The purpose of the Hearts & Horses Code of Ethics is to provide volunteers with an ethical and responsible framework from which to serve. Volunteers at Hearts & Horses must be committed to an ethical organization. This includes all aspects of the organization: services, organizational structure, and all communication among volunteers, staff, clients, public and board.

·         Lead with Integrity

o   By being compassionate with others: staff, volunteers, participants, and equines.

o   By being present during volunteer shifts, engaging with participants and equines.

o   By being respectful to others: staff, volunteers, participants, and equines.

o   By being transparent with others: staff, volunteers, participants, and equines.

·         Aspire to Excellence

o   By adhering to Hearts & Horses policies, procedures, and other rules.

o   By showing leadership and helping others.

o   By being creative and thinking outside of the box to solve problems.

o   By following through with commitments to participants and equines by showing up to volunteer shifts at the designated time. If you can't make it, call in advance to cancel and let staff know you won’t be there that day.

·         Invest in Safety

o   By making sure to educate yourself and others about equine safety and attend additional training to learn how to keep participants and equines safe.

o   By speaking up with questions about any unsafe actions by others.

o   By not talking about participants in the community to respect confidentiality.

o   By speaking up if you see anything that may be a safety concern regarding an equine, participant, other volunteer, or anything else on the ranch.

·         Commit to Community

o   By working together with staff and other volunteers to collaborate as a team.

o   By communicating clearly with staff, other volunteers, and participants.

o   By taking responsibility when mistakes are made.

o   By respecting the diversity of our community.

All volunteers share the responsibility of maintaining the Code of Ethics. This responsibility may include direct one-on-one communication with the person involved in discussion privately; at a larger meeting; or speaking to a staff member. Where repeated attempts have been made to rectify a volunteer’s non-compliance with the Code of Ethics, or where severe violation of the Code of Ethics has occurred, prompt action will be taken to remove or suspend the individual.

The purpose of the Hearts & Horses Code of Conduct is to provide volunteers with concrete actions that support the Hearts & Horses Code of Ethics. Volunteers at Hearts & Horses must be committed to an ethical organization. This includes all aspects of the organization: services, organizational structure, and all communication among volunteers, staff, clients, public and board.

·    As a Volunteer, I will:

1. Bring my positive energy and be committed to my volunteer job.
2. Listen carefully to Hearts & Horses staff members.
3. Respect and support the decisions of staff and board members.
4. Be flexible and patient.
5. Keep informed of developments and policies relevant to my volunteer responsibilities.
6. Participate actively in volunteer training and assist new volunteers as they join.
7. Bring to the attention of leadership any issues that I believe will have an adverse effect on the organization or those we serve.
8. Offer suggestions and share ideas.
9. Help curtail any negative conversations or rumors.
10. Positively represent Hearts & Horses in the community.
11. Consider myself having ownership of the organization and do my best to ensure that it is well maintained – keeping safety and quality in mind.
12. Speak positively about the equines and staff at Hearts & Horses.
13. Be empathetic. I will try to understand my participant and their challenges, and develop a rapport. However, I will avoid mothering, caretaking and offering advice as I am not a therapist.
14. Encourage my participant to be as independent as possible and learn along with my participant.
15. Be patient and sensitive. I will learn to work with my participant’s pace of communicating and responding.
16. Arrive on time to the schedule that I have discussed with the Volunteer Team and if I can't make it, communicate that with as much notice as I can.
17. Introduce myself to members of my team if I don’t already know them.
18. Enjoy myself. An anxious volunteer can cause tension for the equine and/or the participant. Enthusiasm is contagious!
19. Ask questions if something is unclear to me and or communicate any concerns with the Hearts & Horses staff.

As a Volunteer, I will not:

1. Criticize fellow volunteers and staff members or their opinions.
2. Use behaviors such as profanity, harassment, and aggressive or abusive behavior to self, others, or equines.
3. Use the organization for my personal advantage or the advantage of my friends or relatives.
4. Discuss confidential issues with anyone not involved with those issues.
5. Interfere with the duties of staff members or undermine their authority.
6. Have personal or romantic relationships with any of my participants.
7. Share my phone number with my participants.
8. Feed the equines unless instructed to by a Hearts & Horses staff member.
9. Discipline any of the equines myself, but get staff help if there is an issue.

All volunteers share the responsibility of maintaining the Code of Conduct. This responsibility may include direct one-on-one communication with the person involved in discussion privately; at a larger meeting; or speaking to a staff member. Where repeated attempts have been made to rectify a volunteer’s non-compliance with the Code of Conduct, or where severe violation of the Code of Conduct has occurred, prompt action will be taken to remove or suspend the individual.