Onboarding in Timecounts describes the initial point of entry for new volunteers before they enter the Directory, giving them access to sign up for private opportunities. There are a few decisions to make about how you wish onboarding to work. I'd like to walk through this together so you can understand how it works.
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The first question you need to answer is "Do you want everyone first to complete a form or onboarding tasks (ie. sign a waiver) before they sign up for opportunities?" If so, then go to Settings / Preferences and make sure 'Yes' is selected for the Restriction preference. This means that even if you have public opportunities, volunteers will be redirected to your onboarding flow or see an application pending status until you 'Add to Directory'.
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If you select 'No' for the restriction, you can still make sure people come through the onboarding flow first by making all your opportunities 'Private to Directory'. Which means they will have to join your hub to view. If you have public opportunities available, with the restriction set to 'No', then anyone can sign up as long as they have a Timecounts login (Name + Email).
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​Note: All opportunities have the option to review or auto-approve, so you'll still have controls available to monitor signups.

If you do not connect a form, the default 'No Form' means applicants will appear in your onboarding flow with only their Name and Email as part of the Timecounts login. Once you have created and published a Form, it's ready to be linked to the Hub. Go to Hub Editor and click on the Details tab across the top.

Open Registration is the default option for onboarding and it's what 90% of organizations prefer to use.

Customize the text on the main call-to-action button on your hub that people will click on to take them to the form you select. Try to make this an action like 'Join us!' 'Register Now' 'Get Started'. You can edit this at anytime, don't forget to press the Save button at the bottom of the page.
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From the dropdown in the first field where it says 'No Form' you can select from any published forms you have created.
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Next, select whether you want to review the new applicants or automatically approve. There is the ability to add a custom message on the success screen or thank you screen people see once their application is submitted. We advise keeping this text short and giving potential volunteers an idea of when they can expect to hear back from you or the next steps.
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The final step is to write a welcome message that volunteers will receive once they are added to the Directory from the Onboarding view. If you do not attach a custom template Timecounts will send a default email - but this is a fantastic opportunity to welcome the new volunteers personally, let them know of opportunities they can sign up for, or any additional resources you wish to share with them. You can find Templates in Settings / Data
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