Community Event Volunteer Onboarding Checklist

The short answer

Before a new volunteer's first shift, cover four things: what their role is, who they contact, what they need to know about the event, and whether they are ready to start. If you can confirm all four for each volunteer, you have a workable onboarding checklist. The sections below break each area into items you can copy, trim or expand for your own event.

Scope: what this checklist covers and what it doesn't

This guide is for organizers of community events and amateur tournaments who are bringing on new volunteers. It covers general onboarding steps that you choose and control as the organizer. It does not cover clinical, hospice or medical procedures, and it does not set out legal requirements.

Some onboarding steps may be required by someone other than you, such as a venue, a sport's governing body, an insurer, a host organization or local law. Common examples are background screening for volunteers working with minors, safeguarding training, and role-specific certifications. This guide cannot confirm which of these apply to your event. Check with each of those parties before you finalize your checklist.

Some organizations publish their own onboarding checklists. One example is the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Library system, which has shared materials described as two documents covering the steps to take when bringing on new volunteers. Their contents were not reviewed for this guide, so treat them as a reference to compare against, not as a source for the items below.

1. Role orientation

A volunteer should be able to explain their job in a sentence or two before arriving. Confirm each of these:

Role title and a short description of what the role involves
Specific tasks for the shift, in the order they are likely to happen
What is outside the role and should be passed to someone else
Shift start and end times, including any setup or teardown expectations
Where to report on arrival
Any equipment, clothing or ID the volunteer must bring or will be given
Any training the role requires, and whether it happens before the event or on site
How the role fits into the wider event, such as which teams, courts or stations it supports

2. Contacts

Volunteers handle problems better when they know exactly who to ask. Give every volunteer:

Their direct lead or shift supervisor, with how to reach them on the day
A backup contact if the lead is unavailable
The person responsible for first aid or emergencies, and how to reach them
Who handles disputes, such as scoring or scheduling questions at a tournament
Who to tell if they are running late, sick or unable to attend
How you will contact them before the event, and when to expect messages

Collect an emergency contact for each volunteer as well. Decide in advance who can see volunteer contact details, and share them only with the people who need them.

3. Event information

Volunteers are often the first people participants and spectators ask for help. Give them enough general information to answer common questions or point people to the right place:

Event name, date and overall schedule
Venue layout: entrances, check-in, restrooms, first aid point, and where teams or stations are
Parking and arrival instructions for volunteers, if different from participants
The match schedule or program, and where the latest version will be posted if it changes
Venue rules volunteers need to enforce or follow
Emergency and severe-weather procedures as set by the venue or host organization
Lost-and-found and lost-person procedures
Where volunteers can take breaks, get water or store belongings

4. Readiness check

Shortly before the event, confirm each volunteer is ready. A quick check-in by message or a short call is often enough. Each volunteer should be able to answer yes to the following:

I know my role, tasks and shift times
I know where to report and who to report to
I have my lead's and backup contact's details
I have completed any required training, screening or paperwork
I know what to bring and what to wear
I know what to do and who to tell in an emergency
I know what to do if I can't make my shift

If a volunteer answers no to anything, follow up before the event, or reassign them to a role whose requirements they already meet.

Printable checklist template

Copy this template and adapt it for each volunteer or role. The "Required by" line helps you track which items are your choice and which come from a venue, governing body or other party.

VOLUNTEER ONBOARDING CHECKLIST

Volunteer name: ______________________
Role: _______________________________
Shift: ________ to ________

ROLE ORIENTATION
[ ] Role description shared
[ ] Tasks and boundaries explained
[ ] Reporting location confirmed
[ ] Equipment / clothing / ID confirmed
[ ] Required training completed     Required by: ____________

CONTACTS
[ ] Lead contact shared
[ ] Backup contact shared
[ ] Emergency / first aid contact shared
[ ] Volunteer emergency contact collected

EVENT INFORMATION
[ ] Schedule shared
[ ] Venue layout shared
[ ] Venue rules shared
[ ] Emergency procedures shared

SCREENING AND PAPERWORK
[ ] Background check (if applicable)   Required by: ____________
[ ] Waivers / forms (if applicable)    Required by: ____________
[ ] Safeguarding training (if applicable) Required by: ____________

READINESS CHECK
[ ] Volunteer confirmed attendance
[ ] Volunteer confirmed all items above

Completed by: ____________  Date: ____________

Gaps to fill before you use this checklist

The evidence behind this guide does not cover several topics that may apply to your event. Confirm them with the relevant venue, governing body, insurer or host organization:

Whether volunteers need background screening, and which kind
Whether safeguarding or youth-protection training is mandatory for your sport or venue
Whether volunteers must sign waivers or liability forms
Whether any role, such as first aid or officiating, requires a specific certification
Any rules about collecting, storing or sharing volunteer personal information