Anyone with experience in the mission-driven world understands the critical role volunteers play in helping nonprofits make an impact. Volunteers pitch in at fundraising events, help staff members complete important tasks, and build a sense of community around the cause. To retain and attract more volunteers, keep your volunteer program at the top of your mind.

An organized volunteer management strategy gives volunteers a positive experience that motivates them attend more volunteer opportunities. To improve your approach, you could leverage volunteer management software to streamline your onboarding process or schedule social events for volunteers to build a strong sense of community. 

One step you can implement is using digital waivers prior to volunteer events.

Digital waivers live online rather than in traditional paper documents. They could help protect your nonprofit from legal issues by requesting a release of liability from volunteers. According to Smartwaiver, opting for digital waivers allows guests to sign from any location on any device, sign directly from your site, and use onsite kiosks to sign at your events. 

In addition to making it hassle-free for your volunteers and organization to manage the liability, here are three major reasons to use waivers:

1. Waivers improve communication with volunteers. 

Transparent communication with volunteers yields positive, long-term relationships. Waivers establish a mutual understanding that everyone’s actions are their own and that volunteers hold their own liability. If minors are participating, their guardians must approve of the volunteer assignment, location of the event, and who will be in charge.

Some of the benefits of using waivers to communicate include:

• Better preparation. Understanding what tasks they will be doing helps volunteers wear the right clothing and complete any necessary training. If training is particularly important for safety or security reasons, add a question to your waiver that requires them to complete it before signing up. They also have the chance to adjust their duties if needed, helping you schedule volunteers more effectively based on individual preferences.
  
• Increased productivity. When your volunteers know what to expect, they can complete more tasks during the activity. For example, a volunteer visits to spend time with some of your shelter’s kittens. But they find out that the kittens are feral, and they don’t have the training to work with them. With waivers, you can ensure each volunteer who signs up for an opportunity is qualified.
  
• Stronger relationships with volunteers. Digital waivers are more convenient and secure than traditional paper waivers. In addition to creating a simpler user experience by going paperless, waivers can provide data that allows you to personalize future marketing messages and other communications.
  

Keep in mind that these benefits can apply to other supporters, even if they don’t volunteer. For instance, if you hold a charity race, it’s a good idea to require participants to sign a race waiver beforehand that makes them aware of what participating will entail. Just make sure to consult with a legal professional when creating and distributing any waiver.

2. Your nonprofit can increase volunteer program accessibility.

While you want to attract as many excited, passionate volunteers as you can, not every volunteer opportunity is appropriate for every volunteer. 

If a prospective volunteer has a disability or limiting injury, for instance, knowing the details of the program beforehand is important for their safety. A waiver helps them make an informed decision about participating. They can also reach out to your organization ahead of time to make special accommodations.

Along with providing ample time to set up accommodations, digital waivers make volunteering more accessible because:

• They are widely available and shareable. Digital waivers are available on mobile devices and computers, meaning people can complete them anytime and from anywhere. If they don’t have access to a device or the internet, your nonprofit can set up onsite kiosks where volunteers can sign waivers on the day of the opportunity.
  
• They are available in multiple languages. With traditional waivers, it is more difficult and time-consuming to offer multiple language options, meaning some volunteers won’t be able to read and complete the document. Digital waivers make it easy to offer the document in various languages. Then, your nonprofit can attract and retain more non-native speakers, opening volunteer opportunities to more supporters.
  
• Volunteers have more time to complete them. Some people may have disabilities that make it difficult for them to read and sign waivers on their own. By providing the waiver online, ahead of time, and in the comfort of their homes, these volunteers can take all the time they need to read and understand the waiver before signing.

Digital waivers can also help your nonprofit tap into volunteers from younger generations. Because many young people prefer to operate online, needing to print or mail a paper waiver to participate in your program could turn them away. Digital waivers give them the option to complete this step in just a few clicks.

3. Waivers can retrieve important data.

As NPOInfo’s guide to nonprofit data collection highlights, nonprofits with a comprehensive data collection plan are better equipped to serve their communities because they can “track trends, make informed decisions, and strategize for future fundraising efforts.” More specifically, your nonprofit might rely on data about its supporters to effectively solicit gifts, track supporter engagement, and quantify the work you do. 

You can use personal data from waivers to customize the messages you send to volunteers. These data points could strengthen your marketing strategy:

• The volunteer’s name
• Their contact information
• The types of volunteer opportunities they participate in most often
• Their communication preferences
• Any special accommodations they need
• Their birthday

With this important data stored in your records, you can make personalized appeals to donors to boost engagement in future fundraisers. For instance, you might send them a message on their birthday asking if they are interested in fundraising on your nonprofit’s behalf through a peer-to-peer Facebook fundraiser.

While you might think of waivers as something that is only used for adventurous experiences like ziplining or kayak tours, your nonprofit’s volunteer program needs (and can benefit from) waivers, too. 

By using digital waivers, your organization can leave more time for volunteers to complete their tasks during the event. This makes for a smoother, more positive experience that will motivate them to return to future events, invite friends and family, and support your organization in other ways.

Logan Lewis is the Content Coordinator at Smartwaiver, the leading digital waiver service trusted by thousands of organizations around the world.

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