Tips for Starting Your Service

Beginning anything new can be a simultaneously wonderful and challenging experience.  This page lists pointers to keep in mind as you begin to work in community organizations.  It is important to read and think about these guidelines before you start your service.  Also remember that the Office of Community Service Learning can serve as a resource for you when it comes to finding a service placement or if you need support with your current placement.

Guidelines for working at service sites

1. Show respect for the community organizations and individuals with whom you work.
2. Ask for help when in doubt.
3. Learn the culture of your organization.
4. Check your assumptions.
5. Be punctual and responsible.
6. Call your supervisor if you cannot avoid lateness or absence.
7. Respect the privacy of all.
8. Be aware of personal safety.
9. Be conscious of your behavior.

 

Things to keep in mind for yourself

1. Learn about the organization’s goals and your role in working towards those goals.
2. Seek out preparation and support for your role as a community volunteer.
3. Schedule a weekly time to do your service.
4. Keep a log of your service hours.
5. Don’t be afraid to ask for help!

Guidelines for Working at Service Sites
Show respect for the community organizations and individuals with whom you work. Placement within community programs is an educational opportunity and a privilege.  Keep in mind that not only are you serving the community, but also the community is serving you, by investing valuable resources in your learning.

Ask for help when in doubt.  Your site supervisor understands the issues at your service site and you are encouraged to approach her/him with problems or questions as they arise.  UMass faculty and staff are resources as well.  Don’t wait to ask for help.

Learn the culture of your organization.  Every organization develops its own culture—a set of shared understandings that govern many aspects of life within the organization, ranging from how decisions are made and communicated to what is viewed as appropriate dress and language.  Much of this is unconscious; you discover it by bumping into it.  Be observant, but also ask "How are things done here?" whenever you can.

Check your assumptions.  Be sensitive to the fact that you may have preconceived ideas about people and places that are not accurate.  Some of these assumptions may involve the important differences between you and the people with whom you are working.

Be punctual and responsible.  Although you are volunteering your time, approach your service with at least as much seriousness as you would in a paid job.  You are participating in the organization as a reliable, trustworthy and contributing member of their team.  Both the administrators and the people you serve rely on your punctuality and commitment.  Plan ahead and be realistic about the time you can commit, especially during exams or before a paper is due.

Call your site supervisor if you cannot avoid lateness or absence.  Give your site supervisor as much notice as possible whenever you can not meet your commitment.

Respect the privacy of all clients.  If you are privy to confidential information with regard to the persons with whom you are working, i.e., organizational files, diagnostics, personal stories, etc., it is vital that you treat it as privileged information.  In many cases, you should use fake names if, outside your service site, you refer to the people you serve.

Be aware of personal safety.  Familiarize yourself with people, places and things in the area that can be of assistance in times of emergency (e.g., know the location of phones, 24-hour stores, police station, etc.).  Give the phone number of the agency where you are volunteering to a friend or relative.  Have a plan for getting home safely if your primary transportation doesn’t work.

Be conscious of your behavior.  Do not engage in behavior that might be perceived as sexual or abusive with a client or agency representative, nor should you tolerate any sort of abusive behavior directed at you.

*Information for these guidelines is adapted in part from the work of Tania Mitchell.

Things to think about for yourself

Learn about the organization’s goals and your role in working toward those goals.  Each organization has developed a mission and goals.  The mission helps to guide the organization and the goals are more specific ways in which an organization works to achieve its mission.  As a volunteer, you are a part of the organization and thus are working toward the greater mission of that organization.  It is helpful to familiarize yourself with your organization's mission and goals as a way to situate the work you are doing in the larger context of the organization's work.

Seek out preparation and support for your work as a community volunteer.  It takes time and training to get adjusted to a new organization.  There may be several opportunities for you to get training and support in your service placement.  In addition, Five Colleges Incorporated offers trainings for college students who are a part of community-based learning opportunities.  Check out the Five College Community Based Learning website for information on upcoming events.

Schedule a weekly time to do your service.  You will find that over the course of the semester, you will fill your schedule with a variety of activities.  These can include everything from a work-study or non-work-study job, athletic teams, RSOs (registered student organizations), house council to study groups and more.  By committing the same block of time each week to your service hours, you will have your service built into your weekly routine and will decrease the likelihood of not completing the service hours requirement for the community service learning course.

Keep a log of your service hours.  All service learning courses require you to complete a specific number of service hours.  Although the grade you receive for the course is based on the learning that happens in your service, the number of service hours generally symbolizes an ongoing commitment you have to the organization.  The typical service hours requirement for service learning courses is 30 hours per credit (i.e., students can contract to convert a 3-credit course to four credits by performing at least 30 hours of related community service, along with related reflection).  It is important that you keep track of these hours.  We recommended that you keep a personal log AND that you keep a log at your service site so your supervisor can easily see your progress.  Because your supervisor may be asked to complete an evaluation form at the end of the semester, it is important that she or he can easily reference your service log.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help!  There are many supports in place for you: the supervisor at your site, the instructor of your course, and the staff in the Office of Community Service Learning.  We are all here to support you during your service and beyond.