What Is a DNHS Volunteer

A DNHS Volunteer is an active community member who contributes their time and skills to free activities inside the Da Nang Homeschool Community. Volunteers are not paid for their time and do not collect fees from families. Volunteering is a meaningful contribution to the community and is recognized through the DNHS points system.

Volunteering is different from facilitating. If you are collecting payment from families for a service, you are operating as a facilitator — not a volunteer. The two roles are never combined for the same activity.

Who Can Volunteer

Volunteering is open to active DNHS members only. Non-members may not volunteer inside the community. Maintaining good standing as a member — attending activities, upholding community guidelines, and keeping membership current — is a requirement for volunteer eligibility.

Volunteer Activities

The following activities count as volunteer contributions inside DNHS:

Community Support

• Carpool coordination

• Child supervision (when explicitly agreed and confirmed)

• Event setup and pack down

• Administrative help

• Assisting the DNHS coordinator

Hosting & Leading

• Co-study hosting

• Hosting a community meetup

• Hosting lessons

• Running a free workshop

• Field trip coordination

• Major events such as the Christmas gala or yearly photoshoot

Assisting Others

• Assisting with a community meetup

• Assisting with a field trip

• Assisting with lessons or workshops

Any activity not on this list must be approved by DNHS before it qualifies for volunteer points.

Approval & Submission

All volunteer activities must be submitted and approved by DNHS before they take place. This applies to every activity — including simple ones like co-study hosting or carpool coordination.

To volunteer, submit a simple request to DNHS that includes:

• What you want to do

• Proposed date and time

• Any supplies needed and estimated budget

DNHS will confirm approval before you proceed. Unapproved activities do not earn volunteer points and supply costs will not be reimbursed.

The Points System

Volunteers earn points for every approved activity they complete. Points accumulate throughout the membership year and are redeemed at membership renewal.

Points by Activity

⭐ 1 Point

• Carpool coordination

• Child supervision

• Event setup / pack down

• Administrative help

• Assisting DNHS coordinator

• Assisting a community meetup

⭐⭐ 2 Points

• Co-study hosting

• Hosting a community meetup

• Assisting a field trip

• Assisting lessons or workshops

⭐⭐⭐ 3 Points

• Field trip coordination

• Running a free workshop

• Hosting lessons

⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4 Points

• Major event (gala, photoshoot)

Rewards — Points Earned by December 31st

🟢 6 points → 10% off membership renewal 🔵 12 points → 25% off membership renewal 🟣 20 points → 50% off membership renewal
🟠 36 points → 100% free membership renewal

Points reset on December 31st each year.

The DNHS membership year runs January 1st to December 31st. All points reset to zero when membership renews on January 1st. Points cannot be carried over into the following year.

Points are non-transferable.

Points belong to the member who earned them and cannot be shared, gifted, or transferred to another family.

Assistant roles require confirmation.

Volunteers claiming assistant points must be confirmed by the activity leader or DNHS coordinator. Self-reporting alone is not sufficient for assistant role points to be logged.

Paid facilitation never earns volunteer points.

If you are collecting payment from families for a service, that activity does not qualify for volunteer points regardless of how it is structured.

Free separate contributions do count.

If a facilitator separately contributes their time to a free community activity outside of their paid program, those specific contributions may earn volunteer points at DNHS’s discretion.

How Points Are Tracked

DNHS maintains a volunteer points record updated monthly. Volunteers can request a points update at any time by contacting the DNHS coordinator.

It is the volunteer’s responsibility to ensure their activities have been submitted and logged. DNHS is not responsible for unlogged activities that were not submitted for approval.

Points are reviewed every December and applied to membership renewals before January 1st.

Supply Reimbursement

Volunteers who need supplies for an approved activity may request funding from DNHS before making any purchase. DNHS will always try to cover supply costs where funds are available. Volunteers should never have to carry costs alone.

The process:

1. Submit your supply request and estimated budget to DNHS for approval

2. Wait for written confirmation before purchasing anything

3. If DNHS has funds — DNHS covers the cost. Volunteer purchases supplies and submits receipts for reimbursement

4. If DNHS has no funds — the volunteer may offer attending families the option to split the supply cost equally. This is completely acceptable for volunteer-run activities and is not considered a fee. The following rules apply:

• Families must be informed of the cost split before the activity — never on the day

• Participation in the cost split is optional — no family should feel pressured

• The split must be approved by DNHS before families are asked

• Money collected covers supplies only — no profit is made

5. If families prefer not to split — the volunteer may choose to cover the cost themselves or simplify the activity to reduce or eliminate supply costs

Important rules:

• No approval = no reimbursement, no exceptions

• No receipt = no reimbursement, no exceptions

• Volunteers may never collect money from families without prior DNHS approval — even for supply splits

• Supply splits are for volunteer activities only and must never resemble a paid workshop fee

Where reimbursement funds come from:

DNHS volunteer reimbursements are funded through facilitator access fees and community fundraisers. Volunteers are encouraged to keep supply requests reasonable and cost-effective. As the community fund grows, DNHS aims to cover more volunteer supply costs directly so families are asked to split less often.

Child Supervision as Volunteering

Volunteers who take on child supervision roles during activities must:

• Have this role explicitly confirmed by DNHS before the activity

• Ensure a parent consent form is completed where required

• Maintain appropriate adult-to-child ratios as agreed with DNHS

• Never assume supervision responsibilities without prior confirmation

Supervision volunteering is valued and counts toward points. However it carries responsibility and must always be formally agreed — never informal or assumed.

Losing Volunteer Status

Missing a month does not reset your points. Points already earned are always kept until December 31st.

However volunteer status may be suspended or removed if a member:

• Repeatedly submits unapproved activities for reimbursement

• Misrepresents their volunteer contributions

• Violates the DNHS Community Guidelines

• Uses volunteer activities to promote a paid personal business

DNHS reserves the right to review and adjust points records if volunteer activity is found to be misrepresented.

A Note on Volunteering

Volunteers are the heart of this community. The events, field trips, meetups, and daily activities that make DNHS special happen because members show up for each other. The points system exists to recognize that effort — not to create a transaction. We hope every volunteer contributes because they love this community, and the rewards are simply our way of saying thank you.

Acknowledgment

By volunteering within the Da Nang Homeschool Community, I confirm that I understand and agree to the terms of this Volunteer Policy. I understand that volunteer activities must be approved in advance and that points are subject to the rules outlined above.

Member Name: _________________

Signature: _________________ Date: _________________