What should a volunteer orientation include?

Your mission and why volunteers matter, what each role involves and how much time it takes, safeguarding, confidentiality and safety, expenses, who to contact, and a buddy and first shift for each person.

How long should volunteer training be?

A first orientation of 60 to 90 minutes works for most roles, followed by on-the-job training with a buddy. Roles with children or vulnerable adults usually need extra training.

How do you run a good volunteer meeting?

Keep it short and practical, thank people by name, share one story of the difference they made, and ask for their ideas. Volunteers stay when they feel heard.

Meeting kitNonprofitsOnboarding & training

Volunteer orientation kit

90 minutes 13 slides, 5 livepro Runs with Pro

A 90-minute volunteer orientation: a 13-slide welcome deck, scenario questions on phones, a role sign-up poll and a welcome email with first shifts.

Use this template See inside

Free to open and edit. Running it live needs Pro, free for 14 days on every new account.

Welcome, volunteers

Why we're here, what you'll do, and how we look after each other

Title

In short

A volunteer orientation welcomes new volunteers and covers the mission, the roles, the rules that keep people safe and who to ask. This kit gives you a 90-minute agenda, a 13-slide deck with scenario questions people answer on their phones, a role sign-up vote and a welcome email with buddy and first shift.

Time: 90 minutes
Slides: 13, 5 interactive
Includes: Agenda, deck, welcome email
Plan: Pro

Updated October 4, 2026

What's in the kit

1Welcome, volunteers
2We [your mission in one sentence]. None of it happens without volunteers.
3Last year, together (replace)
4The roles
5How we keep people safe
6The essentials
7Someone you're helping tells you something that worries you about their safety. What do you do?Keep it to myself · Promise to keep it secret · Tell the volunteer lead today · Post about it to get advice live
8A friend asks who came in today. What do you say?Names only, no detail · Nothing about who we serve · Only people they know · It's fine if it's a friend live
9You can't make your shift tomorrow. What's best?Just don't show up · Tell the volunteer lead as early as you can · Send a friend instead · Message a random volunteer live
10Your first month
11How ready do you feel for your first shift? live
12What questions do you still have? live
13Thank you for giving your time

The agenda

By the end of this meeting, new volunteers know why we exist, what each role involves, the rules that keep people safe, and have picked a role and a first shift.

90 min · 8 blocks, drawn to scale Fits exactly

Welcome: what brought you here?, 8 minutes
Our mission and the difference volunteers make, 12 minutes
The roles: what each one involves and how much time, 15 minutes
Break and tour, 10 minutes
Keeping people safe: safeguarding, confidentiality, safety, expenses, 15 minutes
What would you do? Scenario questions, 12 minutes
Pick your first role, 6 minutes
Buddies, first shifts and questions, 12 minutes

+0′Welcome: what brought you here?In one word, why did you sign up to volunteer?Tip: Read the answers out. People stay longer when they hear their reason matters.8 minCheck-in
+8′Our mission and the difference volunteers makeTip: Present the deck. Tell one real story from a volunteer or someone you serve, with permission.12 minInfo
+20′The roles: what each one involves and how much time15 minInfo
+35′Break and tour10 minBreak
+45′Keeping people safe: safeguarding, confidentiality, safety, expensesTip: Cover who to tell if something worries you. That matters more than any other rule today.15 minInfo
+60′What would you do? Scenario questionsTip: Use the scenario polls in the deck. Talk through any answer where the room splits.12 minDiscuss
+72′Pick your first roleWhich role would you like to start with?Tip: Swap in your own roles. 'Not sure yet' is fine; pair those people with a buddy to try a few.6 minVote
+78′Buddies, first shifts and questionsTip: Introduce buddies in person. Nobody should leave without a date for their first shift.12 minWrap-up

The follow-up email

Subject

Welcome aboard: your role, buddy and first shift

Thank you for coming to orientation. Here's everything in one place.

Your role: ______
Your buddy: ______ (phone ______)
Your first shift: ______ (date, time, where to go)
What to bring: ______

Who to call
Volunteer lead: ______
Safeguarding lead: ______ (tell them the same day if anything worries you)
If you can't make a shift: ______

The essentials
1. Tell the volunteer lead the same day if something worries you about someone's safety.
2. What you hear here stays here.
3. Know the fire exits and first aid kit.
4. Keep receipts for agreed expenses.

We'll check in after your first month. Thank you.

How to run it

1Replace the mission, numbers, roles and policies in the deck with your own, and name your safeguarding lead.
2Open with the check-in word cloud and read the answers aloud; it sets a warm tone for the whole session.
3Use the scenario polls to talk through what to do, and spend time on any question where the room splits.
4Have volunteers pick a role on their phones, then pair everyone with a buddy and a first shift before they leave.
5Send the welcome email from the follow-up the same day.

Questions people ask

What should a volunteer orientation include?: Your mission and why volunteers matter, what each role involves and how much time it takes, safeguarding, confidentiality and safety, expenses, who to contact, and a buddy and first shift for each person.
How long should volunteer training be?: A first orientation of 60 to 90 minutes works for most roles, followed by on-the-job training with a buddy. Roles with children or vulnerable adults usually need extra training.
How do you run a good volunteer meeting?: Keep it short and practical, thank people by name, share one story of the difference they made, and ask for their ideas. Volunteers stay when they feel heard.

All meeting kits

Open it, make it yours, run it live.

Change anything in the editor. When you're ready, press Present: everyone joins with a scan and answers on their phone.

Free forever
Pro free for 14 days
No card needed
Guests never need an account

Use this template More meeting kits

Meeting kitNonprofitsOnboarding & training

Volunteer orientation kit

90 minutes 13 slides, 5 livepro Runs with Pro

A 90-minute volunteer orientation: a 13-slide welcome deck, scenario questions on phones, a role sign-up poll and a welcome email with first shifts.

Use this template See inside

Free to open and edit. Running it live needs Pro, free for 14 days on every new account.

Welcome, volunteers

Why we're here, what you'll do, and how we look after each other

Title

In short

Time: 90 minutes
Slides: 13, 5 interactive
Includes: Agenda, deck, welcome email
Plan: Pro

Updated October 4, 2026

What's in the kit

1Welcome, volunteers
2We [your mission in one sentence]. None of it happens without volunteers.
3Last year, together (replace)
4The roles
5How we keep people safe
6The essentials
7Someone you're helping tells you something that worries you about their safety. What do you do?Keep it to myself · Promise to keep it secret · Tell the volunteer lead today · Post about it to get advice live
8A friend asks who came in today. What do you say?Names only, no detail · Nothing about who we serve · Only people they know · It's fine if it's a friend live
9You can't make your shift tomorrow. What's best?Just don't show up · Tell the volunteer lead as early as you can · Send a friend instead · Message a random volunteer live
10Your first month
11How ready do you feel for your first shift? live
12What questions do you still have? live
13Thank you for giving your time

The agenda

By the end of this meeting, new volunteers know why we exist, what each role involves, the rules that keep people safe, and have picked a role and a first shift.

90 min · 8 blocks, drawn to scale Fits exactly

Welcome: what brought you here?, 8 minutes
Our mission and the difference volunteers make, 12 minutes
The roles: what each one involves and how much time, 15 minutes
Break and tour, 10 minutes
Keeping people safe: safeguarding, confidentiality, safety, expenses, 15 minutes
What would you do? Scenario questions, 12 minutes
Pick your first role, 6 minutes
Buddies, first shifts and questions, 12 minutes

+0′Welcome: what brought you here?In one word, why did you sign up to volunteer?Tip: Read the answers out. People stay longer when they hear their reason matters.8 minCheck-in
+8′Our mission and the difference volunteers makeTip: Present the deck. Tell one real story from a volunteer or someone you serve, with permission.12 minInfo
+20′The roles: what each one involves and how much time15 minInfo
+35′Break and tour10 minBreak
+45′Keeping people safe: safeguarding, confidentiality, safety, expensesTip: Cover who to tell if something worries you. That matters more than any other rule today.15 minInfo
+60′What would you do? Scenario questionsTip: Use the scenario polls in the deck. Talk through any answer where the room splits.12 minDiscuss
+72′Pick your first roleWhich role would you like to start with?Tip: Swap in your own roles. 'Not sure yet' is fine; pair those people with a buddy to try a few.6 minVote
+78′Buddies, first shifts and questionsTip: Introduce buddies in person. Nobody should leave without a date for their first shift.12 minWrap-up

The follow-up email

Subject

Welcome aboard: your role, buddy and first shift

Thank you for coming to orientation. Here's everything in one place.

Your role: ______
Your buddy: ______ (phone ______)
Your first shift: ______ (date, time, where to go)
What to bring: ______

Who to call
Volunteer lead: ______
Safeguarding lead: ______ (tell them the same day if anything worries you)
If you can't make a shift: ______

The essentials
1. Tell the volunteer lead the same day if something worries you about someone's safety.
2. What you hear here stays here.
3. Know the fire exits and first aid kit.
4. Keep receipts for agreed expenses.

We'll check in after your first month. Thank you.

How to run it

1Replace the mission, numbers, roles and policies in the deck with your own, and name your safeguarding lead.
2Open with the check-in word cloud and read the answers aloud; it sets a warm tone for the whole session.
3Use the scenario polls to talk through what to do, and spend time on any question where the room splits.
4Have volunteers pick a role on their phones, then pair everyone with a buddy and a first shift before they leave.
5Send the welcome email from the follow-up the same day.

Questions people ask

What should a volunteer orientation include?: Your mission and why volunteers matter, what each role involves and how much time it takes, safeguarding, confidentiality and safety, expenses, who to contact, and a buddy and first shift for each person.
How long should volunteer training be?: A first orientation of 60 to 90 minutes works for most roles, followed by on-the-job training with a buddy. Roles with children or vulnerable adults usually need extra training.
How do you run a good volunteer meeting?: Keep it short and practical, thank people by name, share one story of the difference they made, and ask for their ideas. Volunteers stay when they feel heard.

All meeting kits

Open it, make it yours, run it live.

Change anything in the editor. When you're ready, press Present: everyone joins with a scan and answers on their phone.

Free forever
Pro free for 14 days
No card needed
Guests never need an account

Use this template More meeting kits

Volunteer orientation kit

Welcome, volunteers

Welcome, volunteers

Last year, together (replace)

The roles

How we keep people safe

The essentials

Someone you're helping tells you something that worries you about their safety. What do you do?

A friend asks who came in today. What do you say?

You can't make your shift tomorrow. What's best?

Your first month

How ready do you feel for your first shift?

What questions do you still have?

Thank you for giving your time

What's in the kit

The agenda

The follow-up email

How to run it

Questions people ask

Goes well with

Welcome aboard

Treasurer's report

Thank you, volunteers

Welcome to our school

[Your topic]

New menu tasting

Open it, make it yours, run it live.

Volunteer orientation kit

Welcome, volunteers

Welcome, volunteers

Last year, together (replace)

The roles

How we keep people safe

The essentials

Someone you're helping tells you something that worries you about their safety. What do you do?

A friend asks who came in today. What do you say?

You can't make your shift tomorrow. What's best?

Your first month

How ready do you feel for your first shift?

What questions do you still have?

Thank you for giving your time

What's in the kit

The agenda

The follow-up email

How to run it

Questions people ask

Goes well with

Welcome aboard

Treasurer's report

Thank you, volunteers

Welcome to our school

[Your topic]

New menu tasting

Open it, make it yours, run it live.