Volunteer Etiquette and Professionalism
Show up well — and become the volunteer every organization wants to keep.
For: Any volunteer
What you’ll learn
- Be the reliable, committed volunteer coordinators can count on — and communicate clearly when plans change
- Dress and conduct yourself appropriately, and respect staff and the chain of command
- Protect confidentiality, keep healthy boundaries with clients, and post responsibly on social media
- Represent the organization well in public and recover from mistakes with grace and accountability
Screen your volunteers for $5
VolunteerBadge runs FCRA-compliant background checks for just $5 — with identity verification built in. No monthly fees, no contracts.
Create a free account →Course outline
- 1
Reliability and commitment: showing up is the whole job
6 min
- 2
Dress and conduct: looking the part, acting the part
5 min
- 3
Communication and email basics
6 min
- 4
Respecting staff and the chain of command
5 min
- 5
Confidentiality, client boundaries, and social media
7 min
- 6
Representing the organization and handling mistakes
6 min
Sources & further reading
- Emily Post Institute — Etiquette for Volunteering
- National Council of Nonprofits — Codes of Ethics / Values Statements for Nonprofits
- Johns Hopkins University — Volunteer Code of Conduct and Confidentiality Agreement
- Project Management Institute — Social Media Participation Guidelines for PMI Volunteers
- Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) — Civility & professionalism in the workplace
This course is educational and provides general information about the Fair Credit Reporting Act and volunteer-screening best practices. It is not legal advice. Laws vary by state and change over time — consult a qualified attorney about your organization’s specific obligations.