How to start a volunteer organization.

An organization is actually an corporation.
And a corporation is "one legal person" and that means that the
corporation then can own things, make deals or be responsible for debt's etc.


When starting a volunteer organization then it should at least be around 7-12 persons
just to make the work more easier. But minimum 3 people is sufficient to start up.


The first meeting:
On the first meeting the group should point out an chairman or a chairwoman.
There should also be a person who checks and writes down all that be said in the meeting.
A cashier is also needed, someone that can handle the money.
You also need a person who is the vote counter.
And if you wish make someone a vice-chairman or a vice-chairwoman.


You need to create bylaws that will dictate how the corporation is run.
( Because the bylaws are the main foundation of the corporation. )
When the first meeting has ended, the following should be on the bylaws:
- Name of the corporation
- The hometown of the corporation
- The corporation's main goal
- Rules for how the corporation should be run
- Year plan
- Year meeting
- Rules for membership, new membership and resignation
- Member fee
- Vote rules
- Who is who ( chairperson, cashier etc. )
- Meeting rules ( So not only 2 members meet and decide thing etc. )
- Rules for changes in the bylaws
- Rules for the resolution of the corporation

Ps:
About the "Rules for changes in the bylaws" You could create a temporary law for that.
Because the corporation is so new. That law should say that the first 1-2 months
could be a little flexible, but definitely not more than that.


The corporation is a corporation when the bylaws has been done and the "who is who" is set.
And a corporation was as i said "one legal person"
A legal person = Corporation can:
- Own things
- Make deals
- Be employer
- Can become bankrupt
- Talk for the corporation with the government


For a non-profit corporation that would be tax free so is there some few rules that the corporation
must have fulfilled. Talk whit your goverment about those rules.


You can read more about starting a volunteer organization here:
nonprofit.about.com - nonprofit basics
nonprofit.about.com - startingsteps

Here is a list of general things and advices you should think about before you go away as a volunteer.


• Do you have good contact with the organization that you should work with ?
  ( Is there someone who is going to meet you ? )
  
  
  
• How are you going to get to the meeting place where you should meet the
  volunteer organization ? (Train, buss, car, walk, bike etc. )
  
  
  
• Have you changed currency to the local money so you have a smaller reserv
  incase you cant pay by card etc ?
  
  
  
• Have you been vaccinated ?, Remember that some vaccinations need to be administered
  over a period of time and can take a long time before you are ready to go.
  
  
  
• Can you speak the local language ? Or something else similar just alittle,
  then check a bookstore or some electric translator.
  
  
  
• Don't forget your camera/video camera and/or a travel notebook,
  it can be fun to document the trip.
  
  
  
• Do you have you a valid visa for the country you are travelling to ?
  ( Should you stay longer and make a visa run perhaps ? )
  
  
  
• Say goodbye of family,relatives and friends and try to keep contact through
  the internet if you are going to be gone a longer period
  ( Don't forget address/E-mail list of all people )
  
  
  
• Create a checklist that you can look at before you leave to
  make sure that everything is done.
  
  
  
• Something that you also need to think about is when you are going home;
  are all of the arrangements made for that ?
  
  
  
• Get yourself a guidebook to bring with you, or borrow one from the library
  before you go away and study it before you leave.
  
  
  
• Take a visit to the pharmacy in your town and ask about what kind of
  medicines they recommends that you have with you ( for headache etc. )
  
  
  
• Take copies of all your valuable papers like passport, airline tickets,
  travellers cheques, and all kinds of cards etc. Keep it in a secure place
  separate from the originals. Try also to save it on the net for easy access
  ( mail it to yourself etc. )
  
  
  
• What kind of materials do you need as a volunteer ? ( pen and paper etc. )
  it might not be necessary to bring it, but it saves some cash for
  the volunteer organization and that might be a nice thing.
  
  
  
• Look up where the nearest embassy for your country is from the
  volunteer organization you are working at.
  
  
  
• Check just before you go if the plane has any time changes.
  
  
  
• Take some sunscreen with you if you are going to a sunny country.
  It can also be a good idea to have a long-sleeved t-shirt with you.
  
  
  
• Are you a group of people or do you have a child with you? Be sure to check with your
  ( municipality, state, government ) If there is any special rules.

It should not be that difficult to find a good volunteer Organization.


• One way is to look on the internet if you have access to it, and search for volunteer organizations and see what they doing ( Their goal ). You can also search for references and try to find a person that has worked for the volunteer organization ( If you found an organization ). Or you could simply just ask the volunteer organization if they have any one that you can contact to get references from. Preferably by someone that lives near you, so you can meet. If they don't have that, or don't want to give out any kinds of references then you should be a little careful.
  
  
  
• There is also different kinds of volunteer organizations too, and one important thing to think about is: "What do you like" or "what can you do" any special skills etc. ? Some placements might not be suitable for you if you can't cook food, build new houses or feed animals etc. The volunteer organization should in other words fit your needs, skills and interests too.
  
  
  
  
• Another important thing to look up is the fee that you need to pay for work for the organization. Yes that's right, with most organizations you need to pay to participate in one of their programs. That fee can be as much as up to $1000 a month, in this case room and board is normally included. Some small or new volunteer organizations may need to do this if the have a small cashbox. However, this does not necessarily mean that the volunteer organization is bad. There can actually be a rather good fellowship and atmosphere in these kinds of volunteer organizations..
  
  
  
• Insurance; does the volunteer organization has any insurances for the volunteers that work for them? Maybe if you ask the volunteer organization can help you get cheap and good insurance. Talk with them. With volunteer organizations that you pay to volunteer with, your insurance should be included in the cost of the program.
  
  
  
• Do they have a working phone number and an address or only a homepage ? If there isn't any kind of contact information other then an email address for the volunteer organization, then you should be a little careful. Especially if they don't want to give out such information by mail etc. And only want to decide a meeting place.
  
  
  
• Can you find any information about the volunteer organization on bigger sites like: www.volunteerabroad.com Or similar ? Any references perhaps ? ( Check Volunteer Forum's volunteer links page here for more big organizations )

You should think about this when you are planing the trip:
* Visa (document)
* Vaccine
* Currency



And
* Passport
* Insurance
* Fly Ticket
* Guidebook





Visa (document)
A Visa is a document required to enter a specific country. Some visas can be granted on arrival, usually only to citizens of countries enjoying good relations with the issuing country.

Different types of visa:
* Tourist visa
* Business visa
* On-arrival visa
* Student visa
* Working holiday visa
* Diplomatic visa
* Journalist visa
* Fiancee visa
* Immigrant visa
* Transit visa
Read at: wikipedia for more information.



Vaccine
You should as fast as possibly contact a vaccine reception or a infection clinic where you live. Because there you can get an individual vaccine program that fits you and your abroad journey. A vaccine is an antigenic preparation used to produce active immunity to a disease. Those receptions or clinics has often good knowledge of which vaccines that is nessasary for you and your trip.

Things that affect which vaccines you should have can depend on:
* Country
* The length of the travel
* Type of stay (Town, farm etc)
* Vaccines you have taken earlier in life
* Underlying illness, sickness or disease

Remember also that it can take a very long time to complete all vaccines you should have! Read at: wikipedia for more information.



Currency
As i wrote on the General advices page: "Have you changed currency to the local money so you have a smaller reserv incase you cant pay by card etc ?" This is very important if you dont want to have a lot of problems whit the currency on arrival. You should also visit the bank or forex in good time before you leave. Because you might need to order the currency you should have, depending on where you are going. Try to count out how much the smaller reserv should be that fits your needs the first and second (morning breakfast etc.) Because you might come late and after closing time and have nothing that takes card etc. Usualy the next day the rest gets solved when everything is open (Be aware of holidays etc) You should also try to look up on the internet before you leave if you can find places that can take MasterCard, VISA Card etc to make it easier.

Remember that many banks take a very high charge, fee to whitdraw cash abroad!




Passport
A passport is a formal identity document or certification issued by a national government that identifies the holder as a national of a particular state. The passport is needed if you are traveling in and out in other countries. A passport is normaly valid for 5 years. Also think about that some countries demands that the passport should be valid for up to 12 months after your arrival, talk whit your embassy or consulate for the rules. Read more here about passport: wikipedia



Insurance
It is very important that you have an insurance! Possibly the most important on the whole trip.
You must also decide what the insurance should contain like:
* Accidents
* Hometransport
* If you gona drive cars
* Expenses due to injurys etc.
* Assault attack (robbery etc.)
* Dangerous Sports (Diving etc)

You should not rely on that your normal home-insurance cover your abroad trip. Talk to several insurance companys so you can find the best insurance that fits you and your trip needs. You should also try to talk to the Volunteer Organsation you gona work whit, and see if they can help you find a good insurance. Or maybe if they have an insurance for all their volunteers. But be careful and dont let you think its ok whitout checking the content for the insurance your self so you know its ok to take only that one.



Fly Ticket
There is many different fly ticket's to choose from like:
* Round trip (journey to a place and back again)
* One-way ticket
* Multi-City ticket
* Open Jaw ticket

What ticket that fits you the best depends alittle on how long you should stay and so on. Open Jaw ticket for example is a ticket that let you travel to a country in the world and then fly home from another country in the same part of the world (continent). When you want to have a Multi-City ticket then you should you be out in very good time. Around half a year or something like that would be ok, maby less, but not more less than that. And remember to call around because the prices can be very different.



Guidebook
To have a good guidebook whit you when you travel is a very good thing so you dont miss all the things worth seeing, and all the "good to know about" the country/area you are going to. If you feel that you cant afford to buy a guidebook then i suggest that you at least borrow one at your library at home before you travel away, look in several ones to get a "bigger picture".


I hope that you found some usefull information here.
And remember: Enjoy the trip!

Free website materials for Volunteer Organizations!

There is alot of free website materials for
Volunteer Organizations ( Non-Profit ) on the net.
And here is some of them collected.



ScriptForest Popup Menu Builder.
This is the easiest menu builder i have seen on the net that is free for non-profit websites. This download includes the menu builder and templates. And It requires some HTML experience. Contact info can you find at their site: www.scriptforest.com


phpBB Forum.
This is the forum core that Volunteer Forum is based upon. phpBB is free to use for all, as long as the copyrights are intact. Download: phpBB Forum.





More is comming later!

Flash

Here is a lovely flash that says "I thank you all volunteers for
making the world a better place to live in." butterfly.swf
Or see it in this post: Volunteer Flash Butterfly
Here is another lovely flash that says "I light a candel for all
the volunteers in the world" candle.swf
Or see it in this post: Volunteer Flash Candle

Banners - More (all) banners is on the banner page: Banners

Volunteer Forums Banner to put at your site etc. 88x31 Animated Banner

Volunteer Forums Banner to put at your site etc. 88x31 NON-Animated Banner


Movies

Volunteers For Peace Video 2005 web version - 7 minutes.


See also their Homepage: www.vfp.org



Day in a Life of a Travel to Teach Volunteer Part 1
Leonie Ham - Nong Khai, Jan 2005 - April 2005


See also their Homepage: travel-to-teach.org



Day in a Life of a Travel to Teach Volunteer Part 2
The Lads - Jan 2005 to April 2005


See also their Homepage: travel-to-teach.org

Documents

Comming Later

Dokument

Ansökan, Organisationsnummer för ideell förening: SKV 8400

Skatteregler för ideella föreningar och stiftelser hittar du här: SKV 324