Volunteering Handbook

As a volunteer, your job is to keep Lansing Makers Network running smoothly during open hours. In concrete terms, that will entail:

Opening and closing the space during open hours

Signing in members and giving tours during open hours.

Running new member orientation

Equipment checkouts

Developing projects for the space

Keeping the job board clear and the space organized.

You are absolutely not here to be janitorial staff or to clean up after other members. LMN’s policy remains that members are responsible for cleaning up after their own projects. If you notice another member is leaving a space in disarray, please mention it to your shift leader and we’ll talk to the member about it.

For most things you will have to do, there is an SOP like this one that explains the necessary steps. Here are a few that may be relevant to your time volunteering.

Signing up for a shift.

Logging your hours.

Opening the space.

Creating new members.

Renewing or Enrolling a Member

Signing members in.

Making an ID Card

You are responsible for signing up for your own shift and for coming in on time during your shift.

If you cannot make it to your shift for any reason, or you are running very late, you need to contact the shift leader to let them know. Preferably in advance.

If you miss more than two shifts without giving us a heads up, we’ll block your volunteer status until you have a conversation with us in person about the problem.

Make sure you check in for your shift on the Lansing Makers Network site to log your hours.

When you are on shift, please refrain from working on your own projects.

You must be 18 or older to volunteer.

You need to attend a volunteer orientation before your first shift volunteering. This will clarify many of the roles you’ll be taking on at LMN and give you a better sense of the overall functioning of the space.

Since you’ll be helping people with equipment, it is important you observe basic safety precautions when working with equipment.

In general, use your best judgment where health and safety are concerned. If something seems unsafe, either check with a shift supervisor or read the SOP for best practices. If you see someone doing something that seems unsafe, stop them from doing it. The following are some guidelines you should follow:

Don’t use any pieces of equipment you have not been checked out on yourself.

Make sure to wear appropriate clothing. When working with power tools, make sure there are no dangling sleeves or accessories (i.e., take your ID card off a lanyard and put it on a clip.

Wear protective equipment, including eyewear, hearing protection, and appropriate hand protection in any area where they are marked necessary.

If you observe anyone using a piece of equipment in an unsafe way, please ask them to stop and show them to the SOP. If anyone persistently uses a piece of equipment unsafely, please let your shift leader know.

Don’t engage in any roughhousing or otherwise distracting behaviors.

In any emergency situation, please contact 911.

Volunteers are expected to behave in a manner that is consistent with LMN’s mission to promote creativity and collaboration and the well-being of the Lansing community. LMN does not tolerate misconduct. Such behaviors include but are not limited to

Engaging in discriminatory or abusive behavior, sexual harassment, or lewd behavior.

Fighting or threatening to harm another person.

Possession of a weapon.

Being under the influence of drugs or alcohol on LMN property or while representing LMN as a volunteer.

Engaging in any illegal activities while on LMN property or representing LMN as a volunteer.

Engaging in any of these behaviors may result in the end of your time as a volunteer.

At the same time, you have the right as a volunteer to be treated as an equal partner in the community of Lansing Makers Network. That means you can expect an experience that is free of abuse, harassment, and discrimination, and you can expect to be given reasonable creative freedom in your projects and work environment at LMN.

Part of the mission of the Lansing Makers Network is to be a resource for the greater Lansing community. We currently achieve this through classes and community partnerships. As a volunteer, we want you to help us create programs and projects that can help better fulfill that part of our mission.

As our volunteer group grows, we are looking for a group of dedicated people to form our volunteer corps, who will create special projects to serve the Lansing community.

We follow a “see one, do one, teach one” model for giving equipment checkouts.

Get checked out on the equipment.

See one: watch an instructor give someone a checkout, paying attention to how they explain the equipment.

Do one: give a dry run of a check out to the instructor.

Teach one: give a check out to an actual student with the instructor watching.

Then you'll be set to run your own equipment checkouts.

As a volunteer, your role in the Lansing Maker Network is an active and mindful one. We trust our volunteers to make good decisions that reflect the mission of our organization. If you think of something volunteers could be doing, please feel free to suggest it to Matt or Brian, and we’ll help you think of ways to make that happen.

If you encounter a situation not covered in this handbook, use your best judgment in addressing it. If you are unsure of the best way to address it, and if it is not an emergency bring it to the attention of Matt, or Brian and we’ll help you figure out how best to deal with it.