House Captain

The House Captain is the person in charge on Rebuilding workdays and is responsible for planning and managing a safe, quality project that will be a meaningful and enjoyable experience for volunteers and homeowners alike. House Captains are responsible for everything from creating a materials list for the work that needs to be done, to determining how many volunteers are needed to do the work, to purchasing and obtaining donated materials, to overseeing work on the workdays.

Responsibilities

• Attend Volunteer Leadership Training
• Visit your site with the Project Coordinator and Homeowner Companion. Get to know the family and the house ahead of time. Verify the scope of work and materials list.
• Prioritize the work to be done and organize it in advance of the workdays.
• Submit final materials list for approval to Rebuilding Together by due date.
• Determine the number of volunteers, both skilled and unskilled, and submit request to Rebuilding Together by due date.
• Work with Materials Committee to obtain materials, either donated or purchased.
• Pick up materials and deliver to work site.

On National Rebuilding Days:· Conduct an orientation with your volunteers first thing on both Rebuilding Days.
· Clearly assign all jobs to volunteers.
· Be a leader—not a worker, stressing safety and quality.
· Manage the work so that you complete as much of the work as possible but leave nothing incomplete.
· Conduct a final walk-thru with the homeowner and have the homeowner sign off on the work completed.

Project Coordinator

The Project Coordinator assists and supports the House Captain in every aspect of the project. The House Captain manages the repairs at the site and the Project Coordinator is the liaison between the House Captain and the volunteers. It is the goal of the Project Coordinator to look after the well being of each volunteer at their site, make sure they have work to do, are taking breaks when needed and have a good Rebuilding Day experience.

Responsibilities

Before Rebuilding Days:

• Attend Volunteer Leadership Training
• Participate in the walk-thru with the House Captain and Homeowner Companion to become familiar with the scope of work and the homeowner.
• Pick up the Project Coordinator box from the office prior to work days.
• Pick up the cell phone for your project prior to work days.
• Submit orders for t-shirts and lunches prior to work days. Arrange for pick up of lunches on work days.
• Assist House Captain with paperwork for project as requested.
• Prepare a list of volunteers for your project, contact them and provide them with an overview of the project and homeowner. Clarify what to expect on work days and determine skill levels.

• Manage the volunteers, handle volunteer questions, feed the troops, take care of supply inventory, assign individuals to get additional supplies if necessary, maintain flow and spirit of volunteers and free up the House Captain to supervise and lead.
• If lull periods exist when volunteers are waiting for the next phase of the project, look for small jobs such as window washing, weed pulling, gutter cleaning, etc. to keep volunteers busy and feeling productive. Idle volunteers tend to become restless and want to go home.
• Remind volunteers to respect homeowners, to check before throwing things out, and to check with the House Captain before agreeing to do any jobs that may be requested by the homeowner on the work days.

Homeowner Companion

The Homeowner Companion plays an essential role, representing the interest of the homeowner during the Rebuilding Day(s) project. Homeowner Companions get to know the homeowner, are sensitive to the homeowner’s needs and feelings, and support and guide the homeowner through the process.

Responsibilities

Before Rebuilding Days:

• Attend Volunteer Leadership Training
• Participate in the walk-thru with the House Captain and Project Coordinator to become familiar with the scope of work and to meet the homeowner.
• Assist the homeowner as needed in communications with the House Captain, Project Coordinator and volunteers.
• Describe how you wish to have family and friends involved and how they can help. Let them know that this is a family and community spirited program, they are invited to work with us, and their help will be appreciated.
• If needed, help make arrangements for transportation of homeowners (i.e. if they do not want to be present.) If the homeowner is not present, another family member or close friend who can speak for the homeowner should be there. Arrangements might be considered for alternative housing of children under the age of 14 and for any family pets for safety reasons.
• Ask the homeowner to take down wall hangings, remove breakables, and put valuables away before Rebuilding Together work days. (If you feel the homeowner is unable to do these things, offer to get him or her help.)
• Inform the homeowner of the Homeowner Meetings prior to the work days and assist them, if needed, to make sure they attend one of the meetings.
• Ensure that the homeowner signs the Homeowner Agreement prior to workdays. Serve as a witness to the signing of that document.

• When necessary, explain the need to modify the activities that the homeowner finds objectionable.
• Be observant, noting any behavior on the part of volunteers that may be upsetting to the homeowner.
• Make arrangements with the homeowner to be at the site early on the workdays – before the volunteers arrive.
• Assist the homeowner in thanking the volunteers.
• Be the last to leave when the work is done. Congratulate the homeowner and thank them for the opportunity to help.