Volunteer Policy, Confidentiality, and Release Agreements¶
It's common for volunteer leaders to ask volunteer applicants to sign statements of understanding, confidentiality agreements, and/or releases for background checks at some point during the volunteer application process.
With online volunteer application forms you can incorporate these agreements into the application form using the I Agree section. This section can optionally be added to your form. It always appears at the bottom of the form, and it can include any type of agreement you choose to obtain from the applicant. At the end of the agreement section, the form includes an I Agree checkbox or an electronic signature field. The applicant must complete these before they can submit their form. Many businesses and organizations use this type of electronic acceptance in place of actual signatures. However it's up to you or your organization to decide if this electronic form of acceptance is adequate in your situation.
If you need help with setting up a section for this on your application form, see the I Agree Section in the Customize Application Form Content help topic.
If you must obtain a physical signature from volunteer applicants, consider these alternatives:
- Ask applicants to sign a paper copy of your agreement at the time of an interview or orientation meeting
- Send applicants a paper copy of your agreement by postal mail or a PDF version by email for them to sign and return.
You can use the Volgistics Checklist feature to track whether or not prospective volunteers have returned their signed agreement.
If you ask prospective volunteers to sign paper agreements, you can either omit the I Agree section from your online form, or use it to include a more generic statement like this:
I understand and agree that submitting this application form does not automatically register me as a volunteer, and that there may be certain qualifications I must meet, including the acceptance of established volunteer policies and procedures before I may begin volunteering.
By submitting this form, I attest that the information I have provided on the form is true and accurate.