A small nonprofit running a single volunteer event might need a dozen people to sign a liability waiver, a handful to sign a photo/media release, and a coordinator to file the same organizational details — EIN, address, program name — into a grant application right after. Most of that paperwork repeats the same handful of facts across many people or many forms, which is exactly the kind of task volunteer coordinators and small program staff don't have spare hours for.
Nonprofits speed up volunteer and grant paperwork by filling each volunteer's or funder's details once, then generating every waiver, intake form, or application from saved profiles instead of retyping shared information each time. Batch filling handles the "same form, many people" case — like signing in a dozen volunteers for one event — in a single run.
Why does volunteer paperwork take longer than it should?
A volunteer intake packet often bundles a liability waiver, an emergency contact form, and sometimes a photo release into one signing session — three documents, each needing the same name, phone number, and emergency contact repeated. Multiply that by every volunteer at an event, and staff end up doing the same data entry dozens of times in an afternoon.
How does batch filling help with a volunteer event?
Collect each volunteer's name and contact details once (a simple sign-in sheet or a shared intake link works), save each as a profile, then run a batch fill so the same waiver generates individually for every volunteer in one pass instead of one at a time — the same approach covered in filling the same form for many people at once. Each volunteer still reviews and signs their own copy.
What forms do most volunteer programs actually need?
A liability waiver covers the standard acknowledgment of risk for hands-on volunteer activities. If the event involves photos or video for the nonprofit's own marketing or reporting, a media release gets consent from anyone who might appear in that footage — both are common enough that having them pre-filled and ready to send saves setup time before every event, not just the first one.
Can volunteers sign without creating an account?
Yes — send each volunteer a no-login link to their filled waiver or release. They review it, add a signature, and submit from their phone, which matters at in-person events where asking someone to download an app or create a login before they can help isn't realistic.
Does this help with grant applications, or just volunteer forms?
The same underlying details — organization name, EIN, mailing address, program description — get retyped across nearly every grant application a small nonprofit submits. Saving those as a reusable profile means less re-entry per application. Organizations that don't yet have an EIN on file can start from the official SS-4 (EIN application) in Filly's form library before their first grant cycle.
Is this realistic for an all-volunteer or single-staff nonprofit?
The free plan covers up to 10 filled documents a month at no cost, which is enough for a small nonprofit to run one event's worth of waivers or fill a few grant applications without budgeting for new software. Larger programs running frequent events or filing many grants in a season are the ones who'll notice batch fill's time savings most.
Frequently asked questions
Is this free for a small nonprofit to use?
Yes, the free plan includes 10 filled documents a month with no credit card required; paid plans start at $19/month if a program needs more volume or batch fill.
Can we reuse the same waiver template for every event?
Yes — save it once and fill it fresh for each event's volunteer list; the template itself doesn't need to be rebuilt each time.
Is volunteers' personal information handled securely?
Data is encrypted and never used to train AI models — see the security page for details. This is general information, not legal advice; confirm your organization's own data-handling obligations for minors or sensitive information before collecting it this way.
Can a grant funder's own form be uploaded, or only Filly's templates?
Any PDF or Word form can be uploaded and filled, including a funder's own application document — it isn't limited to Filly's built-in templates.