Assign Academy training to a volunteer

Assign a free VolunteerBadge Academy course from a volunteer's profile or the Compliance Roster, track completion automatically, confirm a certificate earned under a different email, and approve it into their compliance record.

Assign a volunteer a free VolunteerBadge Academy course — mandated reporter training, background-check awareness, or any course in the catalog — track when they finish it, and approve it into their compliance record. It's a free perk included with every account.

Where to find it

Assign one volunteer from their profile's Training section, or assign many at once with Bulk assign training on Dashboard → Manage → Compliance Roster. You can also just ask Victor.

1. Assign the course

Pick a course and a volunteer (or several, from the Roster). The volunteer is immediately emailed a link to start the course on academy.volunteerbadge.com— it's free, self-paced, and takes anywhere from a few minutes to under an hour depending on the course.

That link is personal to them. It tells Academy which assignment they came from, so the certificate they earn is tied straight back to your record for them — and their name and the email you have on file are already filled in on the certificate form when they finish.

2. Completion is detected automatically

Once the volunteer finishes the course and passes its exam, their status on the volunteer's Training section and the Roster's Training column changes to “Completed — awaiting approval” right away, and org owners and admins get a notification — no need to chase them for proof.

If they took the course under a different email

A volunteer who started from the emailed assignment link is matched automatically even if they change the address on their certificate. But a volunteer who found the course on their own — searched for it, or used a link a friend sent — has no assignment attached, and we match those by email. If theirs doesn't line up with the one on their record, we won't link it on a name alone.

When we spot a certificate for that course that looks like them, the Training section shows “Someone named … finished this course under …” with Yes, that's them and Not them. Confirming marks it complete so you can approve it. You can also always use Already finished it? and paste the certificate ID from their PDF (the code at the end of its verification link).

3. Approve it into their compliance record

Click Approveto add it to the volunteer's compliance record (the same Credentials shown on the Roster). If the course should be retaken periodically (e.g. annual mandated-reporter training), set an expiration date when you approve it — that's what makes the Roster's compliance light turn yellow or red when it lapses.

The volunteer keeps their own Academy certificate either way

Approving here doesn't gate anything on the volunteer's side — their VolunteerBadge Academy certificate of completion is issued the moment they pass, same as any self-directed learner. They can download the PDF, open the public verification page, or click Add to LinkedInto send the certificate details to LinkedIn's Licenses & Certifications form (they check the details and save it in LinkedIn — no VolunteerBadge LinkedIn sign-in required). Approval only affects your organization's own compliance record.

Roster — the Training column shows assigned, completed, and approved courses at a glance. · click to enlarge

Training assignments are free — the only thing you ever pay for is background checks, at $5 each.