by Heidi Gómez ·
Friday, February 27, 2026
In early February, the Select Board released the newly created Harvard Volunteer Handbook, distributed via email to the 211 current members of the various town boards, committees, and commissions.
The handbook was developed by Julie Doucet, executive assistant; Assistant Town Administrator Dawn Dunbar; and Select Board member Eric Ward. It details the procedures, legal requirements, and best practices for conducting town business. Topics include the volunteer qualifications and appointment process, board organization and officer duties, meeting protocols, executive sessions, Open Meeting and Conflict-of-Interest laws, standards of conduct, use of town resources, procurement policies, and public records management. Resources, training links, and templates to support volunteers in their roles are also provided.
Ward said the handbook serves to make processes more efficient and consistent. Often, new volunteers ask more senior members when procedural questions arise, and information is passed on like an “oral tradition,” he said. Doucet, Dunbar, and Ward researched similar handbooks from other towns and worked from a template Dunbar had used at her previous employment to create this 44-page guide for Harvard volunteers. Ward is hoping people will read it and use it as a reference.
Select Board Chair Kara Minar said the board discussed developing a handbook to provide guidance to volunteers about their roles and responsibilities at its strategic planning meeting last summer. Among these responsibilities, she stressed the importance of transparency by providing meeting minutes in a timely manner, not just to adhere to the Open Meeting Law but also to provide information to the community. She recalled once being contacted by a member of the public who was unable to get information about a different board because of the lack of meeting minutes. Minar said, “People who volunteer their time in this way are looking to do their best by the town. Those volunteers want to do their best, but sometimes they do need guidance.”
The Volunteer Handbook can be read on the town of Harvard website and downloaded from there.