Form questions

Volunteer application questions from interest to checks

Ask 12 to 15. Never skip which roles appeal, when the person is actually free, and whether they hold or will apply for a Working with Children Check if any role involves children. Those three decide placement, and everything else, including the referee, can be followed up at induction.

A volunteer application has to match a willing person to a role and a roster, and find out early whether that role will need a background check. These questions put interests and availability first, where enthusiasm is highest, and leave checks and referees for the end, where a short explanation keeps people from walking away.

The questions

About you

  1. Your full nameNameRequired

  2. What would you like to be called?Short text

  3. What is your email address?EmailRequired

    Say under the question that this is how the coordinator will reach you.

  4. And a mobile number?Phone

  5. Suburb and postcodeShort text

    Enough to match people to nearby sites without asking for a home address.

  6. Are you 18 or over?Single choiceRequired

    Decides which roles, insurance and consent rules apply.

What you would like to do

  1. What would you like to help with?Multiple choiceRequired

    Include whatever is needed most, for people who simply want to be useful.

  2. What draws you to volunteering here?Long text

  3. Is there anything you would rather not do?Short text

  4. How did you hear about volunteering here?Dropdown

When you are free

  1. Which days and times can you usually help?Rating gridRequired

    Days as rows, morning, afternoon and evening as columns, several ticks allowed per row.

  2. How often would you like to volunteer?Single choice

    Weekly, fortnightly, monthly, events only.

  3. When could you start?Date

  4. Any dates in the next three months when you will be away?Short text

Experience and skills

  1. Do you have any of these?Multiple choice

    First aid, food handling, a driver licence, a second language, a trade, none of these.

  2. Which skills would you like to use?Multiple choice

  3. Describe any volunteering you have done beforeLong text

  4. Is there any support that would help you volunteer comfortably?Long text

Checks and referee

  1. Who should the team call in an emergency?Short text

    Can move to the induction form if this one must stay short.

  2. Do you hold a current Working with Children Check?Single choiceRequired

    Yes; applied and waiting; no, and I only want roles without children. Name your state's check in the label.

  3. Your check number, if you have oneShort text

  4. Some roles involve vulnerable people. Do you consent to a police check?Single choice

    Consent only. The organisation arranges a check for roles that need one.

  5. Referee's nameName

  6. Referee's emailEmail

  7. How does your referee know you?Short text

Which questions to make required

Six questions are required: name, email, the roles, the availability grid, whether the person is 18 or over, and the Working with Children Check question. Without roles and availability the coordinator cannot place anyone, and without age and the check answer the organisation cannot tell which roles are open to the applicant. Referees and emergency contacts stay optional because many groups collect them at induction.

The form built from these questions

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Three ways to change this bank

For a one day festival crew, replace the availability grid with a checkbox of shifts on the day, add shirt size and whether the volunteer needs parking, and ask them to confirm they can attend the briefing the evening before. Drop referees entirely for low risk event roles. For a committee or board volunteer, swap the practical skills for governance experience, the hours a month they can give, and any conflict of interest with suppliers or funders, and keep the referee as a required question. For volunteers under 18, add a parent or guardian's name and phone, ask the guardian for consent as its own question, and limit the role list to those the organisation's insurance covers for young people.

Questions people ask

Who needs a Working with Children Check to volunteer?

In Australia each state and territory runs its own check, and many volunteer roles involving children require one, with some exemptions that vary by state. Service NSW handles applications in New South Wales, for example. Ask the question on the form, then confirm the rules for each role with your own state's screening agency before placing anyone.

How is a Working with Children Check different from a police check?

A Working with Children Check is a state screening for child related work, usually valid for several years. A national police check lists disclosable court outcomes at one point in time and is often used for roles with vulnerable adults, money or driving. Some roles need both, so ask about each separately.

How many referees should a volunteer give?

One is enough for most roles, and none for a one off event. Ask for two only where the role involves children, vulnerable people or cash handling. Every extra referee delays placement while someone waits for a call back, and a keen volunteer left waiting a month often finds another organisation first.

How does the availability grid help with rostering?

Each day becomes a row with the times ticked against it, so a coordinator can see at a glance who covers Tuesday mornings. In the response export the grid arrives as one column, with each day and its ticked times joined together, so filter that column for the shift you need rather than reading every row.

Should a volunteer application ask why someone wants to volunteer?

Yes, as an optional open question. The answer helps place people well: someone who wants company suits a busy kitchen shift, and someone building a resume may prefer admin with a written reference at the end. Keep it optional, because many good volunteers find the question awkward and will skip it.

Should the form ask for a home address?

Usually not at application. A suburb and postcode are enough to match people to nearby sites and to plan transport. A full address can be collected at induction for the volunteer register and insurance, once the person has been accepted, which keeps personal information to what the first step actually needs.

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On writing the questions themselves, read Job application form questions: what to ask and what to skip. For everything the builder can do, see the form maker. Step by step: Create a conversational form with AI, then Control who can fill in your form.

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