Template · People
Volunteer application form
A fill-in volunteer application: contact details, roles, availability, skills, references, emergency contact, a screening notice and a privacy note.
The Word file opens in Microsoft Word, Google Docs, Pages and LibreOffice. Reviewed October 21, 2026.
A short written application helps you match volunteers to the right roles, contact them in an emergency and, for roles with children or vulnerable adults, start the screening your safeguarding policy requires. Our guide to volunteer screening and safeguarding explains how much screening each kind of role needs. This form is the first step.
Background checks are a separate document
If you'll use a background check company for some roles, keep that permission off this form. The FTC explains the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) in guidance written for employers that use a consumer report, such as a background check from a screening company. It says you must:
- tell the person you might use the information for your decision, in a notice that "must be in writing and in a stand-alone format" and "can't be in an employment application";
- get their "written permission to do the background check";
- before turning someone down because of the report, give them a copy of it and "A Summary of Your Rights Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act"; and
- after turning them down, tell them so, give the screening company's contact details and explain their right to dispute the report.
The FTC's guidance doesn't mention volunteers. Many screening companies supply their own disclosure and permission forms. Ask your screening company or a lawyer whether these rules apply to your volunteer roles, and which state laws on background checks also apply. This application only tells the volunteer that a check may be needed for their role.
How to adapt it
- Ask only what you need. Collect only the information you'll use to place and contact volunteers. Don't collect Social Security numbers, health details or dates of birth on a general application. Ask for those later, only for roles that require them, limit who can see them, and store them securely.
- Dispose of it safely. When you no longer need an application, destroy it securely. For background check reports, the FTC says to dispose of them securely, for example by "burning, pulverizing, or shredding paper documents."
- List your real roles in section 3, with a line on what each involves.
- Mark which roles need screening, following your safeguarding policy.
- Add a parent or guardian section for applicants under 18. Our youth volunteers guide explains the age rules.
- Write a short privacy note that says who sees the form, why, and how long you keep it. Our data privacy guide can help, and your document retention policy should set the time.
- Don't use this form for paid staff. The Department of Labor describes a volunteer as someone who serves freely, "without contemplation or receipt of compensation." Employees and paid interns follow your hiring process.
- Have a lawyer review it before you use it, especially the screening question, the parent or guardian consent and the privacy note. State laws on screening, minors and personal information vary.
- Delete the notes in brackets before you use it.
Preview
Volunteer application
[ORGANIZATION NAME]
Thank you for your interest in volunteering with us. Please complete this form and return it to [NAME OR EMAIL].
1. About you
- Full name: ____________________
- Preferred name: ____________________
- Email: ____________________
- Phone: ____________________
- Mailing address: ____________________
- Are you 18 or older? [ ] Yes [ ] No (If no, a parent or guardian must complete section 9.)
- Languages you speak: ____________________
2. Why you'd like to volunteer
[A few lines: what interests you about our work, and what you hope to get from volunteering.]
3. Roles you're interested in
[List your roles, for example:]
4. Availability
- Days and times you can usually help: ____________________
- How often: [ ] Weekly [ ] Monthly [ ] For one-off events [ ] Other: ________
- Start date: ____________________
5. Skills and experience
[Relevant work, volunteer experience, training or certifications, for example first aid, teaching, accounting or a driver's license if a role needs one.]
6. References
Please give two people who know you and aren't related to you.
| Name | How they know you | Phone or email |
|---|---|---|
7. Emergency contact
- Name: ____________________
- Relationship: ____________________
- Phone: ____________________
8. Screening for some roles
Some of our roles involve working with children, older adults or other vulnerable people, or handling money. For these roles we [check references / ask for an interview / carry out a background check with your separate written permission]. We'll tell you before any check and explain what it involves.
- Have you ever been convicted of a crime that would affect your ability to work safely with children or vulnerable adults? [ ] Yes [ ] No [Ask this only for roles that need screening, and only as your policy and state law allow. A "yes" doesn't automatically rule anyone out.]
9. Parent or guardian consent (for applicants under 18)
I am the parent or legal guardian of the applicant named above. I give permission for them to volunteer with [ORGANIZATION NAME] in the roles marked in section 3.
- Parent or guardian name: ____________________
- Phone: ____________________
- Signature: ____________________ Date: __________
10. Privacy
We use the information on this form only to organize volunteering and to contact you. It's seen only by [ROLES], kept [SECURELY ON PAPER / IN OUR VOLUNTEER DATABASE], and kept for [TIME] after you stop volunteering, then securely destroyed. We don't sell it. We share it only [WITH A SCREENING COMPANY, IF YOUR ROLE NEEDS A CHECK AND YOU GIVE SEPARATE WRITTEN PERMISSION / WHEN THE LAW REQUIRES]. You can ask to see or correct your information at any time.
11. Your signature
I confirm the information on this form is true. I understand that volunteering is unpaid, and that [ORGANIZATION NAME] may decide which roles I'm matched with.
Signature: ____________________ Date: __________
Keep going
- GuideEmployee, contractor or volunteer? Getting it rightThe difference between employees and independent contractors in plain words, why misclassification is risky, and why volunteers can't be paid wages.
- GuideGetting the most from a pro bono or volunteer expertA short kickoff, a written scope, a steady rhythm and an honest close: how to work with a volunteer professional so the help lands and the relationship lasts.
- GuideHiring your first employee: the paperwork, in orderWhat to settle before you hire, and the forms, registrations and deadlines that come with a charity's first paid employee, step by step.
- Founder pathwayRunning day-to-day operationsOpen a bank account, keep simple books, get insured, treat volunteers and workers fairly, protect people's data and adopt the core policies.
Sources
Checked on October 21, 2026. Rules and fees change, so follow the links for the current version.
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