Volunteer Agreements with Ancestral Medicine
Ancestral Medicine invites all Ancestral Healing Practitioners and Trainees to offer volunteer service to the organization.
The following agreements apply to anyone volunteering with Ancestral Medicine (AM). Volunteers are requested to read the subsequent agreements and policies and complete this form at the outset of our collaboration. These agreements apply to any form of volunteering with AM and remain in effect unless/until AM makes substantive changes to the agreements.
To complete this agreement form, please check the box associated with each agreement as well as each type of service that interests you under “Possible Forms of Volunteering”. As of 2021, the volunteering opportunities may include but are not limited to:
- Online course support (small break-out groups, affinity group calls, Q&A sessions)
- Transcriptions and closed captioning
- Ritual support for Ancestor Circles or other events
- Teaching in some settings
- Technical support (e.g., video editing, design, website, anchoring Zoom calls)
- Research
- Translation services
Volunteer Service Agreement | 2021-2022
Ancestral Medicine Policies for all Volunteers
By signing above, you agree that you have read and agree to the following.
This following policies applies to all who volunteer their services through Ancestral Medicine. In the agreement form (above) for volunteer participants, you were requested to check that you agree to these policies. We have tried to make the following policies clear, relevant, and succinct, and we encourage you to read them before signing. These agreements are in addition to any agreements made elsewhere (e.g., Training Agreements Form, Training Manual, Code of Ethics).
Remote Work
Communication. All volunteers must arrange for reliable means of communication, including for teaching, sessions, small groups or rituals, or meetings with AM Staff. This includes securing both a quiet location so as not to disrupt or deter from the interaction and also presenting with an appearance, demeanor, and sobriety appropriate to one’s role and setting.
Equipment. Since all volunteers use their own equipment, AM may determine if the equipment contains appropriate software and configuration for the volunteer to effectively and securely perform work and volunteer related tasks. Volunteers are responsible for all maintenance and repair of their own equipment AM accepts no responsibility for damage or repairs to volunteer-owned equipment.
Security. AM expects volunteers working remotely to ensure the protection of any proprietary company and customer information accessible from their home office. Steps include the use of regular password maintenance, and any other appropriate measures.
Safety. Volunteers are expected to maintain their home workspace in a safe manner, free from safety hazards. Ancestral Medicine does not assume any liability for injuries occurring in the volunteer home workspace. AM is not liable for loss, destruction, or injury that may occur in or to the volunteer home related to their service with AM.
Confidentiality
AM has developed, uses, and maintains confidential and proprietary information including, without limitation, course curriculum, training materials, online product information, personnel information, operating procedures, marketing information, financial data, and customer information (the “Confidential Information”). ERCV will rarely come into contact with Confidential Information in the course of their service; however, exceptions may include access to select passwords (e.g., transcription services, Zoom login), access to select AM participant emails, and/or access to personal information when serving in a mentor or supervisor capacity.
AM has taken and shall continue to take, all reasonable measures to protect the confidentiality of such information. Volunteers agree to hold such information in the strictest confidence, and will not disclose to any business, firm, entity or person, either directly or indirectly, any of the Confidential Information. You further agree that you will return all such Confidential Information and any copies thereof to AM within three days of completing your service or role regardless of the reasons for the completion.
Ongoing Evaluation
Volunteers serve at the invitation of AM Staff and Leadership. Although there is not a formal process for assessing in an ongoing way the performance of each volunteer, AM does solicit feedback from participants in our offerings, and we listen carefully when feedback reaches us. In cases of positive feedback, we typically share this with the recipient of praise. In cases of critical feedback, we typically support the recipient of criticism to kindly incorporate this learning into their process of growth and maturation. This may include a request that a volunteer address the concern in order to continue in their specific service through AM.
AM can end our collaboration at any time for any reason. In addition to scenarios where the collaboration is not working out, AM may rotate people out of roles to maximize the opportunity for paid work or volunteer service for others in the AM Practitioner Network.
Non-Harassment
AM’s policies prohibit intentional and unintentional harassment of any individual by another person on the basis of any protected classification including, but not limited to, ethnicity, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, mental or physical ability, political views, nationality, immigration status, or socio-economic background.
If any volunteer feels that he or she has been subjected to conduct which violates this policy, they should immediately report the matter to their primary point of contact with AM Staff. If the volunteer has not received a satisfactory response within five business days after reporting any incident that the volunteer perceives to be harassment, the volunteer should contact Ancestral Medicine Leadership directly. Every report of perceived harassment will be fully investigated and corrective action will be taken where appropriate. All complaints will be kept confidential to the extent possible, but confidentiality cannot be guaranteed.
In addition, AM will not allow any form of retaliation against individuals who report unwelcome conduct to management or who cooperate in the investigations of such reports in accordance with this policy. If any volunteer feels they’ve been subjected to any such retaliation, the volunteer should report this in the same manner in which the volunteer would report a claim of perceived harassment under this policy. Violation of this policy including any improper retaliatory conduct will result in corrective action, up to and including discharge. All volunteers must cooperate with investigations.
Equal Opportunity
Ancestral Medicine is an Equal Opportunity Employer and our management team is dedicated to this policy not only with any AM Staff and Contractors but also with volunteers. Ancestral Medicine will make reasonable accommodations, as required by law, for the known physical or mental disabilities of an otherwise qualified volunteer, unless doing so would impose an undue hardship on AM’s business operations.
Any volunteer who believes they require an accommodation in order to perform their essential functions should speak with their AM Staff point of contact to request such an accommodation. volunteers should specify what accommodation they need to perform the job and may in rare cases need to submit supporting medical documentation explaining the underlying physical or mental disability and basis for the requested accommodation. The Ancestral Medicine team will then review the request, including engaging in a dialogue with the volunteer, to identify if such an accommodation can be made.
