Volunteer FAQ
People volunteer for many different reasons—some are fulfilling school or class requirements, others want to give back to their community, or simply try volunteering for the first time. Whatever your reason, volunteering is a way to learn, grow, and make a meaningful impact.
Before applying, it can help to reflect on a few key questions:
-
Why am I volunteering? Understanding your own motivation can help you set personal goals and get the most out of your experience.
-
What skills or interests do I have? What do I want to learn? Think about the skills you bring and the skills you’d like to develop through volunteering.
-
How much time can I commit? Consider your existing schedule so you don’t overextend yourself.
-
Which type of opportunity fits my availability? You can choose between Event-Based opportunities or ongoing placements (like a weekly volunteer role). Every volunteer experience is valuable.
-
Does the placement align with my goals and style? Make sure the opportunity matches your interests, skills, and preferred way of working.
The first and most important step is to submit a Volunteer Application Form.
After submitting, you should receive an automatic email confirming the submission. If you did not receive one, please check your junk mail. If you did not receive the automatic email, this could mean that the form was not submitted successfully. Please try again to submit the form and ensure that you have completed the entire application.
Next, the Volunteer Coordinator will review your form and reach out to you to welcome you as a Basic Volunteer. The Volunteer Coordinator will reach out to you for more information or if we have questions.
You can also click here to browse the volunteer opportunities before or after submitting the Volunteer Application Form.
Organizations set their own minimum age guidelines. The type of volunteer position is a big factor in being able to volunteer.
Some organizations accept volunteers with a minimum age of 13, while others set their minimum age requirement at 18.
For Volunteer Lethbridge, individuals who are 17 years old or younger are categorized as Youth Volunteers. Youth Volunteers can only be assigned as a Basic Volunteer; however, there are Advanced Opportunities that welcome youth, too. If you express interest in an opportunity that does not explicitly state age requirements, the Volunteer Coordinator will let you know if you qualify. Youth Volunteers cannot be an Advanced Volunteer until they turn 18.
Your volunteer profile is automatically created after you submit your Volunteer Application Form. If you forgot your username, please reach out to: hello@volunteerlethbridge.com or use this form.
If we cannot find your profile, it very likely means that you did not properly submit the Volunteer Lethbridge Volunteer Application Form.
First, please make sure you are on the correct website: https://app.betterimpact.com/Login/
You should use the username that you created when you submitted the Volunteer Application Form.
If you forgot your username, please send an email to: hello@volunteerlethbridge.com or use this contact form.
Step 1:
Log in to MyImpact. If you forgot your username and/or password, send an email to hello@volunteerlethbridge.com or use this form.
Step 2:
On a web browser, select Hours at the top of the page.
On mobile, there is a menu at the top left corner of the screen to find Hours.
If you are a volunteer for another organization that uses MyImpact, make sure you select "Volunteer Lethbridge" for the "Please select an organization to log hours for" dropdown.
Do not forget to click Select Organization, and choose Volunteer Lethbridge. On mobile, the Select Organization button is not available, so you just need to select Volunteer Lethbridge.
Step 3:
Select the Please select an activity dropdown menu and choose the appropriate organization you volunteered for through Volunteer Lethbridge.
University of Lethbridge students: If you agreed to record your hours for the MyExperience Transcript program, please select "MyExperience Transcript - Volunteer Experience" from the dropdown menu. This way, we can send your volunteer hours to the university.
Step 4:
To log your volunteer hours, enter the date and the number of hours and/or minutes you volunteer. You can log hours from past volunteer shifts. Simply select the appropriate date you volunteered.
We encourage you to log your volunteer hours because it can be used on your resume or for school/employment requirements. We can quickly provide you that if we have a record in BetterImpact. Your recorded hours will not be deleted, even if you become an archived volunteer. The only time your information is deleted is if you ask us to delete your profile.
Basic and Advanced are terms we use to refer to the requirements needed for volunteers and volunteer opportunities.
For example, “Basic” Volunteers mean that these volunteers were not required to submit screening documents. Whereas, “Advanced” Volunteers successfully submitted all the required screening document.
“Basic” volunteer opportunities are those that do not require volunteers to be screened; “Advanced” opportunities have requirements, such as screening documents, for volunteers to obtain before volunteering for the opportunity/organization.
As you start your journey with Volunteer Lethbridge, you will be a Basic Volunteer. We will only begin the Advanced Volunteer screening process if/when a volunteer expresses interest in an Advanced Opportunity.
Once you have expressed interest in an Advanced Volunteer Opportunity, our Volunteer Coordinator will reach out to set up an Advanced Volunteer Meeting to get some information from you and provide you with all the information you will need to become an Advanced Volunteer.
The actual requirements differ by the Advanced Volunteer Opportunity. Generally, we require two (2) Reference Checks and a Police Information Check. However, during your meeting with our Volunteer Coordinator, they will explain all the specific requirements for you to be able to volunteer for that Advanced Volunteer Opportunity.
The timeline depends on how quickly you, the volunteer, are able to complete each step. Volunteer Lethbridge will support you and provide guidance and information, but it is your responsibility to gather and submit the required documents to us.
In most cases, the Police Information Check takes the longest – around 10 business days. The Reference Checks depend on how quickly your referee responds to the form.
Volunteer Lethbridge, and other nonprofit organizations, try our best to respond to you as soon as possible. However, response times can vary depending on the season and how busy we are, typically ranging from 1 to 14 business days.
Please also keep in mind that technical issues can sometimes cause delays. If your message is urgent or time-sensitive, don't hesitate to reach out.
After you are referred to the organization, you will receive an email with the subject line “You have been referred!” Often, you will receive a different email per opportunity you were referred.
There will be a date in the email indicating when you should expect the organization to reach out to you. If by that date they do not reach out to you, please let us know as soon as possible so that we can inform the organization that you are waiting for them. Typically, the date is 7 business days after you were referred.
For example: Volunteer A was referred on October 28, 2025. They receive an email that they have been referred. In that email, it was stated that if they do not receive a phone call or email from the organization they were referred to, to reach out to Volunteer Lethbridge on November 6, 2025 before 4:30pm. On November 6th, if they have yet to be contacted by the organization, it is Volunteer A's responsibility to send an email to Volunteer Lethbridge.
Volunteer Lethbridge only refers volunteers to its Member Organizations. Of those Members, not every organization has volunteer opportunities available at the same point in time, and placement is not guaranteed. Some organizations only accept volunteers seasonally, some opportunities are event-based, and some organizations only accept volunteers who can commit to a one year volunteer commitment. Accepting new volunteers is very specific based on the operational needs of the organization.
Click here to view opportunities that are currently available.
Not every nonprofit is going to have volunteer opportunities. In some cases, staff capacity, funding, or program schedules can also affect whether an organization is able to host volunteers. Even if they don’t currently have openings, these organizations still play an important role in our community!
Organizations often understand unexpected life events. Please contact your supervisor and let them know as soon as possible about the change in your availability.
It happens! We suggest that you have a conversation with your supervisor in the organization you were referred to and let them know it’s not working out for you. There might be an opportunity where the organization can suggest a different placement within that organization, or suggest ways to make the volunteer placement more successful – it’s very likely that the organization will do everything possible to make sure you are engaged and fulfilled.
You can always touch base with Volunteer Lethbridge; we can help you figure out what wasn’t working and go back to the drawing board to identify other volunteer placements. What we don’t want you to do is just stop showing up to your shift – so let’s problem solve before that happens!
After you have started your volunteer placement (i.e., you are onboarded by the organization you were referred to), you can remain as an affiliate of Volunteer Lethbridge. This will give you opportunities to:
- Participate in training and education
- Touch base with us on volunteer related questions
- Engage with other organizations for more volunteer opportunities, either through Volunteer Lethbridge or the community
We expect active communication. If you moved, prefer to be a Basic Volunteer, or have questions - please let us know so that we can help and change your profile where needed!
If you have questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to us. Our Volunteer Coordinator, your primary contact for all things volunteerism related, will be happy to assist you.
Got Questions? Need Support? Reach out Below!
We’re here to help. If you have questions about volunteering or need assistance with the application process, our Volunteer Coordinator is happy to connect with you! Just fill out the form below to get started.
"*" indicates required fields