers give in order to extend the mission of Northern Ocean Habitat for Humanity in the community. If you have a suggestion, are interested in becoming more involved, or know of a friend or relative who may enjoy working with our mission in any capacity, please let us know! Please feel free to contact us through e-mail at volunteer@nohfh.com or ask a coordinator, supervisor, board or staff member about other opportunities that are available.

*A printable copy of the Volunteer Guidlelines is available. Please click the link below.

Volunteer Guidelines