FHL Policy on the Use of Volunteers

September 29, 2026

INTRODUCTION
We often receive inquiries about volunteering from people eager to become involved with activities at FHL and scientists eager to have an extra set of hands to assist with their research. While we welcome such inquiries, any volunteer arrangement must comply with federal, state, and UW regulations. The College of the Environment’s Volunteer Workers Policy and Procedures spells out the regulations and requirements, and this page explains key points as they apply to FHL.

POLICY
A volunteer is defined as someone who:

• Is unpaid;
• Offers services freely without coercion or pressure to serve;
• Has no expectation of receiving pay or other benefits, including future positions at the University;
• Does not currently and/or did not previously hold a position performing the same tasks; and
• Does not displace a current or past paid position and whose volunteer services are not substantially the same as a paid position.

Volunteer service cannot displace work performed by University employees, nor should it be used to circumvent the established processes that govern the University’s hiring processes.  Thus, volunteers are only allowed to perform tasks that are never done by paid workers, and cannot do work for which they might get paid at a later date.  A volunteer may provide an “extra” service that would not get done otherwise; for example, if we did not have a team of volunteer docents to provide FHL tours, we would not offer tours. A volunteer may not provide a critical service that, in their absence, would need to be done by paid employees.

Any proposed volunteer arrangement must be approved in advance by the FHL Business Manager. The volunteer and their supervisor must complete and submit a Volunteer Service Agreement Form before starting, then track all hours worked. This documentation assists units in complying with Federal and State regulations and UW policies while protecting the interest of volunteers, the unit, and the University. The supervisor must ensure that their volunteer has completed the FHL employee safety orientation and any UW trainings required for the activities they will be performing; see the FHL Operations Manager for more information on safety trainings.

Registered volunteers who are not receiving academic credit for their activities are covered by the University’s workers’ compensation and insurance policy. They should follow the same procedures as paid employees to report any incidents and to submit claims to Workers Compensation. Volunteers receiving academic credit for work they perform are classified as “interns,” and are not covered by UW workers’ compensation; they must provide their own coverage for accidents or injuries that occur while performing intern work.

For more information, including volunteer qualifications, expectations, requirements for minors, and the rules for visa holders, see the College of the Environment’s page on Volunteers.