Connect site managers can upload waivers that use eSign technology to your site. Waivers can be used in a few different ways:

  • They can be attached as qualifications to individual needs. If the volunteer has not previously signed an attached waiver, they must sign it before they can complete their need response.
  • They can be set up as qualifications for general site access, where a volunteer must sign a waiver before they can access any of the opportunities listed.
  • They can be added as optional documents for signature.

All waiver qualifications are stored with other qualifications on your site. Stored with each signed waiver is a waiver certificate, which is a PDF listing the details of the signed waiver, including the signer, the time the waiver was signed, and the IP address from which it was signed.

Note: As a site manager, you can have the word "waiver" overridden by a term of your choice. Note that the override will apply to both e-Sign and click-wrap waivers. Learn more by viewing this article on waiver types. To request an override, contact Customer Care.

Accessing the eSign Waiver Management Area

The eSign waiver management area is located in the Qualifications section of your site manager panel. To access it:

  1. From your site manager panel menu, select Volunteerism > Qualifications.
  2. Under the Manage Qualifications heading, select Waiver Setup.
  3. The Manage Waivers page lists any existing waivers and includes a button to begin adding a new waiver. 
  4. You're now ready to begin the initial setup of establishing waivers on your site. Click the Add New Waiver button.

Step 1: Initial Setup: Waiver Title and Description

When you add a new waiver to your platform, keep in mind that you will be able to create an "adult version" and a "minor version" of that waiver. 

  1. From the Waiver Type drop down, choose whether you want to create an adult waiver, a minor waiver, or both.
  2. Fill out the Waiver Title and Description form. Note that a title is required while a description is not.

  3. Click Submit.

Your waiver will now have a unique ID, which you can see if you go back to the main Waivers page. Next is Step 2: uploading the adult and minor versions of the waiver.

Step 2: Uploading Waivers

Once you've submitted a waiver title, Step 1 will show as complete. You'll automatically go to Step 2, where you will see buttons for adding adult and/or minor versions of the waiver.

Here are the steps for adding and uploading waivers:

  1. Click the applicable Add button to view the files on your computer.
  2. Browse to and select the waiver. Repeat the process if you are uploading a second version of this waiver.

    Note: Only PDF files can be used for waivers.

  3. Once you've uploaded the waiver forms, the button changes to show the waiver name.

    Note: If you only upload an adult waiver, any need that requires that waiver will be inaccessible to volunteers whose birthdays (as entered in their profiles) indicate that they are a minor. When they try to access the need, they'll see a message that volunteers must be 18 or older to respond to the need.

  4. Click the Submit button.

Once you've uploaded the waivers, the Connect system will need to process them as it adds the ability to add eSign fields to the waiver. Processing will only take a few seconds.

Step 3: Adding Signature and Date Fields to a Waiver

You are now ready to add eSign elements to the waiver. These are the fields where volunteers will be asked to sign, initial, or date, in order to complete the waiver.

To add these elements to a waiver:

  1. Click the applicable Assign button. The file you uploaded is displayed. 
  2. You will be taken into the waiver you have uploaded.
  3. At the top of the page are three elements: Signature, Initials, and Date.
  4. Click on an element and drag it to the area of the waiver where you want the volunteer to sign, initial, or date.
  5. Once you have added all of the elements and are ready to move on, click Submit Page.
  6. Repeat the process for additional pages. Once you have assigned fields to all of your waivers, you can click Finalize Waivers. This cannot be reversed, so you will see a pop up asking if you are sure.

Minor Waivers

When you add eSign elements to a minor waiver, you will be prompted to specify which party (the minor or the parent/guardian) is to complete the field. Both the volunteer and their parent or guardian will be completing the waiver, and your selections at this stage will determine which fields are available to which signer.

Step 4: Attaching a Waiver to a Qualification

Once all of your waiver elements are in place

  • You can immediately click to Create New Qualification
  • You can click Done to attach simply save the waiver for later use or to attach it to an existing qualification
  • Or you can Deactivate the waiver.

To learn how to create a new qualification, see this article on Setting Up a New Qualification.

Viewing Signed Waivers and Waiver Certificates

When a volunteer eSigns a waiver two items are added to their profile:

To access these documents:

  1. From your site manager panel, go to Volunteerism > Users.
  2. Click on a user name to open their profile.
  3. Click Qualifications in the profile menu.
    In the Response column, you'll see a View Waiver button and a View Certificate button for any waiver the volunteer has eSigned.

  4. Click to view a document. The signed waiver will be displayed on your screen immediately. The certificate will be made available as a PDF.

About the Waiver Certificate

The waiver certificate includes the following information:

  • Certificate Details - including the waiver name and ID number, the account of the site manager who uploaded the waiver, and the IP from which the waiver was uploaded.
  • Package Events - including the date signed.
  • Signer Events - including the name, email address, and IP address used by the signer.

This document is generated as a PDF and can be downloaded or printed as needed.

Waiver Qualifications: The Volunteer Perspective

To following articles cover the volunteer experience of waiver qualifications: