RICHLAND YOUTH HOCKEY, INC. 
VOLUNTEER LABOR POLICY 
JULY 27, 1999 

PREAMBLE

1. The current Richland Youth Hockey, Inc. (RYHI) Board-of-Directors acknowledges that the present system of procuring and implementing volunteer labor is inadequate. Specific concerns include an increasingly inequitable distribution of labor hours throughout the membership, along with inconsistent and often sporadic member participation. The net result has been erosion of organizational production and morale.

2. Further, the current Board-of-Directors appreciates the previous Board's effort to address this situation by passing a policy intended to be effective beginning May 1, 1999. A copy of that previous policy is attached as a permanent part of this policy document. 

The current Board feels the previous policy was a positive step in getting the membership's collective attention focused on the volunteer hour problem. However, implementation of that policy in its suggested format was felt to be impractical, financially onerous, and a potential deterrent to the organization's continued growth. 

3. The Board feels that the following key principles should be applied to any present or future RYHI volunteer hour policy: 

a) Equal Participation: RYHI should (as much as possible) seek to distribute its ongoing volunteer workload equally amongst its member families. However, the Board also recognizes that personal circumstances may constrict availability and therefore will endeavor to accommodate those circumstances when allocating volunteer hours. 

b) Record Keeping: Volunteer hours worked by members should be accounted for on a per family basis. Record keeping of those hours should incorporate the following elements: 

i) Equal value for every hour worked: All hours worked for RYHI, in whatever authorized capacity, are treated equally.

 ii) Each member family is responsible for the accurate recording of their hours: The board will provide for both an adequate system of volunteer hour record keeping and a qualified board person, under the direction of the RYHI Treasurer to oversee or perform the record keeping. Further, reasonable access to RYHI records shall never be denied. However, it is ultimately the individual family's responsibility to make sure their hours are adequately reported. 

iii) Benefit-of-the-doubt to member families: We respect the honesty and integrity of each RYHI member. Accordingly, the person responsible for volunteer hour record keeping will abide by the guiding principle that in matters of conflict which may occur regarding reported hours, (absent absolute evidence to the contrary), the benefit of doubt will favor the member. . The Board feels strongly that disagreements that do not respect individual member integrity serve as a disincentive for volunteer participation. 

iv) Board review: Volunteer hours will be reviewed at each regularly scheduled Board meeting's

C) Board Management Responsibility: It is the Board-of-Director's responsibility to properly organize and manage the allocation of volunteer hours and to provide adequate opportunity for member families to participate. The Board will inform the membership or approximate volunteer hours required of each member family at the time of registration. To help with this responsibility, as a part of the registration process each member family will be asked to prioritize 3 committee selections they would be willing to serve on during the course of the year. The Board will make its best effort to accommodate those selections in allocating volunteer hours to members. 

At registration, member families will be given an estimate of how many minimum hours will be expected of them in the upcoming fiscal year. (This estimate will be determined as follows by the Board: (i) estimating total approximate volunteer hours needed by the organization in the upcoming fiscal year, and then (ii) dividing that total estimate by the anticipated number of member families.)

d) Right to Penalize Unwilling Members: RYHI is absolutely dependent upon the volunteer efforts of its membership—RYHI cannot survive without it. The Board believes strongly in the premise that given adequate opportunity, all members should be willing to do their fair share. However, in those rare isolated incidents, if member families steadfastly refuse to contribute their fair share of volunteer effort, than the Board reserves the right to financially penalize that family and/or request their removal from the RYHI membership.

The penalty will be determined by the Board, however in no event shall be more than $250. The maximum amount of penalty shall be reviewed on an annual basis. 

e) Aggregate Organizational Volunteer Hours Will Vary From Year to Year: Depending upon the goals and needs of the organization, the aggregate amount of volunteer hours budgeted and ultimately requested of the membership will vary from year to year, which in turn means the amount of volunteer hours requested of each member family will vary from year to year. For example, in years that substantial improvements are being made to the building, more hours may be requested. 

In budgeting for the aggregate hours that will be requested in a given year, it is the Boards responsibility to always keep in mind the individual commitments all of us have outside of Hockey—reality dictates that we are all limited in the time we can give.

 POLICY

With the above considerations in mind, the Board of Directors of Richland Youth Hockey, Inc. hereby adopts a policy of mandatory volunteer hour participation by each member family. The effective date of this policy shall be May 1, 1999. 

Unanimously agreed to this 27^th day of July, 1999: