Volunteer Welcome & Agreement

Step 1 of 4

Welcome to the OTL!

We’re a volunteer-driven organization and we’re so glad you want to be a part of it!

To get started, we’d like to know more about you: who you are, how to reach you, who to contact in an emergency. We’d then like to learn about what you hope to draw from your experience with the OTL. Finally, we’ll cover requirements of every OTL volunteer to ensure everyone has a safe, positive experience with us!

About You

Nice to meet you! We'll need to know a bit about you, including how to reach you to coordinate your volunteering and who to contact in case of emergency. All of your personal information will be handled confidentially and never shared outside of the OTL.

Personal Info

Let's start with the basics. Who are you and how can we reach you?

Full Name *

First

Last

This should be your legal name, we’re going to cover some agreements and acknowledgements at the end.

Preferred Name

Got another name that you prefer to go by? No problem, let us know here.

Email *

We most often communicate with our volunteers via email, so this is preferably an email account you check regularly.

Phone *

If we urgently need to reach you to cancel or change your shift, ask a question or check if you forgot something at the OTL, this is the number we will use to reach you.

Address *

Address Line 1

City

State / Province / Region

Postal Code

Country

For the legal agreements, plus can be very useful if we ever need to send you anything or deliver anything to you in a timely way.

Are you at least 18 years old? *

First Aid Training

There may be situations at the OTL where you or others may require medical attention.

Do you have valid first aid training? *

Would you be interested in a one day First Aid course/refresher? *

We sometimes arrange a one-day Automated External Defibrillator & Emergency First Aid Course at cost from the Ottawa Paramedic Service.

Emergency Contact

Who should we notify in case of an emergency at the OTL? Not just an accident, but any situation where you may be unresponsive or require medical care. Ideally, they will also know your medical history (incl. current medications) and be local enough they could come meet you if needed.

Name *

First

Last

Phone *

This is the number we can reach them at.

Relationship *

How do they know you?

Accommodations

Many of us have physical limitations due to a specific condition, injury, or simply age. We don’t need to know their cause; we would however like to know what they are and how we can accommodate you.

I have some trouble with...

How can we help you work around these limitations?

Volunteer Agreement

In order to volunteer at the OTL, we require that everyone agree to keep themselves safe, be respectful, protect personal information, that volunteers are unpaid, and that we ofter take photos of our events, space and operations.

Compensation

The OTL is a volunteer-driven social enterprise. We cannot pay our many wonderful volunteers, but we do hope you’ll enjoy your time, make friends, and learn lots. Our active volunteers are also automatically members of the OTL, and have access to our inventory (though still pay loan and late fees).

Compensation Acknowledgement *

Yes, I accept the acknowledgement below regarding volunteer compensation at the OTL.

I understand and agree that if accepted as a volunteer, all services performed by me will be performed on a strictly volunteer basis, and that I will receive no remuneration, pay or compensation of any kind and that OTL assumes no liability of any kind with respect to my volunteering for the Ottawa Tool Library.

Volunteer Hours

Do you need volunteer hours for a high school or university program? *

Liability

We really don’t want you to ever get hurt at the OTL. We always do our utmost to ensure our tools are in good working order, our volunteers have appropriate knowledge and protective equipment, and that any work is done with appropriate tools and techniques.

Each volunteer is foremost responsible for their own safety while volunteering at the OTL. Please don’t ever do anything at the OTL that makes you feel unsafe. If you ever feel any situation, equipment, or another volunteer is hazardous, please stop any work and share your concerns with other volunteers or notify the OTL management team.

Liability Acknowledgement & Waiver *

Yes, I accept the acknowledgement below regarding the risk of injury and liability when volunteering at the OTL.

I acknowledge that in handling tools and performing other volunteer tasks, there exists a risk of injury, including physical harm or death, and that all services performed by me will be done at my own risk. Moreover, I understand that there are inherent risks associated with my volunteer activities, including the risk of personal injury resulting from the handling of tools.

Therefore, on behalf of myself, my heirs and personal representatives, I hereby release, discharge, indemnify and hold harmless OTL and its assigns, successors, agents, staff, volunteers, officers, board of directors, contractors, and representatives from any and all claims, causes of action or demands, of any nature of cause whatsoever, including costs and attorney fees, arising out of or relating to my volunteering with OTL, including, but not limited to, injury from handling tools, accidents, or injuries.

Photo Release

We often feature photos from our events on posters, in our newsletter, and on social media, to promote the OTL and our events. While this gives us the right to use your likeness, we try to be reasonable, like not posting a photo of you mid-pizza-bite or falling on your face.

Photo Release Acknowledgement *

Yes, I accept the photo release acknowledgement below.

I give the OTL permission to use and publish photographs taken of me at the OTL or its events for use in its public relations efforts.

Non-Disclosure & Protection of Personal Information

We work with personal and financial data and need to treat it with care and respect. As a Canadian non-profit, we’re bound by the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), among other relevant legislation. The OTL also has payment, contact and other personal information that we treat as confidential. If you want to use or share such information outside of the OTL, please first ask permission from the Executive Director.

Non-Disclosure Acknowledgement *

Yes, I accept the non-disclosure acknowledgement below.

I understand that as part of my duties, I may handle personal and financial information, including that of members and community partners. As a recipient of confidential information from the OTL, I agree to undertake reasonable precautions from disclosing this information, and further agree not to intentionally disclose such confidential information to anyone outside of the OTL without advance written permission from OTL management.

Code of Conduct

The OTL is a social enterprise composed of people from diverse cultures, backgrounds, and experiences. We are committed to providing a safe and inclusive environment free from violence, harassment, and discrimination, as mandated by both the Canadian Human Rights Act and Ontario Human Rights Code.

We ask that you review our Code of Conduct and agree to its proscriptions against violence, harassment, and discrimination. It also covers drug and alcohol use, as well as accommodation of others.

Code of Conduct Acknowledgement *

Yes, I accept the acknowledgement below regarding the OTL's Code of Conduct.

I understand that the OTL aims to provide a safe and inclusive environment free from violence, harassment, and discrimination, and that mistreatment – including related to race, ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation, culture, or religion – will not be tolerated. I similarly acknowledge that there are internal and external mechanisms at my disposal if I ever feel targeted by or witness such behaviours.

Agreement

This is it! We need your signature below to confirm your agreement to everything above and are ready to join our team!