RSVP
Retired & Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) offers "one stop shopping" for volunteers 55 and better who want to find challenging, rewarding and significant service opportunities in their local communities. RSVP offers maximum flexibility and choice to its volunteers as it matches the personal interests and skills of older adults with meaningful opportunities to serve our community. More than 600 RSVP volunteers contributed more than 63,773 hours of service to nonprofit organizations in Darke, Logan and Shelby Counties in 2008. These dedicated volunteers coordinated local blood drives, tutored children in literacy programs, delivered hot meals to homebound older adults, assisted with disaster relief efforts and more.
Requirements
RSVP volunteers serve within local nonprofit organizations, which are called stations. Volunteers who enroll in this program complete an enrollment form, are interviewed, receive orientation and are placed in specific volunteer positions within stations. RSVP volunteers record the hours they have served on timesheets, which are returned to HandsOn West Central Ohio Volunteer Coordinators in each county. Volunteers must be 55 and better to serve as RSVP volunteers. All volunteer positions available through HandsOn West Central Ohio are available to RSVP volunteers.
Benefits
Supplemental insurance is provided to all RSVP volunteers, providing additional protection beyond a volunteer's personal driving insurance in the event of an automobile accident while the driver is volunteering for an RSVP station. RSVP volunteers receive quarterly newsletters detailing program changes, new service opportunities available and upcoming events. Quarterly meetings are sponsored by each county Volunteer Coordinator as well, providing RSVP volunteers with the opportunity to network and share new ideas. RSVP volunteers are periodically recognized for their efforts through nominations for statewide and community awards, press releases to local media outlets, profiles in local newspapers and more.
How to Enroll in RSVP
To enroll in RSVP, please complete our RSVP Enrollment Form. Print the form and return the completed form to your county's Volunteer Coordinator using the corresponding address listed here. Your Volunteer Coordinator will be in contact with you soon to schedule a brief interview to assess your needs, availability and skills. Thank you for your interest in volunteering!
Forms for Volunteers
The following forms are available for use by volunteers who have enrolled in the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program through HandsOn West Central Ohio:
Federal Guidelines for RSVP
While our program recognizes the value of every volunteer opportunity, federal guidelines do restrict our program from participating in some types of volunteer activity. As required by our funder, the Corporation for National and Community Service, we are happy to provide you with a complete list of regulations pertaining to RSVP. Some of our regulations include the following:
- Volunteers and HandsOn West Central Ohio staff do not engage in, and federal funding is not used for, any of the following activities:
- Electoral activities
- Voter registration
- Voter transportation to polls
- Efforts to influence legislation
- HandsOn West Central Ohio staff or volunteers do not give religious instruction, conduct worship services, or engage in proselytization as part of their duties.
- Volunteers do not engage in any activity that would otherwise be performed by an employed worker, would supplant the hiring of or result in the displacement of employed workers, or would impair existing contracts for service.
- Neither HandsOn West Central Ohio or any volunteer station requests or receives compensation from the beneficiaries of Senior Corps volunteers.
- Financial support from volunteer stations is not a precondition for stations to obtain volunteer service.
- A Senior Corps volunteer does not receive a fee from service recipients, their legal guardian, or members of their family or friends.
- Grant funds are not used to finance labor or anti-labor organizations or related activity.
- The sponsor will withdraw services if a volunteer station’s inability to provide monetary or in-kind support to the project under the Memorandum of Understanding diminishes or jeopardizes the project’s financial capabilities to fulfill its obligations.
- Laborers and mechanics employed for construction, alteration, or repair of facilities are paid prevailing rates as determined by the Secretary of Labor in accordance with the Davis-Beacon Act, as amended.
