Induction for volunteers
On this page, you will find information about the inductions and training common to all volunteers, as well as the various roles of responsibility in volunteering.
Training for Everyone
All volunteers are initially recommended to complete the Welcome to the Red Cross orientation. This self-study online course can be found in the volunteers' information system Oma Red Cross. Everyone logged in to Oma can see the course on their start page. The course is available in three languages: Finnish, Swedish and English.
In addition, every volunteer should be familiar with the basics of data protection, diversity and the prevention of sexual harassment in volunteer activities. The Diversity in Volunteering and Basics of Data Protection in Volunteering courses are available as self-study online courses in the Kompassi learning environment. The self-study Prevention of Sexual Harassment and Abuse in Volunteering course is also available in Kompassi.
Completing these courses is recommended for all volunteers.
All other upcoming volunteer training sessions, along with their registration links, can be found in Oma Red Cross.
The Role of the Responsible Volunteer in the Red Cross
The responsible volunteer works in a designated role within a branch or an activity group. The role requires more commitment than participating in a single volunteer task, but it offers a meaningful place in the chain of help and the opportunity to experience a sense of community.
The responsible volunteer does not the carry responsibility alone. Instead, the tasks can be shared with board members and other responsible volunteers. The Red Cross encourages working in pairs and teams, where experiences and good practices are shared.
The role can be started with a low threshold and learned gradually. Support for the role is available, for example, from training sessions that cover the organisation's values, positions of trust, data protection, preparedness activities, and ethical and safe volunteering. Not all training sessions need to be completed personally – what is learned can also be shared with others.
The most important task of the responsible volunteer is to understand their own role and responsibilities as part of the community. This means:
- Promoting interaction: acting respectfully and constructively with others.
- Creating a sense of community: promoting openness, inclusion and a sense of belonging.
- Implementing the Red Cross's core mission, values and principles: identifying needs for help, respecting human dignity, impartiality, voluntariness and humanity guide all activities.
- Ensuring a safe and open environment: it is the duty of every responsible volunteer and elected official to ensure that everyone can participate in activities safely and feel accepted.
Responsible Volunteer Roles
There are many responsible volunteer roles, and everyone can find a way to participate and make an impact that suits them.
More information about the branch's responsible volunteer roles can be found in the quick orientation packages below. The quick orientation packages describe what tasks are included in the role, who to turn to for support, what training is recommended, and what materials are worth familiarising oneself with.
Please note that some of the roles mentioned on this page are branch roles that do not fall under the branch's authorised signatories, board and contact persons. The roles mentioned in the organisation's statutes are: chairperson, vice-chairperson, secretary, treasurer, performance auditor, deputy performance auditor, collection manager, domestic assistance contact person and communications manager (referred to as information officer in the statutes).
Role descriptions and induction packages for branch's responsible volunteer:
You are an important link in a unique chain of help from donor to patient. You advocate for blood donation in your local community. You can also encourage communities to take action.
You create the conditions for your branch's activities and promote a safe and responsible operating environment. You ensure that Red Cross aid operations meet local needs for assistance. You will have the opportunity to deepen your leadership, collaboration, and coordination skills and learn new things.
You coordinate fundraising activities in your branch. You can invite new volunteers to participate in campaigns, as anyone can help during them. Fundraising campaigns strengthen the Red Cross’s preparedness to help, securing unrestricted funds for the Disaster Relief Fund.
You ensure that your branch communicates essential matters openly, in a timely manner, and reliably to the general public and partners.
You ensure that your branch adheres to the basic ideology of the Red Cross as a reliable actor, also in data processing.
As a contact person for domestic aid, you are at the heart of preparedness to help in your branch. You do important work to ensure that when a sudden need for help arises, people in your area receive the assistance and support they need.
You are responsible for planning, training, developing, and leading the first aid group's activities in your branch's area.
You are responsible for coordinating the on-call duties in your area. Your duties include receiving and managing on-call orders and appointing the leader of first aid on-call duties.
You ensure that anyone who is looking for a friend gets one. As a friend service coordinator, you promote diverse friend activities in your branch and ensure that new volunteers can get involved.
Volunteer friends alleviate loneliness and social exclusion. You ensure that as many people experiencing loneliness as possible get joy in their everyday lives and new volunteers can join the activities.
Food aid promotes inclusion, a sense of community, and well-being in society. More and more people rely on food aid. You are doing important work to support the inclusion and coping of low-income people.
As a contact person for health activities, you promote the well-being of your community and region.
You are fulfilling one of the Red Cross's original missions: you are spreading awareness of the rules of war. The laws of war aim to limit the effects of armed conflicts.
You coordinate volunteer activities that promote integration within the branch's area. Your goal is to support immigrants in learning Finnish or Swedish, getting to know the local community, and finding meaningful leisure activities.
You maintain an overview of the branch’s situation in Oma Red Cross. The Oma system plays a key role when receiving new volunteers online to the Finnish Red Cross.
As a performance auditor, you ensure that our organization is perceived as a reliable actor. Your task is to verify that the branch's administration and finances have been managed appropriately. In practice, you therefore ensure that the branch's operations comply with the rules of the Red Cross and, where applicable, the Associations Act, and that our organization is seen as a reliable actor and partner.
As persons in charge of volunteers and members, you work as a pair to promote the continuity of your branch’s operations and enable helping activities.
You promote preparedness and readiness to help in your branch. You are responsible for ensuring that the branch's preparedness plans are up to date and implemented, so that other volunteers can participate in helping in their own roles.
Young people know how to help and are changing the world. You work to realize this vision in your own branch. You are enabling activities that meet the needs of children and young people in your area of operation.
You are responsible for keeping the branch's operations running and ensuring that the branch's daily activities run smoothly. You will get to shine in tasks that require precision and organization.
You play an important role in enabling the day-to-day operations of your branch. You work on tasks that require precision and deepen your expertise in financial management.
Together with the chairperson, you create the conditions for your branch's operations and promote a safe and responsible operating environment. You act as the deputy chairperson when necessary. You ensure that the Red Cross's aid activities respond to local needs for assistance. You will get to deepen your leadership, collaboration, and coordination skills and learn new things.
You promote cooperation between your branch and the local Youth Shelter. You are making it possible for a sufficient number of caring adults to help young people and their loved ones.
Translation feedback
Your feedback helps us improve AI-translated pages.
Page
🔗 —0 / 500 characters
Something went wrong — please try again.
Thank you for your feedback!
We'll use it to review and improve this translation.