Home Resources for SMPsVRPM Implementation Volunteer Roles

Volunteer Roles

The SMP program has six standard volunteer roles. Four of the standard roles are designated as “positions of trust,” meaning that volunteers who serve in them are held to a higher standard of care because they work directly with vulnerable people and may have access to personal health, financial and legal information and documents. Applicants for positions of trust are subject to more intensive screening procedures such as criminal background checks and multiple reference checks. 

Volunteer Role Descriptions

SMPs should use the descriptions for the six standard volunteer roles (links below) to create position descriptions for their volunteers. SMPs may combine one or more roles to create a unique volunteer position that meets local needs. An SMP could, for example, combine the “distributing information” and “staffing exhibits” roles into a volunteer position called “Outreach Specialist.” Here are the descriptions for the six standard SMP volunteer roles.

• Assisting with administration
• Distributing information  
• Staffing exhibits (position of trust) 
• Making group presentations (position of trust)  
• Counseling (position of trust)  
• Handling complex issues and referrals (position of trust) 

Resources

• The Importance of Setting Boundaries by Linda Graff. A PowerPoint that explains how position descriptions can help define the scope of a volunteer’s responsibilities.