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Guidelines: Determine Organizational Structure and Unit Composition

Organizational Structure

• Recognize that there is no single best way to organize your MRC unit.
   
• Ensure your MRC unit’s structure supports and facilitates your MRC unit’s mission.
   
• Consider establishing a steering or advisory committee to provide policy guidance and direction for your MRC unit. Include representatives from the following organizations:
  • Response partners
  • Sponsoring agency
  • Community groups
  • Organizations that might utilize your MRC volunteers in emergencies and non-emergencies, such as hospitals or shelter providers
     
• Hire or designate a unit coordinator to manage the MRC unit’s daily operations.
   
• Consider organizing the MRC unit by function (e.g., medical operations, support operations, etc).
   
• Consider varying degrees of volunteer participation when organizing your MRC unit (i.e., those who are active and fully trained; those who are less active and may not have completed all training; and those who only wish to participate during emergencies)

Unit Composition

• Recognize that medical and non-medical volunteers may be necessary for an MRC unit to operate effectively.
   
• Ensure your MRC unit composition is consistent with your MRC unit’s purpose(s) (e.g., mental health specialists, if your mission is grief counseling; physicians, nurses, and other clinicians if your purpose is supplementing hospital surge capacity; etc.).

Job Action Sheets

• Develop job action sheets for each volunteer position or duty as much as possible.
   
• Include the following on job action sheets:
   
  • Job title: What would the job title be for a paid staff person performing the same type of duties?
     
  • Supervisor: What is the name and/or title of the person to whom the volunteer reports?
     
  • Supervising: Who reports to this position?
     
  • Assignment location: Where will the volunteer be working?
     
  • Purpose: Why is this position important?
     
  • Duties: Which tasks are associated with this position?
     
  • Qualifications: Which licenses, certifications and/or skills are required for this position? Are there any limitations?
     
  • Training: Which training, skills and/or information are required for this position? How will the training be accomplished?
     
  • Time commitment: How many hours of volunteer time are expected for this position?
     
  • Check-in/check-out duties: Which tasks should be completed at the beginning and end of a volunteer’s shift in this position? How and where does the volunteer sign in and out?
     
• Determine if job action sheets for certain positions are available, such as those associated with points of distribution sites.

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Last Updated on 9/5/2006