Volunteer Resources

This Volunteer Resources page is designed to support you in your role as an A Lotta Love Volunteer. Here you’ll find the processes, policies, and practical tools that help ensure our room makeovers are thoughtful, trauma-informed, well-coordinated, and consistent across sites. These resources—including key forms and guidelines—are here to make our planning smoother, communication clearer, and leading easier, so together we can continue creating spaces of dignity, care, and comfort for the families we serve.

Most importantly, know that your time, creativity, and heart matter deeply. You are trusted leaders in this community, and every space transformed carries your care, your leadership, and your love. We couldn’t do this without you.

To help us stay organized, steward our volunteers well, and share the impact of each project, the following tools are essential for every makeover and event. Completing these items promptly and thoroughly ensures smooth coordination, accurate reporting, and meaningful recognition for everyone involved.

For questions email Tina Clossick at executivedirector@alottalove.org

For anything that needs to be mailed: A Lotta Love, Inc. PO Box 4331, Chapel Hill 27515

Items in each section:
To jump to a section click on the red link above

❤️ Planning Tools

• Operations Manual (n/a)
• Volunteer Interest Form
• Shared Project Calendar
• New Project Submission Request (n/a)
• Donation and Inventory Intake Form
• Room Makeover Before Information Form (n/a)
• Room Makeover To-Do List For Shelters
• Room Makeover Kit Supply List

❤️ Day-Of Tools

• Volunteer Sign-In with Liability and Photo Waiver
• Separate Photo Release Form
• Inventory Usage Form

❤️Post-Project & Reporting Tools

• Team Lead Project Summary Form
• Expense Reports
• Photo Submission
• Volunteer Hours Tracking
• Volunteer Survey

All potential volunteers should complete this form.

This allows us to:

• Keep accurate contact information
• Support future project placement
• Build long-term relationships that turn volunteers into repeat supporters and donors

The website page to send potential volunteer to for more information is https://alottalove.org/volunteer/

👉 Volunteer Interest Form

All potential and confirmed A Lotta Love projects should be recorded on our shared calendar.
Make sure to also complete a Project Briefing Form.

This will allow us to:

• Have organization-wide visibility across all our locations
• Keep accurate records of what’s happening, when, and where
• Identify opportunities to support one another
• Coordinate Team Leads, volunteers, and shelter/partner involvement
• Match funding and in-kind support to specific projects
• Support inventory, shopping, and logistics planning
• Track project metrics for grant, donor, and board reporting

👉 Shared Project Google Calendar

You should have received permission to view and edit via email. Alternatively you can add the shared calendar on your google calendar by clicking  Add next to  “Other calendars” and using the above url link.

What to Include in Each Calendar Entry

• Project name & location
• Project date and time
• Assigned Team Lead
• Number of room(s)
• Estimated volunteer count
• Notes for those viewing the entry

This form supports tracking our donated goods and  inventory accurately and consistently.
This form does not replace the Donation Receipt slips that are given to our donors. 

This allows us to (when used in conjunction with the Inventory Usage Form)

• Know what we have and where items are stored
• Understand which items are designated to specific projects
• Understand true project costs
• Supports purchasing decisions and budgeting
• Support proper donor acknowledgement and recognition

👉 Donation and Inventory Intake Form

👉 Room Makeover Kit Supply List

👉 Room Makeover Information Form for Shelters

Please use a separate form for each project or makeover.

All volunteers should sign in and complete the liability waiver and photography release before participating.

Tracking hours helps us:

• Properly thank volunteers
• Maintain volunteer hour counts
• Strengthen our reporting to partners and funders

👉 Volunteer Sign-In & Waiver Form

Readability of the form is very important, as we will be entering this information into our database.

Submission Options:

Option A: Use the Volunteer Hours Tracking Spreadsheet above to record everything

Option B: Email image of completed form to executivedirector@alottalove.org

For both legal compliance (especially with minors) and ethical integrity, we need explicit permission to use photos with our communications and marketing.

Please be sensitive of any requests to make individuals unidentifiable in photos.

Use a separate form for each family or individual as needed. Note the volunteer sign-in includes a photo release.

👉 Photo Release Form 

Using this form supports accurate inventory counts and proper budgeting for projects.

This form should be used while pulling items out of storage and on-site during makeovers.
Use a separate form for each makeover.

Notes on completing this form:

• Use a new form for each project.
• Only record items that have been in storage/inventory.
• If you purchased items or have new donations, and will be putting them in storage use the Inventory Intake Form to record
• Please share about items that were damaged and can’t be used again

👉 Inventory Usage Form

Use this form to share information, stories, and data points that will be used for reporting and storytelling.

👉 Makeover Project Summary Reporting Form

This allows us to:

• Keep accurate details of all our projects
• Support timely and accurate reports to partners, donors, and the public
• Make continual improvements based on your feedback
• Develop storytelling that connects with our audience, raises awareness of our work, and inspires involvement

Use this link to submit reimbursement requests related to your project. Please upload receipts and complete the form as soon as possible after your makeover to support timely processing and accurate budgeting.

👉 Expenses Report Template Link

How to Use:

Step 1: Create your copy of the template. Choose one of the following options:

Option A (Recommended): Go to File → Make a Copy, then name your expense report and choose where to save it. Click “Make a Copy.”

Option B: Go to File → Download → Microsoft Excel (.xlsx) to download the file to your computer.

Step 2: Complete the expense report: Fill out all required fields. Helpful guidance is included in the comments within the column headers of the template.

Step 3: Save your completed file: Be sure to save a final copy once all expenses are entered.

Step 4: Submit your expense report: Email your completed expense report to: alottalove@b00kkeeping.com

This Google Form is used to capture the story of each project.
Please upload photos from your makeover or event and share project details to help our team create marketing, social media, and impact storytelling.

Include whenever possible:

• Project highlights and special details
• Any hashtags you recommend
• Quotes from volunteers, partners, or families
• Names of volunteers and partner organizations

👉 Photo & Project Notes Form

You can upload ten photos with each form, so just add another form if you have more than 10 photos. 

Use this Excel file to record your volunteer hours and those of anyone who supports your project.

Tracking hours helps us:

• Properly thank volunteers
• Maintain annual volunteer hour totals
• Strengthen our reporting to partners and funders

👉 Volunteer Hours Spreadsheet

This survey will be sent to all volunteers with recorded email addresses after projects.
I’m adding it here for your reference.

The value of this is:

• Improved volunteer engagement and retention
• Identifies what is working and uncovers areas for improvement

👉 Volunteer Survey