Volunteer application form
A volunteer application form vets a prospective volunteer before accepting them — availability, skills, motivation, and consent to be contacted for a reference — distinct from a simple sign-up for a shift. The form only records their consent to be contacted; any actual reference or background check is a separate process your organisation runs, not the form itself.
The form beside this text is live. Fill it in and submit it — it validates exactly as it would for a real respondent, and saves nothing.
Skills field reveals whether they need training
A textarea for skills tells you whether a volunteer can jump straight in or needs onboarding — either answer is useful.
Reference consent checkbox documents accountability
The form records willingness to be contacted; any actual background-check service runs separately, after acceptance — the form is the consent gate, not the check.
No card required.
Volunteer Application
Live previewHow to build this form
5 steps in the editor. Nothing here needs a paid plan.
- Add text fields for the volunteer's name, email and phone.
- Add a textarea for their availability, or a dropdown if you have fixed shifts.
- Add a textarea for relevant skills or experience — "none, but willing to learn" is a valid answer.
- Add a textarea asking why they want to volunteer.
- Add a required checkbox stating they consent to be contacted for a reference or background check, with the label making clear the form only records that consent.
Fields in this form
7 fields, using 5 of the 19 field types available.
| Question | Field type | Required |
|---|---|---|
| Your name | Short text | Yes |
| Yes | ||
| Phone | Phone | Yes |
| When can you volunteer? | Long text | Yes |
| Relevant skills or experience | Long text | Yes |
| Why do you want to volunteer? | Long text | Yes |
| I consent to be contacted for a reference or background check. This form only records that consent; the organisation runs any actual check separately. | Checkboxes | Yes |
What goes wrong with this form
Specific to a volunteer application form, not general advice about forms.
Requiring specific skills or experience
A required skills field excludes eager learners. Make it optional or explicitly accept "none but willing to learn" as a fine answer.
Treating form consent as a completed background check
The form only records "yes, you can contact me". The actual check happens through a separate service or reference calls — make this explicit in the checkbox label and an FAQ.
No availability field
Without knowing when they can help, you cannot match volunteers to shifts. Even an open-ended textarea beats nothing.
Questions about this form
Does the form run a background check?
No. It only records the volunteer's consent to be contacted for a reference or check. Your organisation runs the actual check through a separate service after accepting the volunteer.
What if a volunteer has no relevant skills?
"None, but willing to learn" is a valid answer. The skills field tells you who needs onboarding versus who can dive in — many organisations value willingness over pre-existing skill.
How is this different from a volunteer sign-up form?
This is a reviewed application, gathering enough detail to vet someone before accepting them. A sign-up form is lower-barrier and self-serve — a volunteer just claims a shift with no review step.