❖ Heads up! This article is intended for Agency Managers.
By the end of this article, you will be able to:
Assign Interests to a volunteer Need
Update the Interests associated with an existing Need
Understand how Interests help volunteers find opportunities
Interests and Volunteer Needs
Interests help volunteers discover opportunities that match their skills or areas of interest.
When creating a Need, you must associate at least one Interest with it. This allows volunteers to filter and search for Needs by Interest, making it easier for them to find opportunities that fit their preferences.
Select Interests When Creating a Need
When creating a Need, you must select at least one Interest to associate with it.
You can also update the Interests assigned to a Need later if needed.
Updating Interests
You can add, remove, or change the primary Interest for an existing Need.
Go to My Agency > Needs.
Select the Need you want to update.
Scroll to Interests & Abilities on the Edit Need page.
Make your changes:
Add an Interest using the dropdown menu
Remove an Interest by clicking the X beside it
Set a primary Interest by selecting the star icon. The primary Interest determines which Interest icon appears in the volunteer view on the Needs page.
Click Update Need to save your changes.
Default Interests list
Every site has a set of default Interests. However, the site manager can add custom Interests as well. Please note that you may not see these Interests as an option if the Site Manager has added or removed any from the default list.
Want a new Interest for your volunteer Needs? Please contact your Site Manager to discuss adding custom Interests that better fit your agency's Needs as they manage all Interests for the site. Your site manager is the best point of contact for discussing alternative options.
Interest & Icon | Types of Needs |
Advocacy
 | outreach coordinators; speakers; letter-writing; organizing; education; research; rallies; voter education; lobbying; legal; attending public meetings; community forums; phone bank |
Board Service
 | advisory board; executive board; committee service |
Clerical
 | customer service, office duties; grant writing |
Court-Mandated
 | court-mandated volunteer work |
Education
 | tutoring; arts instruction; homework help; training; reading/literacy; STEM; mentoring |
Finance
 | financial planning; tax preparation; financial coaching |
Food Prep
 | meal preparation; hunger relief |
In-Kind
 | monetary; clothing; canned and non-perishable foods |
Legal
 | legal |
Marketing
 | social networking; phone calls; developing/disseminating flyers, brochures, and other marketing tools |
Medical
 | first-aid classes; healthcare/hospice |
Nonprofit Professional
 | internships; finance; seasonal; full-time and part-time; development; AmeriCorps; clerical; program; contract; executive |
Physical Labor
 | construction work; home repairs; painting; cleaning; transportation; garden work |
Skilled Labor
 | construction; painting; home repairs; electrician; nursing; carpentry; maintenance |
Social
 | event planning; client interaction; fundraising; bilingual/Spanish speaking |
Technology
 | computer use; social media; web design/development; other software |