Navigating Liability: Top Digital Waiver Tips for Schools

Fundraising is necessary for the vast majority of schools—but that doesn’t mean that it can’t be fun and exciting. Fundraising events are one of the most engaging ways to raise money for your school, as they draw in both old and new supporters. Plus, they give your donors a great experience in exchange for their support.

However, any event comes with some level of risk for participants, which is why it’s key to use waivers to inform participants of those risks and help protect your school from potential legal issues. Choosing digital waivers makes managing this process streamlined and much simpler, so event attendees still have a great experience.

In this guide, we’ll explore some waiver basics and dig into a few tips you can use to make your waivers more effective. Let’s get started!

Why does your school need to use waivers?

You may associate waivers with exceptionally risky activities that only the most thrill-seeking individuals sign. However, waivers are common across many industries, even for mundane activities.

Smartwaiver’s guide to activity waivers defines these forms as agreements between an organization providing the activity and the participant. When signed, waivers show that the participant has acknowledged any risks and agreed to release the provider from liability for damages. Here are a few scenarios in which your school might need a waiver:

• Holding physical activities (e.g., a Super Party fundraising event with inflatables)
• Hosting volunteer opportunities
• Using facilities and equipment
• Obtaining a photo and media release

While it may be tempting to skip a pesky administrative step like waivers, your school could see some benefits from getting participant signatures. A few of the top benefits of using digital waivers are that they:

• Protect against potential legal issues. The main purpose of having a waiver is to protect against potential costly legal problems (e.g., someone suing due to an injury or other loss during the event). Remember that each region has specific regulations around waivers, so always work with a lawyer and practice due diligence.
• Prepare participants. Waivers can inform participants of possible risks and other considerations. For example, you might let parents know to bring their children a change of clothes if there will be water activities at the event. You can also add training videos to the waivers if needed to ensure all participants have the knowledge needed to join your event safely.
• Collect supporter information. While the goal of a waiver is to obtain a signature, you can ask participants to contribute additional information. For example, they may fill in their contact information and birth date or indicate how they heard about your fundraiser, which can aid future communications with them by revealing details you can use to personalize your messages.
• Gather feedback. Finally, you can include optional surveys within the waiver to get feedback from participants. Ask them about the quality of your fundraiser, whether they think your marketing efforts were effective, or if they have any suggestions for future campaigns.

Again, waivers are legal documents and should be treated as such. Always consult with a lawyer and avoid shortcuts like copy-and-paste templates or low-quality, free software.

3 Tips for Using Digital Waivers

1. Select secure, quality waiver signing software.

The success of your digital waivers depends on the tool you choose. While there are a host of free waiver software options out there, they often need more security and premium features you need.

Instead, look for a trusted provider with waivers that are:

• Secure: Waivers hold sensitive information about your supporters, so data security is key. Your software provider should have security measures like encryption and two-factor authentication (2FA) in place and hold standard security certifications.
• Compliant: Electronic signatures are just as valid as wet signatures (i.e., those made by hand, on paper). However, it’s still a good idea to choose software that helps you align with legal fundraising regulations and requirements. For example, each waiver might have a unique document ID and be certified as being authentic.
• Shareable: One major perk of using digital waivers over paper ones is that participants can sign them ahead of time rather than managing paperwork at the event. Make sure you can easily link to the waiver or embed the form on your website.
• Easy to use: Waivers should be easy to create, manage, and sign. Choose a provider that makes setup easy by offering templates you can customize with your waiver language, unlimited custom fields, and school branding.

Additionally, look for a platform willing to go the extra mile. In the tech world, this means offering regular updates, maintaining the technology, providing reliable support, and consistently looking for ways to improve the customer experience.

2. Tailor waivers to your needs.

Each school’s needs are different, and those needs can change from event to event. For example, if your school earns a Big Event Prize, your waiver may need to change depending on whether you choose the Reptile Adventure or Super Splash Party event. Or, maybe you’re holding an event like a school sleepover from 99Pledges’ guide and need to add a list of the movies you’ll show and snacks students will have.

In these cases, take the time to customize your waivers to fit the event, which could mean:

• Acknowledging risks specific to that event
• Adding more questions or fields
• Offering waivers for adults and minors (i.e., a parent or guardian signs on behalf of their child)
• Tweaking the layout or format of the waiver
• Addressing venue requirements or rental usage rules
• Asking for a photo release (e.g., you plan to use photos from the event in future communications, like the yearbook)

This is just another reason why having a flexible and user-friendly waiver tool is so important. With this tool, you can easily add and remove fields depending on the risks involved with your event.

3. Share the forms ahead of time.

Remember to share your waiver any time you promote your fundraiser online. Then, parents can take care of the form before the event, eliminating traffic at your check-in desk. For example, if you’re having a back-to-school fundraising event, you can share the waiver at orientation or on school supply lists.

Some of the ways to get your waivers out there are to:

• Post links on social media
• Email links to parents and other past supporters
• Post scannable QR codes at school and on any printed promotional materials
• Embed the waiver on your website or link to the form on your event landing page

It’s also a good idea to have a backup option for attendees who don’t sign the waiver in advance. You might set up waiver kiosk tablets at the event where they can sign the waiver or have them scan QR codes using their smartphones.

Digital waivers can do so much more than protect your school—you can use them to learn more about your supporters, help them prepare for the event, and even personalize your communications. But to do this, you need a high-quality, helpful waiver software provider. Before your next exciting fundraising event, make sure to invest in your digital waiver technology and take the time to craft forms that fit your school’s needs and goals.

Author Bio

Clay Boggess has been designing fundraising programs for schools and various nonprofit organizations throughout the US since 1999. He's helped administrators, teachers, and outside support entities such as PTAs and PTOs raise millions of dollars. Clay is an owner and partner at Big Fundraising Ideas.