Some sites may ask you to electronically sign a waiver before viewing or responding to a posted Need or Opportunity. These waivers and Prerequisites or Qualifications are important for ensuring you're prepared for the volunteer Need/Opportunity and that you meet any special requirements necessary to participate.
There are a few ways you may encounter Prerequisites or Qualifications for a site:
Before you can view and respond to Need/Opportunity.
When you respond to a Need/Opportunity with a Prerequisite/Qualification.
By going to the My Prerequisites or My Qualifications area.
When checking in for Needs/Opportunities through the Check-In Kiosk.
You can sign an eWaiver in the Check-In Kiosk but not submit required Prerequisites or Qualifications for Needs/Opportunities.
ℹ️ So you know: Some sites have language overrides in place. This means you might see Needs in place of Opportunities, Agencies in place of Programs, or Prerequisites in place of Qualifications.
Adult and Minor Waivers Explained
If a site has two versions of a waiver—one for adults and one for minors—the system first checks for any birthday information shared on your profile before giving you access to a waiver.
If your birthday isn't available, then the system asks you to enter it. Once the system knows your birthday it directs you to the appropriate waiver accordingly:
If you're over 18: The system directs you to the adult version of the waiver. After you submit the signed waiver, you're taken back to the Need/Opportunity page.
If you're a minor—under 18: The system prompts you to share your parent or guardian's name and email address.
When you submit that information, two things happen:
You're redirected to the waiver to sign your portion of it.
A copy of the waiver is sent to the email address you provided, and your parent or guardian is asked to sign and submit their portion of the waiver.
Once both you and your parent or guardian have submitted signatures, you can access and respond to the volunteer Need/Opportunity.
Some site managers will want to manually review the waiver before marking you qualified. This means that if you (and your parent/guardian if you are a minor) sign the waiver but you do not yet have access, it is most likely because the site manager has not qualified you yet.
How Minors Access Waivers
A minor can access a waiver in the My Qualifications area of their user profile, or by clicking the Sign Waiver button on a Need posting. Once they've consented to sign the waiver, they're asked to enter their birth date—if it's not already on their user profile. Once the system has determined that they're minors, it prompts them to provide the name and email address of their parent or guardian:
Once the minor has submitted their parent/guardian information, two things happen:
The minor can view and sign their portion of the waiver.
The parent or guardian receives a notification with a link to the waiver, which they can then open, sign, and submit.
Once the parent or guardian has submitted the waiver, the volunteer Need becomes accessible to the minor, who can then proceed to sign up for it.
Some sites may require that a Site Manager review and approve the waiver. The Need may not be available for them to finish responding to it until after their waiver is approved.
The following parent/guardian data is captured during this process:
First and last name
Email address
Waiver signatures
Timestamp—when signed
Browser
IP address
As the parent or guardian of the volunteer, you're not required to create an account on the site to sign the waiver. Your information is protected just as our volunteers' private information is protected.
My Prerequisites or My Qualifications Area
If you have any incomplete qualifications, you can always complete them from the My Qualifications area. This includes signing any necessary waivers.
1. Click your profile image or initials from the top menu bar.
2. Select Prerequisites or Qualifications from the dropdown options.
3. The options that appear here are dependent on the site and any language overrides they may have in place.
4. This takes you to the My Prerequisites or My Qualifications area where you can review your completed Prerequisites or Qualifications or submit any incomplete ones.
5. To complete a waiver, click the link beside Click to sign.
6. Enter your birthday—this appears if the site doesn't have your birthday on file. If you're a minor, then when you enter your birthday, the system prompts you to include a parent or guardian's email address before you can sign the waiver.
7. A popup appears to let you know that you're being asked to eSign a waiver—Click Continue to confirm or Decline to cancel. If you decline, you won't be qualified and won't be able to respond to Needs/Opportunities with that Prerequisite/Qualification or waiver attached.
8. Review the waiver and fill out any required fields—usually your signature, initials, and date.
9. Click Complete Signing.
Another popup appears asking you to confirm your selection. Depending on how the Prerequisite/Qualification or waiver's approval settings are, you may have to wait for a manager to approve it before you can respond to a Need/Opportunity that has that waiver attached.
You can always come back and check the status of a Prerequisite/Qualification or waiver on the My Prerequisites or My Qualifications page.
If a Need/Opportunity has an attached Prerequisite/Qualification, then you're prompted to submit that Prerequisite/Qualification—or waiver—when you click Respond for that Need/Opportunity.
The process for signing the waiver is the same from there as it is from the My Prerequisites or My Qualifications area—i.e., provide your birthday, sign and date, etc.