How do I setup Call For Volunteers?

In order to begin this process, Organizers can access the new Call for Volunteers feature by navigating to Attendees → Call for Volunteers on the Organizer Dashboard and clicking “Get started.”

To get started, organizers first need to input their volunteer application details. They’ll be asked to specify some basic information first, such as the application title, what terminology they want to use to refer to volunteers (e.g., referring to volunteers as “Interns” or “Event Staff”), and instructions or guidelines for applicants to follow when filling out the form.

They will also need to set an application deadline and choose how often they'd like to receive notifications about new submissions.

Next, organizers can define the volunteer roles available at the event. These roles will be visible to applicants, who can select the ones they’re interested in. Whova provides three default roles related to app actions — Session Moderator, Community Moderator, and Check-in Staff — which organizers can choose to include.

In addition, organizers can create and include their own custom roles, with a maximum of 10 total roles (inclusive of any default ones used).

Next, organizers will set up the volunteer application form by selecting the information they want to collect from applicants. 

Whova provides a set of common application questions to help organizers set up the form and ensure they collect all necessary information. These questions help them easily collect volunteer availability, gauge experience (e.g., how many times they’ve attended the event or why they wish to be a volunteer), and obtain consent to terms and conditions. If organizers choose to include these, each field can be customized to fit their needs.

Organizers can additionally add up to 5 custom fields to tailor the form to their event’s needs.

Finally, organizers must choose whether they’d like to automatically add accepted volunteers to the attendee list or not.

Note: It’s recommended to wait on adding volunteers directly if volunteers will need to register or if the organizer prefers to add them manually.

Before saving the form, the organizer can preview it by clicking "Preview Form" in the bottom right corner to make sure they’re happy with it.

Once they’re satisfied with the form, they can click "Save." After saving, they’ll be prompted to invite potential volunteers to apply. They have three options to share the application form: 1) Invite attendees from the current event, 2) Upload a list of contacts, and 3) Copy the form link to share directly.

Note: The organizer can invite or upload up to 500 contacts through Whova.