Welcome to the AEE Volunteer Handbook. We hope that you will find it useful.

Before you delve into its many pages, we would like to thank you for taking on a volunteer role with AEE. The association could not operate without the unwavering dedication, tireless energy and expertise provided by our volunteers.

This Volunteer Handbook is intended to provide you with information about what it means to volunteer with AEE and to answer many of the questions you may have about your position. In this volunteer handbook you will find volunteer job descriptions, committee structures, reimbursement guidelines and forms, and much more. 

About AEE
The Association for Experiential Education (AEE) is a nonprofit international professional membership organization incorporated in 1977, with its headquarters currently located at 3775Iris Avenue, Suite #4, Boulder, Colorado  80301, USA.

AEE is governed by a Board of Directors who are elected by the association's members. The Board of Directors establishes AEE’s mission, goals and ends, and hires a Director to implement them. It is the Director’s responsibility to hire, supervise, and make personnel decisions regarding office staff.

• Vision, Mission & Ends
• History of AEE
• AEE Organizational Chart
• AEE Organizational Committees and Councils
• Definition of AEE Acronyms

Volunteer Opportunities/Positions

Volunteer Rights and Responsibilities

Length of Service

Benefits to AEE Volunteers

Volunteer Policies and Procedures

Staff Directory

Volunteer Agreement

Volunteer Consent for Record Checks

Volunteer rights and responsibilities

• Volunteers are a valuable resource of AEE, its staff and members.
  
• Volunteers are extended the right to be given meaningful duties, the right to be treated fairly, the right to effective communication, and the right to recognition for service provided.
• In return, volunteers shall agree to actively perform their duties to the best of their abilities and to remain loyal to the vision, mission, and procedures of AEE.

top

Length of service  

• Most volunteer positions have a stated term length.
• AEE Volunteers are expected to complete their terms barring any outstanding circumstances.

top

• Professional and social networking
• Learn or develop new skills
• Share your skills and talent
• Motivation and sense of achievement
• Gain work experience
• Enhance your resume
• Build self-esteem and self-confidence
• Make an impact in the field of experiential education
• Sharpen leadership skills
• Support something in which you believe
• Annual volunteer recognition celebration
• Complimentary Annual Conference Registration for certain approved committee and group members

• Technology (website/database)
  • Volunteers are required to protect the proprietary nature of the materials owned by AEE. All materials given to volunteers or generated by volunteers during the course of their volunteer service with AEE, and the copyrights associated with those materials, are the sole property of AEE.  Materials include, but are not limited to:  
    • Financial documents and reports 
    • Correspondence 
    • Publications 
    • Client, vendor and membership lists 
    • Databases
  • In certain situations, volunteers may be charged with the responsibility of maintaining an AEE email address. AEE's email accounts are to be used for association purposes only. 
  • Although volunteers are able to use personal access codes, AEE maintains the ability to access any messages transmitted over the email system. E-mail passwords may not be changed without prior notification in writing to the AEE office staff.
  • The use of AEE email is a privilege that impacts association liability and reputation, therefore volunteers with access to AEE email accounts should conduct themselves in a professional, ethical, and responsible manner that reflects well upon AEE.

• Requesting data and member reports 
  • Volunteers may contact the appropriate AEE office staff member to request AEE data and/or member reports related to their volunteer work.  Volunteers can expect a timely response on these requests, barring any outstanding circumstances. These reports may contain information that is confidential and/or legally privileged, and should be used only for AEE purposes.

• Conflict of Interest
  • AEE directors, officers, employees and volunteers are expected to abide by the AEE Conflict of Interest Policy and fill out and sign the Conflict of Interest Disclosure Statement when a potential conflict of interest arises.
    
  • As part of the conflict of interest policy, AEE requires that directors, officers, employees and volunteers decline to accept certain gifts, consideration or remuneration from individuals or companies that seek to do business with AEE or are a competitor of it. Please read the AEE Gift Policy and Disclosure Statement
    
    
• Whistleblower Policy
  
  • AEE expects its directors, officers, employees, volunteers and other representatives to observe high standards of business and personal ethics in the conduct of their duties and responsibilities. As employees and representatives of AEE, we must practice honesty and integrity in fulfilling our responsibilities and comply with all applicable laws and regulations.
  • It is the responsibility of all directors, officers, employees, volunteers and other representatives to report Wrongful Conduct in accordance with this Whistleblower Policy.
   
  

• Feedback and communication

  • Open communication is a very important aspect of the operation of an organization served by volunteers.  For this reason, we encourage volunteers to communicate openly with their supervising AEE staff member.

  • Volunteers are also encouraged to consider scheduling an exit interview at the end of your term.  Exit interviews are optional, but AEE is very interested in how we can make a volunteer’s experience better.  For this reason, we encourage our volunteers to complete exit interviews as well as engage in ongoing communication throughout the length of service.

• Resignation/Termination

  • Volunteer may be asked to step down from leadership position by the AEE Director(s) - or in the absence of a Director, the Board of Directors - if responsibilities of said leadership position are not being fulfilled or if code of conduct has not been followed.
  • Volunteers may decide to step down from their position before term is completed if life circumstances change and situation is approved by the AEE Director(s).
    
    

• Code of conduct

  • AEE expects volunteers to conduct themselves in a professional, ethical, and responsible manner that reflects well upon AEE, that promotes a spirit of cooperation and teamwork among volunteers, and that is respectful of the members, employees, and of the public with whom we interact.

  • Volunteers are required to be aware of and to comply with AEE’s official “code of conduct” established for members, volunteers, and employees acting on behalf of AEE.