VOLUNTEER GUIDELINES:

1. Age Limits: Youth must be at least 14 years old to volunteer on the construction site or at the ReStore. They must be at least 16 years old to perform construction work; otherwise, they can assist with landscaping, painting, cleanup, etc. Any volunteer under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult supervisor.
2. All volunteers must sign a waiver of liability (minors must have the waiver signed by a parent or guardian). These waivers are at the worksites, and will be required before volunteering.
   
   Download Adult Volunteer Waiver
   Download Minor Volunteer Waiver
3. Please dress appropriately, no open-toed sandals or flip-flops; no "short" shorts or revealing clothing; no necklaces or bracelets; dress for the weather.
4. No smoking at the worksites or in buildings.

CONSTRUCTION

We need skilled and unskilled individuals and groups to partner with us in building the homes, as well as to assist us with volunteer management. A particular volunteer need in construction is the expertise of professional sub-contractors, such as drywall tapers, vinyl/carpet installers, cabinet installers, and finish carpenters.

Our construction site is open Wednesday through Saturday, 9 am to 4 pm and Sunday 10 am to 4 pm. Individuals are welcome to volunteer during those times, and do not need to schedule in advance. If you would like to bring a group of volunteers (5 or more, limit 20), please go to Volunteer Connections of SW Montana or, contact the office to schedule the day and time. No experience or tools are necessary; Habitat will provide all tools and safety equipment, as well as instruction on specific tasks.

WOMEN BUILD

Thank you to all who participated in the 2008 Women Build - please join us next year for 2009 Women Build!

Women Build brings together women from all walks of life to help build Habitat for Humanity houses. Women Build challenges and empowers women to build safe, healthy housing where families can flourish and grow to be all that they can be. Women Build is not about excluding men; it is about including women. The Women Build program enables women to discover for themselves that they can build Habitat homes. No construction knowledge necessary.

RESTORE

Habitat operates a thrift store at 230 Arden Drive, Bruce Industrial Park in Belgrade. All profits from the store go directly into home building. Volunteers are needed for retail sales, merchandise display, pricing, donation pick-up, and other tasks. To donate time or materials call 388-2851.

COMMITTEES

Site Selection:

The Site Selection Committee's responsibility is to identify and recommend property for acquisition to the board. The Committee must examine the property to be sure that there are no conditions which would place Habitat, the homeowners or volunteers at risk.

Site Selection Members should:

• have experience in real estate or construction
• be familiar with the Gallatin Valley real estate market and zoning
• be comfortable with negotiating
• be willing to actively seek opportunities to acquire land on behalf of Habitat

Development:

The purpose of the Development Committee is to work in partnership with the Board of Directors to ensure that the fiscal needs of the affiliate are met and to share the opportunity throughout the community to participate in the ministry with cash and in-kind gifts.

Development Members should:

• have the courage to offer the opportunity for giving to others
• have good networking connections in the community
• have creative ideas and plans to generate resources
• know how to put together a budget and a fund development plan
• be willing to participate in the activities planned by the Development committee

Public Relations:

The Public Relations Committee is responsible for sharing Habitat's mission with the people living in the Gallatin Valley, and all volunteers. The goal of the committee is to continually seek to raise and maintain the community's awareness of Habitat's work in ways that properly reflect the mission, beliefs and image of Habitat for Humanity. Effective sharing of the Habitat mission with the entire community will raise public awareness and ultimately activate more people to be involved in some way, shape or form. It should also assist in additional leveraging of local resources.

Public Relations Members should:

• be familiar with the basics of public relations and public awareness/education campaigns
• be familiar with working with the media (radio, TV, news, etc.)
• be familiar with special event planning
• be enthusiastic, creative, committed, and advocacy-oriented
• be willing to participate in the activities planned by the PR committee
• know how to develop fact sheets, press releases, brochures, write letters, etc.

Church Relations:

The Church Relations Committee seeks to strengthen the support of the Habitat's work by gaining volunteers, prayer, and financial resources from all community churches. The committee will work in partnership with churches by extending the opportunity for members to engage in ministry by becoming involved with Habitat.

The Church Relations committee shall have:

• a member who is clergy and can readily access the local ministerial association or alliance
• members who are representatives of church mission/outreach committees
• whenever possible, homeowners who can share their story should participate
• others who are interested in engaging churches in para-church ministry
• a solid understanding of the Habitat ministry and be able to articulate it

Family Support:

The basic goal of the Family Support committee is to help families break the poverty cycle and become interdependent. The committee seeks to welcome new families into the Habitat family and to provide them with a mutual support system, educational opportunities and a forum for discussions regarding homeownership and relevant Habitat policies and procedures. The committee is the primary liaison between the affiliate and the homeowner families and enables the affiliate to learn more from Habitat homeowners and thus constantly improve its program.

Family Support Members should:

• have good "social/people" skills
• understand the difference between "enabling and empowering"
• understand the difference between "doing for" and "doing with"
• understand Habitat sweat equity policy

Family Selection:

The Family Selection Committee works to carry out the Board's vision by defining the population in need of decent, affordable housing, and by developing processes and policies for selecting those in greatest need. Emphasis is on encouraging strengths and capacity in others, rather than on identifying and correcting perceived deficiencies or past mistakes.

Family Selection Members should:

• have good "social/people" skills
• know the three selection criteria
• understand how to read credit reports
• be comfortable conducting home visits
• be willing to attend regular meetings and participate in the activities of Family Selection