Commitment

Formalizing the Commitment to Volunteer

This stage marks the most formal and administrative part of the AFS Volunteer Journey. Once a potential volunteer decides to join AFS, it’s time to make the commitment official.

From the AFS side, this means guiding the new volunteer through the registration process: starting with OneAFS, along with any national or local forms and requirements.

From the volunteer’s perspective, this moment should feel special. Offering a small, meaningful token of welcome, such as a pin, luggage tag, or t-shirt, helps reinforce their sense of belonging and recognition as part of the AFS community.

Questions for Analysis

Consider how clear, welcoming, and efficient your commitment process is for new volunteers:

✦ How are new volunteers currently registered on Global Link? Is the process clear and consistent?

✦ What additional national or local requirements (e.g. background checks, references) must be fulfilled?

✦ What token of membership do you currently offer? Is it meaningful and memorable to volunteers?

✦ How do chapters make new volunteers feel part of the AFS team during this formal stage?

Creating an Efficient and Efective Process

Make sure all new volunteers are guided through the OneAFS Registration process.
Have a clear plan at the local level, so that volunteers feel part of the team right away.
Keep track of the progress of all new volunteers to localize areas of improvement at the national and local level.
Map out the ideal timeline for completing all steps and use it to monitor progress.

Giving a Symbolic Token

Targeted Actions for Volunteer Motivation

Make sure your commitment process speaks to all Motivational Profiles:

📋 Task Achievement

Give them a checklist of fun, short things to achieve in their first weeks as a volunteer.

🏅 Self-Rewarding

Send them a welcome email from the Leadership and the Board to celebrate the impact they’re about to achieve.

🔧 Skills Development

Invite them to the Onboarding training and Foundations.

♥️ Relational

Connect them with a volunteer buddy to start building a relationship right away.

📣 Impact & Influence

Share stories of volunteers who have made a difference in the organization.

Induction

Building a shared commitment between the volunteer and the organization