The Bulgarian Family Planning and Sexual Health Association (BFPA)
Policy on volunteer’s recruitment and development and on youth involvement
1. The relevance of BFPA volunteers strategy is to create a safe environment for volunteers, empower them, and equip with responsibilities requiring to be prudent and reliable, to carry out tasks to the best of his her ability, to respect confidentiality of clients, to be loyal to the association, to accept guidance and criticism, to maintain good working relationships with other members in the team, both volunteers and staff, to be willing to learns and participate as full team member, to be accountable, transparent and available.2. BFPA is a non-governmental organization registered in public benefit that was founded by volunteers. Volunteer is a member of the Association that offers his/her time, commitment and services to the organization free of charge.
3. Volunteering should be based on the following principles:
• dignity,
• respect,
• non discrimination,
• equity,
• accountability
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4. Volunteerism work in practice, basic: communication, incentives, recruitment, managem BFPA is having in its work a special focus on youth empowerment, youth-adult partnership and peer education and thus the role of the young people in BFPA is unique and the recruitment, support and motivation of young volunteers is integral part of its work. Encouragement plays a crucial role in the commitment and experience and capacity building of young volunteers.
5. The leadership of BFPA as per its statutes is provided by its volunteers via its governing bodies – General Assembly and Management Board. BFPA is committed to protect and reinforce voluntarism as the primary characteristic of its structure. To ensure continuing sound leadership, the Association encourages involvement of experts from a wide range of disciplines with variety of competencies to volunteer their services and to involve young people and women in leadership capacity.
6. BFPA is committed to maintain a wide and diversified membership based and to maximize the availability of existing volunteers and recruiting also new members and encourages representatives of the target groups of the Association other that young people, including vulnerable, underserved and marginalized groups representatives to apply and become BFPA volunteers. Organization is also recruiting volunteers from different regions of the country, urban and rural.
Volunteer Recruitment
7. Every candidate for volunteer is encouraged to apply for membership with written application. The Management Board approves new volunteers and gives feedback on in no longer than one month after the last MB meeting.
8. Volunteers pay annual membership fee stated by the Management board. Volunteers under 18 and those with social conditions pay 50 % of the annual fee.
9. Volunteers are recruited on the basis of their readiness to make a contribution to the development of the organizations work and the issues for which it exists to advocate and defend. Volunteers are supposed to actively participate in the activities on the basis of the expertise, time and willingness they offer to organizational work. Volunteers are not paid, but expenses that occur in connection with activities they perform in connection with BFPA goals and strategies shall be remunerated. Incentives given follow IPPF Policies.
10. BFPA MB and staff put special efforts to widen the voluntary participation. The voluntary contribution is always taken into account and integrated into the planning process when the annual work plan is developed. This enables the volunteers to be more involved in and contribute to the organization at all levels. Volunteers have a general job description.
Rights and responsibilities of Volunteers:
1. Volunteers must be motivated and must be provided with adequate working conditions. (Giving on time and in place incentives);
2. Young volunteers must be encouraged to apply for the Governing bodies of the Association;
3. Volunteers are able to become members of the governing body, if she/he is volunteer of the organization at least 1 year and when she/he is 18 years or older. Young volunteers are considered those under 25. Young members of the MB are those hwo were under 25 at the moment oft heir election by the GA;
4. The form ation of youth groups in country shall be supported;
5. Collaboration with existing youth organization for better involvement of youth nationally and internationally should be encouraged;
6. Volunteers are committed to BFPA strategic documents – strategic plan, statutes , values and policies and non-discriminaroty treatment of its members and constituency.
7. Volunteers volunteering their services to the Association shall not receive any payment for those services except for expenses incurred.
8. The work of volunteers is valued and appreciated. Volunteers have the right to choose the type of work they will perform. Volunteers are not in the organization in order to fill gaps no one wants to fulfill.
9. BFPA involves young (and all) volunteers in all aspects of work, not only in implementation and not for showing youth/volunteers presence. Young (and other) volunteers are not tokens, they are part of the management (including financial), governance and strategies and projects design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation.
10. BFPA tries to provide opportunities for training, capacity building and development of volunteers as part of its sustaining of already recruited volunteers
Volunteer Job Descriptions
1. The volunteer accepts and has clear understanding on its roles, rights and responsibilities based on BFPA policies and strategic documents
2. The volunteer has a staff member she/he reports to and can refer to and receive information and support at erlier convenience
3. The volunteer has a working place for the parts of his work that requires such.
4. The volunteer has timeframe of the scope of its activities that can change accordingly to availability and BFPA needs
5. The volunteer has clear tasks, and is aware of the monitoring and evaluation mechanisms needed for its working performances.
6. The volunteers are encouraged to teamwork and are enhanced to establish friendly and cooperative relationship with other volunteers and have smooth communication with staff and volunteers.
7. Volunteers provide support during community activities, especially in their own communities and target groups
8. Volunteers support and encourage peers and experts in performing activities in collaboration with other providers
9. Volunteers progress and achievements are subject of appraisal and are communicated via various channels.
Other rules and regulations
1. Association encourages involvement of its volunteer youth networks, in regional IPPF structures, and any other networks BFPA is a member of by:
• Giving information about the networks
• Giving information about upcoming national and international events
• Providing logistical support
2. The main strategy to the recruitment of volunteers and especially youth is
• to provide them with the rights to be considered and equal members of the team,
• to be kept informed,
• to be given appropriate and well defined assignments
• to receive orientation and training for the job he/she is assigned to do,
• to be given guidance and direction,
• to be respected and recognized,
• to have clear procedures for reimbursement of expenses of travel.
3. The MB members and volunteers can not apply for any paid position within the Association, unless they have tendered their resignation and at least 12 months has passed;
4. Volunteers respect the conflict of interests policy of BFPA together with staff and MB membes.
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Approved by the Management board and AGM July 2018
