❖ Heads up! This article is only intended for Site Managers.
Waivers are a great way to ensure your volunteers meet the Prerequisite/Qualification requirements for your Needs/Opportunities. With waivers, you can decide if you want them to be signed by adults and minors, adults only, or minors only—so which do you choose and when? Here, we've covered which type we recommend and how to determine which to use.
ℹ️ So you know: Some sites have language overrides. This means you may see Needs instead of Opportunities, Agencies instead of Programs, or Prerequisites instead of Qualifications.
Which Waiver is Best?
The Adults and Minors waiver options is the best option when you know you'll have both adult volunteers, and minor volunteers, responding to your Needs/Opportunities. You can attach the waiver to a Prerequisite/Qualification that's required to answer before they can start responding to your Needs/Opportunities.
How it Works
The Adult and Minor waiver option is set up so that volunteers are required to enter their birthdate before signing the waiver. Depending on the birthdate they enter, they're directed to their specific waiver type
For example, if a minor—at least 13 years of age—enters their birthday, the system directs them to the Minor waiver you uploaded for them to sign.
If an adult—18 years or older—enters their birthday, the system directs them to the Adult waiver you uploaded for them to sign.
When an adult signs the waiver, they're done with the waiver portion for that Prerequisite/Qualification. Depending on your settings, you may have to manually approve their Prerequisite/Qualification submission so they can start responding to your Needs/Opportunities!
When a minor signs the waiver, they're prompted to share the name and email for a parent or guardian to review and sign so that their waiver submission may be approved. This protects the organization and minor in case of liability reasons.
Other Waiver Types
You may have noticed you also have the option to select either Adult Only or Minor Only waiver types. While these options are available, we still highly recommend using the Adults and Minors option if you know or think you may have minors volunteering for your Needs/Opportunities.
Why? You might run into some issues when volunteers go to sign the waivers.
Let's say you assign the Adult Only waiver type and attach it to a Prerequisite/Qualification.
If the volunteer opportunity is open to all volunteers—adults and minors—then when a minor tries to respond to it and signs the waiver, they won't be able to proceed.
On the other hand, if you have assigned the Minor Only waiver, then if an adult inputs their birthdate, the system automatically bypasses that waiver requirement since it's only geared toward minors.
How to Choose
While we've already established which waiver type is the best for covering all bases, there are still some scenarios when you may decide to pick one of the other waiver types!
Got a youth-focused summer camp where volunteers between the ages of 13 and 17 are welcome and encouraged to participate? This may be a scenario when the Minor Only waiver type applies!
Do you have volunteer opportunities that may involve work where sensitive subjects may arise?
Depending on the situation, this scenario may require that all volunteers be 18 years of age or older to participate.
This would be a scenario when the Adult Only waiver type applies!
