CVA Ethics & Professional Standards in Volunteer Administration 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A volunteer administrator discovers that a long-time volunteer has been padding their hours on timesheets. What is the MOST ethically appropriate first step?
- Immediately terminate the volunteer without discussion
- Conduct a private, documented conversation with the volunteer to address the discrepancy (Correct answer)
- Ignore the issue to avoid damaging the relationship
- Report the volunteer to law enforcement without investigation
Correct answer: Conduct a private, documented conversation with the volunteer to address the discrepancy
Ethical practice requires a private, documented conversation to address the concern before taking further action, ensuring fairness and due process.
Question 2: Which principle of the CVA Code of Ethics requires administrators to act in ways that advance the profession of volunteer administration?
- Confidentiality
- Stewardship
- Professional development
- Advocacy for the profession (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Advocacy for the profession
Advocacy for the profession is a core CVA ethical principle that obligates administrators to promote and advance volunteer administration as a field.
Question 3: When a volunteer administrator accepts gifts from vendors who supply the organization, which ethical standard is most at risk?
- Competence
- Integrity and conflict of interest (Correct answer)
- Confidentiality
- Inclusivity
Correct answer: Integrity and conflict of interest
Accepting vendor gifts creates a potential conflict of interest that compromises the administrator's integrity and impartiality in procurement decisions.
Question 4: A volunteer shares personal health information with a volunteer administrator 'in confidence.' Under ethical guidelines, the administrator should:
- Share it with all staff so they can better support the volunteer
- Keep it strictly confidential unless disclosure is legally required or the volunteer consents (Correct answer)
- Document it in the volunteer's public file
- Discuss it at the next staff meeting without naming the volunteer
Correct answer: Keep it strictly confidential unless disclosure is legally required or the volunteer consents
Confidentiality requires that personal information shared by volunteers be protected and only disclosed when legally required or with the individual's consent.
Question 5: The CVA Standards for Professional Excellence were developed primarily to:
- Create a licensing requirement for all volunteer managers
- Provide a framework for competent, ethical practice in volunteer administration (Correct answer)
- Set salary benchmarks for the profession
- Regulate the number of volunteers an organization may enlist
Correct answer: Provide a framework for competent, ethical practice in volunteer administration
The CVA Standards for Professional Excellence establish a competency framework that guides ethical and effective practice in volunteer administration.
Question 6: An administrator is asked by their supervisor to screen out volunteers of a particular national origin. The ethical response is to:
- Comply to maintain a good relationship with the supervisor
- Refuse and explain that such screening violates anti-discrimination ethics and law (Correct answer)
- Screen volunteers as directed but document objections privately
- Resign immediately without explanation
Correct answer: Refuse and explain that such screening violates anti-discrimination ethics and law
Ethical professional standards require administrators to refuse discriminatory directives and explain the ethical and legal basis for their refusal.
Question 7: Which action best demonstrates a volunteer administrator's commitment to the ethical principle of stewardship?
- Maximizing volunteer hours regardless of volunteer well-being
- Carefully managing organizational resources entrusted to the volunteer program (Correct answer)
- Keeping all program details secret from volunteers
- Avoiding documentation to reduce administrative burden
Correct answer: Carefully managing organizational resources entrusted to the volunteer program
Stewardship involves responsible management of organizational resources — financial, human, and material — entrusted to the volunteer program.
CVA Ethics & Professional Standards in Volunteer Administration 2
A volunteer administrator discovers that a long-time volunteer has been padding their hours on timesheets.
What is the MOST ethically appropriate first step?