# How can I set up a review process for volunteer applications?
> Source: https://support.associationsphere.com/how-can-i-set-up-a-review-process-for-volunteer-applications | Updated: 2026-07-15T20:30:40Z
**Survey/Form Settings**
If you would like to track the status or perform a review of the volunteer applications submissions, you can enable this on the Survey/Form Settings tab and set **Enable Internal Review** to **YES**.
This will activate the following options:
- **Survey/Form Name**- if you would like to evaluate the submission using another survey, you can create the additional survey and then select it from the dropdown menu.
- The additional survey must be a survey (not a poll) and it cannot be marked “Internal Only.”
- It also will not require distribution via email since it will be used only to perform these Internal Review. Adding an additional survey is OPTIONAL.
- You do not need to create an additional survey to perform a review and update the Review Status.
- **Internal Contacts** - you can identify who in your organization will receive a notification to perform the review. This selection is also optional.
- **External Contacts** - allows you to select a constituent in your database to also receive a notification, for example a board member that will be helping you perform reviews. This selection is also optional.
- **Review Status**- you will need to add options to this list to assign to your respondents. Examples include Pending, Awaiting Review, Approved, Denied, Open, Closed, or Waitlisted.
- Click on ****to open the window to add your review statuses.
- Once you add your options, select one which will be applied as the default status when the survey is submitted, for example “Awaiting Review,” to indicate that it has not been reviewed yet.
- The Review Status options you have added will be available on all other surveys which enable internal review.
Always click on **Save**or **Save & Next**to save any changes made to this tab.
In the example below, we created a short survey used to evaluate volunteer applications. The review survey will be linked to the original Submission ID.
**Surveys/Forms Results Grid**
Internal Reviews can be performed from the Applications or Surveys/Forms Results grid in the Detailed - Long Form view or they can be performed by the link received if you are identified or assigned as a reviewer. You do not need to be assigned as a reviewer to perform the review. Any user with full access to the Volunteer or Surveys/Forms module can perform a review.
To check the Review Status on the grid, scroll over to the far right side of the grid to see the current**Review Status**and who is **Currently Assigned** to perform the reviews. You can also see the **DateTime Last Review, Review Comment**, and **Last Reviewed By**.
The **Status** column is only related to the status of the submission, whether is was Submitted or In Progress.
**Assigning Reviewers**
If no one is assigned or you wish to change who is assigned, you can click on the contact icon (blue person) under the **Assign**column. This will open a new window allowing you to select the **Internal**or**External Contact**and customize the email they will receive with the link to perform the review. Click**Send** to send the request.
Those assigned to perform the review will receive an email like the one shown below with a link to perform the review.
Clicking on the link will open the original submission on the left and, if you are using another survey to document the review, it will appear on the right.
If you are not using another survey, you will only see the original submission and the fields to change the status and comments above the submission.
If completing another survey, once the review survey is complete, the reviewer can click on **Submit** to save their review. All reviews submitted via an additional survey are also saved in the Surveys/Forms Results page and are linked to the original submission.
The reviewer can also update the review **Status**by choosing the new status from the dropdown menu, add **Comments**and then click on Save to update the **Review Date**and**Reviewed By** fields to reflect the latest review.
Internal users can also perform the reviews directly from the grid by using the **Tools** menu and selecting **Review.** This will open the same review window as described above and the reviewer can submit their review survey (as applicable) and update the **Review Status** and **Comments** fields.
**Review Surveys**
For those internal reviews that include an additional survey to document the review, you can find all the results in the Surveys/Forms Results grid.
The grid will include the name of the**Reviewer**, all their survey responses, a link to the original **Applicant Submission ID** as well as the **Applicant First** and **Last Name**.
On the left side of the grid is also the Submission ID link, which will open the reviewer's survey response. The Actions menu is also available to export the reviews using the **Export to Excel**link. Note that the other Action Menu options, like **Batch Update**or **Send Direct Email**, apply to the applicants listed under the First Name, Last Name and Email fields on the left side of the grid.
