Colorado Search and Rescue Association, Inc.
Document Repository Rules and Expectations
These document folders are only for Colorado backcountry search and rescue (BSAR) teams who would like to share various documents in the interest of learning and understanding how other teams do things. If using these examples to improve or revise BSAR team documents, you are expected to pay it forward by providing your own documents to this repository.
The folders are organized as such:
Articles of incorporation and bylaws. This folder is only for governing documents in these two categories, which are required by law for Colorado nonprofit organizations.
Policies, guidelines, SOGs and SOPs. This folder is for any written policies, guidelines, procedures or protocols a team may operate with, in any topic area. They may include manuals or individual documents.
Training materials. This folder can contain training plans, checklists, handouts, presentations, or anything else related to your organization’s efforts to improve the knowledge, skill and ability of your members. Training policies, however, should be in the “policies and guidelines” folder.
MOUs and agreements. This folder is for memorandums of understanding or written agreements with your county sheriff, EMS partners, local or state governments, events, or any other entity with which you have a formal operating agreement.
CSAR has not reviewed, evaluated or “vetted” these documents in any way. We intend to facilitate the sharing of resources between teams and not to prescribe what documents each team should have in place nor how they should be written. Having well-drafted and comprehensive sets of documents is a key piece of sustainability for any organization. We recommend that nonprofit BSAR corporations in Colorado spend time ensuring they follow all legal requirements and a structured process to require the review and revision of these documents. In many ways, BSAR teams should recognize the team is a business and should be treated as such. Best practice with these types of documents is constantly changing and organizations should strive to keep pace. The following is a list of topics to consider for BSAR organizations as they review their current documents to see what might be lacking.
Different types or classes of members
What training and qualifications are required to attain your membership types
Please consider allowing non-fielding individuals who want to serve your organization to be members of some type
The authorities enjoyed by various membership classes including the ability to represent the organization to the public and the ability to commit funds
How your name and logo may or may not be used by members and by outside organizations (consider a trademark for your name and logo)
HR (type) policies and member expectations/conduct and dismissal procedures
Background checks, use of personally protected information, emergency contacts
Policies regarding sexual harassment, bullying, fraud, illegal discrimination, use of drugs and alcohol, etc. are highly suggested
Board authority, expectations of delegation, and how to appropriately delegate authority
Term limits, succession planning, and methods to appreciate but not burn out volunteers
Duties of directors, financial processes, and reporting
Insurance policies and associated matters, such as member injury reporting and workers comp coverage procedures
As you read through other teams’ documents, keep in mind that BSAR organizations in Colorado operate in vastly different ways. CSAR members each have different structures, different relationships with local government offices and other partners, and different types of terrain and incidents. It can be helpful to learn from how another team operates but you should keep in mind that a one-size-fits-all approach is neither feasible nor a good idea in Colorado.
If a CSAR member has questions or would like further guidance please reach out via email to
[email protected]. Please understand that all organizations should have an appropriate attorney review these important documents and neither CSAR, nor any CSAR representative, will serve as your attorney.
Additional Resources:
To learn more about the importance of team documents, visit the members-only section of CSAR’s blog to read How to Improve Team Performance by Writing Stuff Down, by Hannah Gallagher of Lake County Search and Rescue.
To learn more about nonprofit governance, we recommend your board members review the Colorado Secretary of State Nonprofit Board Member Course.
CSAR is a member of the Colorado Nonprofit Association, which also offers many resources. To access resources through our account, register here. CSAR also has access to some other similar nonprofit educational resources.
