Onboarding Checklist

New Member Onboarding Checklist

Use this checklist when welcoming a new member to your Junto group. Adapt it to your community’s needs.

Before Their First Meeting

• Sponsor sends personal introduction to the group chat/email
• New member receives a copy of the community charter
• New member receives the code of conduct
• New member is added to the communication platform
• New member receives meeting schedule, link, and format overview
• New member is assigned a “buddy” (experienced member for questions)

At Their First Meeting

• Facilitator welcomes new member by name
• Brief round of introductions from all members (not just the new person)
• Facilitator explains meeting format and norms
• Key expectations stated: confidentiality, participation, respect
• New member invited to participate but not pressured

First Two Weeks

• Buddy checks in: “How did the first meeting feel?”
• New member has access to all community resources (wiki, shared docs, etc.)
• Sponsor makes sure new member knows how to reach out with questions

First Month

• Buddy checks in at least twice more
• New member has attended at least 2-3 meetings
• New member has been directly invited to contribute at least once
• Sponsor solicits feedback: “What’s working? What surprised you? What would you change?”

After First Month

• Mutual commitment conversation: “Do you want to continue? Do we want to continue?”
• If yes: transition from “new member” to full member
• If no: respectful, no-pressure parting

Notes

• Don’t overwhelm — Spread information over weeks, not all at once
• Ask, don’t assume — Check what they already know before explaining everything
• Watch for silence — If they’re not participating by meeting 3, check in privately
• The buddy matters — This single relationship makes or breaks the onboarding experience