Oliver Gospel Volunteer Guidelines

 

Serving the Midlands for over 130 years, Oliver Gospel is a ministry that extends the power of God’s love by providing hope, love, and opportunity to men, women, and children experiencing homelessness in the Midlands. Our mission is to engage and transform lives through the power of Christ’s love. We believe that TOGETHER we can interrupt the cycle of chronic homelessness and poverty and TRANSFORM the lives of those we serve WITH the power of the Good News of Jesus Christ. How will you join us?

Our Core Values

Faith – We are motivated by our faith to serve as Christ would serve.

People – We prioritize all people in our decisions and actions.

Compassion – We are committed to loving big.

Stewardship – We are committed to being responsible with all that we are given.

Excellence – We are dedicated to being exceptional in all that we do.

Volunteer Expectations

Oliver Gospel believes that our volunteers are an essential part of our family, we couldn’t do it without you! Our Core Values serve a vital role in guiding our family towards accomplishing our mission. To empower you in helping us accomplish our mission, we have put together our Volunteer Expectations as a reflection of the Core Values that we pursue to exemplify.

 

A few basic things:

  • We ask that you register/unregister at least 48 hours ahead of desired volunteer opportunities.
  • Oliver Gospel is a faith-based organization and with training, volunteers are free to share the Gospel with our guests should the opportunity present itself.
  • Oliver Gospel facilities are smoke-free environments. Please do not smoke or vape while on-premises at any facility.
  • Volunteers are asked to maintain modest and respectful attire while volunteering. Closed-toe shoes are required for all volunteer opportunities.
  • Volunteers must be 15 years or older for on-site volunteer opportunities.

Interaction with Guests:

  • If you see a specific need arise as you interact with our guests, please let our staff know. We encourage you to use our staff as a third-party resource when meeting the needs of our guests.
  • Avoid giving guests your personal contact information or home address.
  • Refrain from offering medical, legal, or financial advice to any of our guests.
  • Respect the cultural, religious, and political views of our guests.
  • Maintain an environment free of harassment (physical, sexual, or verbal), discrimination, and unprofessional conduct.
  • If you need to transport one of our guests, please seek prior approval from the Community Engagement Coordinator.
  • Unless permission is given, do not be alone or initiate physical touch with any guest (child or adult). All interactions are to be conducted in open, common areas.
  • Do not accompany children in our care to the bathroom. Please do not change diapers, give a guest a bath, or help change clothes (adult or child). The staff on duty will take care of any type of bathroom needs.
  • If at any point you feel that a guest is behaving inappropriately, notify the Community Engagement Coordinator or another staff member immediately.

Confidentiality:

  • Please maintain and protect the confidentiality of our guests by refraining from sharing information about them on public platforms.
  • Out of respect and safety of our guests, please refrain from taking pictures or videos of our guests without permission from the individuals or guardians of the children in our care.