Volunteer Waiver Template

A volunteer waiver is a release a volunteer signs before taking part in unpaid work for an organization — covering assumption of risk and release of claims like any liability waiver, plus an explicit confirmation that the volunteer is unpaid and not an employee. Download the ready-to-fill template below, or read the field-by-field checklist first.

Download the Volunteer Waiver, Release of Claims, and Acknowledgment of Volunteer Status

A complete, ready-to-fill PDF — 9 clauses, blanks for every detail, and a signature block for both parties. Free, no email, no account. Read it and adapt it before you use it; the cover page explains what it can and cannot do for you.

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Need the other party to sign it too? Send it for signature with a full audit trail and a tamper-evident seal on the finished file — they never need an account. See pricing.

This is a template, not legal advice

This document is a general-purpose template provided for information only. It is not legal advice, it does not create a lawyer–client relationship, and nobody has reviewed it against your situation.

Laws differ by country, state and province, and they change. A clause that is standard in one place can be unenforceable — or illegal — in another. Terms that are ordinary between two businesses can be void in a consumer or employment context.

Read every clause before you use it, fill in every blank, and delete anything that does not apply. For anything high-value, unusual, or that you could not afford to lose a dispute over, have a qualified lawyer in your jurisdiction review it before it is signed.

What to include in a volunteer waiver

These are the fields and clauses a volunteer waiver needs. Most overlap with any liability waiver; the volunteer-status clause below is the one that’s specific to this document.

Volunteer & organization names
The full legal name and address of the person volunteering, and of the organization, nonprofit, or group they sign in favor of.
The volunteer activity, location, and date
A specific description of what the volunteer will be doing, and where and when it happens — not a vague reference to "volunteering in general."
Assumption of risk
A clear statement that the volunteer understands the activity carries inherent risks, and voluntarily accepts them, with the specific risks spelled out rather than left to the imagination.
Release of claims, with a carve-out
The volunteer releases the organization from ordinary negligence claims — but the release must not reach the organization's gross negligence or wilful misconduct, or it risks being struck down entirely.
Volunteer status — no employment relationship
An explicit confirmation that the volunteer serves without pay and is not an employee: no wages, no tax withholding, no workers' comp coverage, no unemployment eligibility, and no employee benefits. This is the clause that heads off a misclassification claim.
Volunteer acknowledgement
An explicit confirmation that the volunteer read the waiver, understood it, had the chance to ask questions, and is signing voluntarily — not just a signature line at the bottom.
Emergency medical authorization
Permission for the organization to arrange and consent to emergency treatment if the volunteer is unable to, plus an emergency contact and any relevant medical information.
Minor consent
For a volunteer under the age of majority — common for school, church, and community-group volunteering — a parent or guardian signs in the volunteer's place and accepts the same terms.
Signature & date
The waiver isn't effective until the volunteer (or their parent/guardian) has signed and dated it.

Why volunteer status needs its own clause

Anyone who lets people take part in an activity needs a release. Only an organization working with unpaidvolunteers has a second problem: making sure the relationship is actually treated, on paper and in practice, as voluntary rather than as unpaid employment. Get that wrong and the exposure isn’t just an injury claim — it’s back pay, unpaid overtime, tax withholding, and workers’ compensation liability the organization never budgeted for.

The volunteer-status clause in this template makes that record explicit: the volunteer confirms receiving no wages or compensation, understands they aren’t covered by workers’ compensation or eligible for employee benefits, and agrees the relationship is at will on both sides. Any expense reimbursement is called out separately and tied to actual costs, so it can’t later be read as a disguised wage.

None of that replaces treating the relationship as voluntary in fact — a signed confirmation doesn’t fix a volunteer program that pays regular, hours-based stipends or sets employee-like schedules and supervision. What it does is document, in the volunteer’s own words, that both sides understood the relationship the same way going in.

Common mistakes to avoid

Reusing a plain liability waiver and calling it done. A volunteer waiver needs everything a liability waiver has, plus the volunteer-status clause below — without it, the document says nothing about the question that actually gets organizations in trouble: whether this person was really a volunteer or, in substance, an unpaid employee.
Leaving the unpaid, non-employee status implied instead of stated. "Volunteer" in a document's title doesn't establish anything on its own. Say plainly that the person receives no wages, isn't covered by workers' compensation, isn't eligible for benefits, and can stop (or be stopped) at any time without notice.
Paying a "volunteer stipend" that looks like a wage and expecting the waiver to fix it. A waiver documents intent — it cannot override the facts. Regular payments tied to hours worked, or that approach minimum wage for the time given, invite a misclassification finding regardless of what the paperwork says. Keep any reimbursement tied to actual out-of-pocket expenses.
Writing a release that purports to cover gross negligence or wilful misconduct. Most courts will not enforce a waiver that tries to release an organization from its own gross negligence or intentional acts — and some strike the entire waiver, not just that clause, if it reaches that far. Carve those out explicitly.
Skipping the minor-signature question. Volunteer programs draw heavily on students and teenagers. If anyone under the age of majority might take part, the waiver needs a parent/guardian consent clause — and even then, some jurisdictions limit how much a parent can waive on a child's behalf.

Get your waiver signed

Fill in the template above and send it to the volunteer for signature with a free Evenseal account — 3 documents a month, no card required. Only need your own copy signed? Self-sign for free with no account at /sign-pdf.

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Not legal advice — waiver enforceability and volunteer classification rules vary significantly by jurisdiction. For an ongoing or large volunteer program, have a local attorney review your paperwork.

Frequently asked questions

How is a volunteer waiver different from a liability waiver?

A volunteer waiver does everything a general liability waiver does — assumption of risk, release of claims, acknowledgement — plus one thing a liability waiver for a paying participant doesn't need: an explicit confirmation that the volunteer serves unpaid and is not an employee. That confirmation is the reason this template exists as its own document rather than a reskinned liability waiver.

Why does it matter whether a volunteer is legally an employee?

Employee status brings obligations a volunteer relationship doesn't: minimum wage and overtime, tax withholding, workers' compensation coverage, unemployment insurance eligibility, and often benefits. If a volunteer is later found to have been an employee in substance — because of regular payments, set hours, or close control over their work — the organization can face back-pay, tax, and insurance liability it never budgeted for. A clear, signed confirmation of unpaid, non-employee status is evidence the organization treated the relationship as voluntary from the start; it isn't a substitute for treating it that way in practice.

Can a volunteer be reimbursed for expenses without becoming an employee?

Generally yes. Reimbursing actual out-of-pocket costs — mileage, parking, supplies — is a repayment of the volunteer's own expense, not compensation for services. What changes the analysis is a regular payment untied to any specific expense, especially one that scales with hours worked or approaches a wage. Keep reimbursements documented, expense-based, and modest.

Is a volunteer covered by workers' compensation if they get hurt?

Usually not, because workers' compensation statutes generally apply to employees, and most exclude volunteers by definition. That gap is exactly why the assumption-of-risk, release, and emergency medical clauses matter for a volunteer waiver — they're doing the job that an employer's insurance would otherwise do for a paid worker. Confirm how your jurisdiction's workers' compensation law treats volunteers, since a few extend limited coverage to certain volunteer categories.

Does a minor need a parent's consent to volunteer?

Yes. A minor generally cannot sign a binding release themselves, so where the volunteer is under the age of majority in their place of residence, a parent or legal guardian signs the waiver on the volunteer's behalf and accepts its terms — including the assumption of risk, the release, and the confirmation of non-employee status — in that capacity. Some jurisdictions still limit or refuse to enforce a waiver signed on a minor's behalf, regardless of parental consent.

Is an e-signed volunteer waiver legally binding?

In most countries, yes — a release signed electronically carries the same legal weight as one signed on paper, under laws like the US ESIGN Act and UETA or the EU and UK's eIDAS rules. Enforceability of the underlying liability release, and of the non-employee confirmation, still depends on your jurisdiction and the facts of the relationship, so review local rules for anything higher-risk or ongoing. Are electronic signatures legally binding?.

Can I send this waiver to a volunteer to sign online?

Yes. Download the template above, fill in the blanks, then send it for signature with a free Evenseal account — no card required. If you only need your own signed copy, self-sign for free with no account at all. Create a free account.

Volunteer Waiver Template

Download the Volunteer Waiver, Release of Claims, and Acknowledgment of Volunteer Status

Need the other party to sign it too? Send it for signature with a full audit trail and a tamper-evident seal on the finished file — they never need an account. See pricing.

What to include in a volunteer waiver

These are the fields and clauses a volunteer waiver needs. Most overlap with any liability waiver; the volunteer-status clause below is the one that’s specific to this document.

Volunteer & organization names

The full legal name and address of the person volunteering, and of the organization, nonprofit, or group they sign in favor of.

The volunteer activity, location, and date

A specific description of what the volunteer will be doing, and where and when it happens — not a vague reference to "volunteering in general."

Assumption of risk

A clear statement that the volunteer understands the activity carries inherent risks, and voluntarily accepts them, with the specific risks spelled out rather than left to the imagination.

Release of claims, with a carve-out

The volunteer releases the organization from ordinary negligence claims — but the release must not reach the organization's gross negligence or wilful misconduct, or it risks being struck down entirely.

Volunteer status — no employment relationship

An explicit confirmation that the volunteer serves without pay and is not an employee: no wages, no tax withholding, no workers' comp coverage, no unemployment eligibility, and no employee benefits. This is the clause that heads off a misclassification claim.

Volunteer acknowledgement

An explicit confirmation that the volunteer read the waiver, understood it, had the chance to ask questions, and is signing voluntarily — not just a signature line at the bottom.

Emergency medical authorization

Permission for the organization to arrange and consent to emergency treatment if the volunteer is unable to, plus an emergency contact and any relevant medical information.

Minor consent

For a volunteer under the age of majority — common for school, church, and community-group volunteering — a parent or guardian signs in the volunteer's place and accepts the same terms.

Signature & date

The waiver isn't effective until the volunteer (or their parent/guardian) has signed and dated it.