Volunteer Onboarding: Start Here

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What a Shift Looks Like

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Nobody tells you that most of a shift is paperwork and waiting. Here is the honest version.

By the end of this lesson you will be able to…

  • Know what a shift involves
  • Set realistic expectations

A typical Saturday

TimeWhat you are doing
09:00Kit check, sign in, read the overnight notes
09:30First voter. Intake takes about twenty minutes.
11:00A case you cannot resolve. You escalate. It is fine.
12:30Lunch. Genuinely take it.
14:00Paperwork, mailers, case notes
15:00Hand-off and sign out

The honest part

You will help perhaps six people. Two of those cases will resolve today; the rest will take weeks. One person will be angry with you about something that is not your fault. And one will come back a month later to tell you they voted.

That is the job

It is slower and more administrative than people expect, and it matters more than it looks like it does from the outside.


Key takeaways

  • Six voters, two resolutions, a lot of paperwork
  • Escalating is normal, not a failure