What Nonprofits Should Include in New Volunteer Orientation

Welcoming new volunteers to your nonprofit is an exciting moment, but it can also be overwhelming for both your nonprofit’s staff and volunteers. You can make orientation run more smoothly by preparing engaging materials for new volunteers ahead of time.

In this guide, we’ll go through the process of creating and distributing effective resources to create a comprehensive new volunteer orientation program and policies that prepare your volunteers for success and encourage long-term retention.

1. New volunteer information packet

When a new supporter joins your team, giving them a central place to find all the essential details can help calm first-day jitters. Provide a comprehensive welcome resource packet to new volunteers to ensure they feel prepared, supported, and confident as they enter their first shifts.

Start with the basics, such as:

• Contact information for key staff members, such as the volunteer coordinator or shift leader
• Details about your organization’s history, mission, and current volunteer initiatives
• A volunteer code of conduct

This is a great opportunity to prioritize accessibility in your training process. You might want to offer this packet in multiple formats (like a printed booklet with large, easy-to-read fonts and a digital PDF compatible with screen readers) so everyone can easily review the information.

2. Flexible training options

Since your volunteers are likely juggling work, personal relationships, and other commitments, offering flexible training options shows you respect their time. By providing a mix of live and self-paced learning, you can make sure everyone gets the information they need in the format that works best for them. Options include:

Simultaneous in-person and virtual training sessions

People learn in different ways and on different schedules. To accommodate this, you can offer simultaneous in-person and virtual training sessions. Make the most of these sessions by following these tips:

• Make it interactive. If you are running a hybrid session, try to make your virtual attendees feel just as included as the people in the room. You can do this by having a dedicated staff member or veteran volunteer monitor the digital chat and bring their questions into the conversation.
• Build community. Training doesn't have to be all business. You can pair formal sessions for new volunteers with casual getting-to-know-you meetups, whether over coffee or a quick video call, so new arrivals can build relationships right away.

LMS platform for asynchronous learning

For those who need to learn asynchronously, you can provide evergreen materials on your nonprofit’s website or through an LMS platform. When designing these online materials, try breaking them into focused segments rather than overwhelming your volunteers with long modules. For example, a 10-minute tutorial on welcoming visitors might include a brief explainer video, a sample greeting script, and a quick reflection prompt.

This segmented approach is short and respectful of people’s time, but it’s still designed for deeper engagement so the information sticks.

3. Opportunities to understand volunteers’ interests and skills

Orientation isn’t only a great opportunity to distribute information; it’s also a chance to gather data about your new supporters. To figure out what drew your supporters to your organization, their interests, and their unique skills, collect information using tools like:

• An initial registration form
• Surveys
• Interviews
• Informal chats

Once you know their interests, you can tailor their path within your organization. For example, if someone mentions that they love networking, you can guide them toward specific volunteer roles related to community outreach and event support. If they show interest in your fundraising efforts, you can provide them with peer-to-peer fundraising training or scripts for calls with donors.

Helping volunteers find their niche at your organization will increase the chances of long-term involvement.

4. Integrated safety and compliance training

Setting clear safety standards from the start protects your organization, the communities you serve, and the volunteers themselves. When your supporters know you take their well-being seriously, it builds immediate trust. They can step into their new roles feeling secure and ready to focus entirely on your mission, rather than worrying about what to do if an issue arises.

You can integrate required background checks, waivers, and safety training into the orientation process. For example, you might send a secure digital link for background checks and e-waivers in the initial welcome email. For in-person sessions, you can set up a quick tablet station at the welcome desk to catch any missing signatures. When it comes to the actual safety training, you can blend it into your orientation using brief, relatable, real-life scenarios rather than just reading through a list of rules.

Safety protocols are especially important for volunteers who might be supporting in-person events, such as peer-to-peer fundraising 5Ks or fall festivals. Volunteers should have a clear chain of command to notify staff in case of an emergency.

Because safety and compliance can sometimes feel dry or intimidating, the person delivering this information matters. A good trainer is approachable, patient, and clear. You might consider running a training session for your shift leaders so they feel confident explaining safety protocols in a warm and effective way.

5. Digital tool training

You can help volunteers feel comfortable with the technology your nonprofit uses by walking them through the basics, step-by-step. For example, you may show them how to:

• Navigate your digital scheduling process. Bloomerang’s volunteer scheduling guide recommends allowing volunteers to sign up for shifts on their own that match their skills and preferences, explaining that “You want your volunteers to enjoy what they’re doing, and giving them the flexibility to select shifts and roles will boost engagement and retention rates.”
• Download and use your volunteer management app. Show volunteers how they can manage their schedules on the go, view updates, and check in on-site from their mobile devices.
• Sign up for your volunteer email newsletter, text alerts, or app notifications. Make sure volunteers get the timely updates they need by connecting with your organization on all digital platforms.

While walking through these platforms together during orientation is a great start, it’s completely normal for volunteers to forget a step or two once they’re on their own. To make things even easier, you can provide a simple digital cheat sheet with a few screenshots, or simply let them know who to contact if they’re having technical issues.

6. Appreciation messages

Expressing genuine gratitude to new volunteers right out of the gate reinforces their decision to join and keeps them excited about your mission. You can weave appreciation into your onboarding process in a few meaningful ways:

• Celebrate early milestones. You don't have to wait for a volunteer to hit their one-year anniversary to say thank you. You can acknowledge early milestones, like completing their orientation or finishing their first shift.
• Demonstrate impact immediately. You can show new volunteers the impact of their efforts early on by sharing a quick story or statistic about what their specific shift helped achieve.
• Recognize volunteers with awards. Show volunteers that you recognize when they go above and beyond for your cause by rewarding them with accomplishment badges or small prizes, like stickers or mugs with your nonprofit’s logo.

Orientation is your first real chance to show volunteers how much you value them. By ending your training materials with authentic, immediate appreciation, you can reassure your newest supporters that choosing to share their time with your nonprofit was the right decision.

In summary

A mix of clear information, flexible training options, accessible materials, and appreciation will create a welcoming environment for new volunteers. Review your organization’s volunteer onboarding process and choose one or two areas (such as developing a clear approach to appreciation or better leveraging your LMS platform) to update this month.