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Welcome Bingo for Volunteers and New Groups

A simple welcome activity that helps new volunteers meet the people around them and feel part of the group from the start.

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Give a new group an easy reason to start talking.

Welcome Bingo turns introductions into a simple activity. Each square describes something that might be true of someone in the room, and people complete their card by finding the person it belongs to.

It suits volunteer inductions, orientation sessions and the first meet-up of a new group, where people arrive as individuals and need a comfortable way to start.

How to run this activity

Hand out a bingo card to each volunteer at the start of the welcome session. Volunteers move around the room, finding others who match each square and noting their name in the box. Give a clear time limit, then bring the group back together to hear a few highlights from completed cards. This is a good lead-in to formal introductions or role assignments.

A simple icebreaker for a new group

Nobody has to introduce themselves to a room. People talk in twos and threes, ask a short question and move on, which is far easier than a formal round of introductions.

It also gives experienced members of the group a natural way to welcome newcomers without turning the session into a briefing.

How to play Welcome Bingo

  1. Hand out a card to everyone, or share the live game with a QR code.
  2. Explain that each square needs a different person.
  3. Give a clear time limit before the main session starts.
  4. Players talk to others and mark a square when they find a match.
  5. Stop the activity when someone completes a line or a full card.
  6. Bring the group back together and hear a few highlights.

Welcome Bingo prompt ideas

  • Has volunteered before.
  • Is here for the first time.
  • Lives within walking distance.
  • Speaks more than one language.
  • Has a pet at home.
  • Can drive a minibus or van.
  • Enjoys being outdoors.
  • Has helped at an event like this one.
  • Knows someone else in the room.
  • Is looking forward to one thing in particular.

Make it specific to your group

Mix light personal prompts with questions connected to the organisation, so people learn something useful about the work as well as about each other.

For an ongoing team, include prompts that help newcomers meet the people they will work alongside. For a one-off event, keep the card short and focused on introductions before the task begins.

Play live or print the cards

Live play needs nothing more than a phone and a QR code, and every card is randomised automatically.

Printed cards suit rooms where phones would get in the way, or where people like to write a name in each box.

Full prompt list

  1. Find someone who has volunteered somewhere else before
  2. Find someone who heard about this opportunity from a friend
  3. Find someone who has a skill they want to bring to volunteering
  4. Find someone who lives in the local area
  5. Find someone who has a favourite cause close to their heart
  6. Find someone who has volunteered for more than a year
  7. Find someone who is volunteering for the first time
  8. Find someone who enjoys working outdoors
  9. Find someone who has organised an event before
  10. Find someone who wants to meet new people through volunteering
  11. Find someone who has a hobby that could help the team
  12. Find someone who has driven or travelled far to be here today
  13. Find someone who volunteers with family members too
  14. Find someone who has a story about why they got involved
  15. Find someone who enjoys working with children or older people
  16. Find someone who has fundraised for a cause before
  17. Find someone who is retired and enjoying new free time
  18. Find someone who is a student volunteering alongside studies
  19. Find someone who has a favourite past volunteering memory
  20. Find someone who brought a friend along today
  21. Find someone who works in a completely different field day to day
  22. Find someone who has a talent for organising people
  23. Find someone who wants to learn something new here
  24. Find someone who has already met one of the team leaders

Customisation ideas

  • Add a prompt referencing your organisation's specific cause or recent milestone
  • Include long-serving volunteers as a way to spotlight their experience
  • Adapt prompts for a single-event activity like a clean-up day or fundraiser
  • Follow up with a group photo of everyone who completed a card

Frequently asked questions

Yes, the prompts focus on general interests and volunteering experience rather than age-specific topics, making it suitable for a mixed-age group. Organisers can tweak language for younger volunteer programmes if needed.

Yes, it works well for short-term events such as a community clean-up day, as it helps strangers introduce themselves quickly before getting to work. It only takes a few minutes to run.

Add one or two prompts that reference your specific cause or recent projects, which helps new volunteers connect the activity to why they are there. Keep the rest general so it stays approachable.

Yes. It works well as a short welcome or connection activity within a wider induction. Keep essential training, role expectations and safety information separate so nobody mistakes the game for the formal induction itself.

Related activity guidance

For more low-pressure ways to help unfamiliar groups start talking, explore RoomZing's icebreaker bingo ideas and templates.

Related templates

Make your Welcome Bingo your own

Use the ready-made game, change the prompts to suit your group and choose whether people play live or on printed cards.