Roles and screening

A volunteer role describes a type of work with a name, code and summary. The screening requirement and minimum age give Program Manager and Screening Reviewer concrete checks before a coordinator places someone on a shift. A role can also be Active or inactive. Each shift references its volunteer role, so the decision starts with the work to be done rather than an assumption about a person’s general availability.

A volunteer record carries screening status separately from volunteer status. This lets Screening Reviewer follow an application through review while Volunteer Coordinator manages the person’s place in the program. Attachments can hold a screening certificate, ID document or waiver when the organization uses one as evidence. The attachment’s related record is a text locator, so teams should agree on a stable way to identify the related record.

• Role setup. Program Manager enters the role’s name, summary, screening requirement and minimum age before scheduling shifts for it.
• Person review. Screening Reviewer checks the volunteer’s screening status and any relevant attachment against that role’s rule.
• Placement handoff. Volunteer Coordinator checks the role and volunteer together before using an open shift to create an assignment.

Write down who may change the screening status, what evidence is expected and how long the team keeps a supporting attachment. Agree how Screening Reviewer confirms a minimum-age requirement and records the outcome before placement. If a role requires screening, define what Cleared means for your organization and who records it. Screening Reviewer makes the readiness decision for the placement handoff.

Use one simple pilot role and one more restrictive role. That exposes whether coordinators can distinguish different placement rules in day-to-day work. It also tests whether a shift title and role name make sense together when the staffing team sees them side by side.

Program Manager sets up a role that requires screening and gives it an age threshold. Screening Reviewer sees a volunteer in progress, checks the accepted evidence and records the screening result. Volunteer Coordinator opens the shift for that role and compares the person’s availability and skills with the planned time and work. The coordinator creates a placement only after the relevant review is complete.

Now test the exception. Mark a different volunteer’s screening Failed. Screening exceptions should show that person for follow-up. If an attachment was uploaded, the reviewer must still inspect what it proves; a file title alone is insufficient. Record the next action so the placement team does not mistake an incomplete review for a cleared one.

• Screening exceptions — volunteers with a failed screening result needing review before assignment.
• volunteers awaiting screening — Applied and Screening volunteers awaiting a recorded outcome.
• Active volunteer directory — Current people available to consider after role checks.

See volunteer intake for the readiness path and shift staffing for its use in placement.