CORPORATE WINTER VOLUNTEER EVENTS: COORDINATOR PACK
Gather Shot | Proposed planning templates | October 23, 2026
Companion article: https://gathershot.com/blog/corporate-winter-volunteer-events/

Use: copy one partner brief per project and one captain worksheet per shift.
These templates are proposed, not tested program results or legal advice.
The partner's current instructions control. Leave unconfirmed work on HOLD.
Do not put beneficiary names, medical details, shelter locations, or release
documents in a broadly shared copy. Store sensitive records separately with
access limited to the people who need them.

CALENDAR
Official GivingTuesday Generosity Week: December 1-5, 2026.
GivingTuesday: Tuesday, December 1. International Volunteer Day: Saturday,
December 5. US Thanksgiving: Thursday, November 26, 2026.
US MLK Day: Monday, January 18, 2027. January work is follow-through, not
part of the official Generosity Week window. Confirm local hours and closures.
Company milestones below are proposals, not official deadlines.

1. PARTNER-NEEDS BRIEF
Project ID / version / last confirmed date:
Nonprofit / named partner contact / company relationship owner and backup:
Requested result in the partner's own words:
Acceptance criteria and person authorized to accept the work:
What would create extra work or should not happen:
Three candidate dates and time zones:
Confirmed date / full shift duration / arrival instructions:
Minimum and maximum group size / waitlist process:
Training / screening / waivers / safety briefing owner:
Supervision and staff capacity required:
Partner contribution or hosting fee / payment deadline:
Company budget owner / materials / transport / staff coverage / access costs:
Would financial support be more useful than this activity? Partner answer:
Requested records / photographs wanted: YES / NO / LIMITED:
Partner approver / agreed review scope and timing:
State: HOLD / CONFIRMED / CHANGED / CANCELLED / CLOSED
Confirmation reference, owner and date:
If task, date, capacity, item specifications or access arrangements change,
pause affected recruitment and purchasing. Obtain partner reconfirmation,
issue the updated brief and notify affected captains and participants before
resuming. Do not treat an old confirmation as approval of the new plan.
Change owner / affected shifts / current version:
Partner reconfirmation reference / notification receipt confirmations:

2. ACCEPTED ITEMS AND DELIVERY CHECKLIST
Repeat for each item type. Do not treat a generic wish list as permission.
Item / exact specification / size / packaging / condition:
Date or shelf-life requirements / source of current instructions:
Allowed substitutions: NONE unless specified here:
Requested quantity / maximum quantity:
Collection cutoff / procurement owner:
Sorting, labeling and packing instructions:
Storage location / capacity / conditions / responsible person:
Items rejected or awaiting clarification / company removal owner:
Driver / backup / vehicle / loading and unloading arrangements:
Receiving appointment / address stored in appropriate restricted record:
Partner receiving contact / company arrival contact:
Weather or cancellation decision owner / communication channel:
Safe storage and rescheduling plan if delivery fails:
Quantity dispatched / unit / date / delivery ID:
Quantity accepted / rejected / awaiting correction:
Receipt or confirmation reference / partner receiver / date:
Open action / responsible person / due date:

Stop checks:
[ ] Partner confirmed this item and quantity before purchase or collection.
[ ] No unapproved substitutions, overcollection, or automatic pickup promise.
[ ] Transport and receipt owner confirmed before invitations.
[ ] No confidential beneficiary identifiers on labels or in photographs.

3. SITE-CAPTAIN WORKSHEET (ONE PER SHIFT)
Project and brief version:
Office / country / shift name:
Captain / backup / approved contact channel:
Full date / start and end time / time zone:
Arrival point and time / check-in process:
Confirmed task and group capacity:
Roster owner / cancellation deadline / partner notification process:
Paid release time and work coverage confirmed by HR/operations:
Transport and safe travel arrangement:
Safety, clothing, tools, training, screening and age requirements:
Staff authority to pause or stop work:
Emergency procedure reference / on-site contact:
Weather decision time / decision owner / notification method:
Partner-approved fallback: RESCHEDULE / ALTERNATE TASK / CANCEL
Do not create an unapproved indoor project after cancellation.
Completion-count owner / delivery receipt owner:
Photo rules briefing owner / company reviewer / partner approver:
Post-event packet owner / due date / January follow-up if requested:

4. ACCESSIBLE ROLES AND SHIFT EQUITY
Ask privately what adjustments people need, not for diagnoses in this sheet.
Confirm tasks with partner and participant before advertising availability.
Role / useful deliverable / required skills:
Physical and sensory demands / duration / breaks:
Step-free route, toilets, seating and equipment confirmed by:
Written or translated instructions / communication format:
Individual adjustment confirmed privately / responsible owner / date:
Store participant-specific details in a restricted record, not this shared sheet.
Restricted record custodian / confirmation reference only:
Give captains task arrangements, not personal or medical explanations.
Remote or seated option, if genuinely needed by partner:
Reviewer / acceptance criteria / accessible tools:
Night-shift or other time option / coverage / safe travel:
Decline route without pressure to donate or be photographed:
No untrained access to beneficiary records or confidential systems.

5. PHOTO BOUNDARIES AND BRIEFING
Partner photography policy reference / date confirmed:
Photo collection permitted: NO / LIMITED / YES WITH CONDITIONS
Storage/upload separately approved by partner / confirmation reference:
Approved capture devices / personal cloud-backup rules:
Approved storage and upload destinations / authorized reviewers:
Retention requirement / deletion limitations accepted by partner:
Capture permission does not authorize personal-device storage or uploading
to Gather Shot. Confirm those arrangements before capture.
Locations and subjects off limits:
Check queues, intake areas, casework rooms, shelter entrances, screens,
paperwork, badges and labels. Products may also be prohibited.
Approved subjects and locations, if any:
Who may take photos / who explains intended uses:
No-photo briefing and signage owner:
How to decline without being singled out:
Separate permission process for identifiable people:
Safeguarding process for children or at-risk people:
No staging, no interruption of services, no beneficiary-photo competitions.
No assumption that blurring a face removes location or safety risks.
If permission or safety is uncertain: DO NOT TAKE OR UPLOAD THE IMAGE.

6. MEDIA APPROVAL REGISTER (ONE ENTRY PER FILE)
Keep this register restricted. It is not a public caption sheet.
File ID / filename / office / actual date:
Proposed caption without beneficiary identifiers:
Photographer / reuse permission reference / credit requirements:
Subject-permission reference and restricted record custodian:
Partner location and safeguarding rules checked by / date:
Company reviewer / decision / date:
Partner approver / decision / date / confirmation reference:
Permitted uses, recorded separately:
  Internal newsletter:
  Partner website:
  Company website:
  Social media:
  Other channel or use:
Restrictions / approval expiry if any:
Status: HOLD / REJECTED / APPROVED FOR LISTED USES
No answer is HOLD. Approval for one channel is not approval for all uses.

Approved handoff:
Final filename / approved caption / alt text / required credit:
Recipient / agreed transfer channel / delivery date / receipt:
Published locations / owner responsible for corrections:
Withdrawal or correction contact / response owner:
Retention or deletion date / responsible privacy owner:
Removing our copy does not guarantee removal of others' distributed copies.
Do not include sensitive permission records in a public media folder.

Optional Gather Shot preflight:
[ ] Partner approved Gather Shot as a storage/upload destination.
[ ] Disable Public Gallery. It is on by default.
[ ] Enable moderation. Uploads are auto-approved by default.
[ ] Test with a harmless sample before sharing the QR code or link.
[ ] Check access for each intended reviewer, not only the guest view.
[ ] Explain that guests can still see their own pending uploads.
[ ] Confirm retention requirements allow the five-day deleted-item recovery
    window. Do not promise immediate permanent erasure.
[ ] Check opening time and actual closing date for all planned shifts.
[ ] Keep partner approval in this separate register, not inferred from tags.
[ ] Do not treat tags as access boundaries or uploader acceptance as consent
    from every person pictured. When access requirements differ, use the
    partner's approved transfer system and verify access before uploading.

7. COMPLETION RECORD AND JANUARY FOLLOW-UP
Project / office / reporting period / delivery IDs:
Participation: actual attendees and hours, with counting method:
Outputs: completed and accepted work, units and confirmation reference:
Exceptions: rejected items, rework or unconfirmed deliveries:
Financial support: received / pledged / pending match, shown separately:
Outcomes: only partner-supported statements, source and period:
Do not infer people served from bags packed, photographs, or hours logged.
Do not add unlike units or count a shared delivery twice across offices.
Media: approved files provided, or NO PHOTOS REQUESTED:
Partner feedback: was the work useful relative to staff time?
What to change or stop:
January need confirmed by partner / owner / date, or NO FOLLOW-UP REQUESTED:
Final outstanding action / owner / deadline:

PROPOSED EXAMPLE, NOT A REPORTED RESULT
Packed: 120 bags. Accepted: 112 bags. Awaiting correction: 8 bags.
These figures do not establish that 120 or 112 families received services.

SOURCE NOTES
Official dates and suggested reporting:
https://www.givingtuesday.org/generosity-week/
https://www.givingtuesday.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Generosity-Week-Corporate-Engagement-Toolkit-2.pdf
https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/federal-holidays/
Examples of local rules, not universal standards:
https://volunteer.capitalareafoodbank.org/volunteer-team
https://rifoodbank.org/donate-food/
https://foodbankiowa.org/volunteer/volunteer-policies-procedures/
https://volunteer.foodbanknyc.org/volunteer-guidelines
Practice and ethical guidance, not legal advice:
https://www.ncvo.org.uk/help-and-guidance/involving-volunteers/making-volunteering-more-inclusive/
https://www.unicef.org/eca/media/ethical-guidelines