What is a Volunteer or Seasonal Workforce?

A volunteer or seasonal workforce is one that is recruited, trained and deployed for a specific purpose over a short period of time, sometimes only a day. They may be paid a small stipend but are not enrolled in your organization’s permanent payroll. Some examples:

• Poll workers – staff polling places on Election Day
• Notaries – serve as witnesses of individual’s signatures on official documents
• Disaster relief – help people in the immediate aftermath of a disaster before the professionals arrive on site
• Disaster simulation volunteers – help professionals practice how they will handle a disaster
• Event volunteers – for example a community hosting the Olympics or a major convention or other high-visibility event