❖ Heads up! This article is only intended for Agency Managers. Agency Managers are only available on Center sites.
By the end of this article, you will be able to:
Understand what Hand-Raising Needs are
Determine when to use a Hand-Raising Need
Manage the volunteer interest and vetting process
Hand-Raising Needs
Hand-Raising Needs allow volunteers to express interest in an opportunity before it is officially scheduled or assigned.
They work like a pre-screening step, helping you build interest and identify volunteers who may be a good fit before completing onboarding or training.
Hand-Raising Needs can be useful if you need volunteers to complete additional steps before participating.
For example:
Interviews
Onboarding steps or paperwork
Specialized training
Skill verification
They can also help you build a waitlist of interested volunteers or gather volunteers who may be needed for situations such as disaster response.
When to Use a Hand-Raising Need
Consider using a Hand-Raising Need if you want to:
Require interviews, onboarding steps, or training before volunteers participate
Vet volunteers to ensure their skills match your Agency’s needs
Build a list of interested volunteers for future opportunities or shifts
Gather volunteers who may be available for emergency or disaster response
Getting Started
Begin by identifying opportunities that require a screening or vetting process beyond a simple waiver or qualification.
A Hand-Raising Need typically includes:
A public Need where volunteers express interest
A private Need used after volunteers are approved
The process works best when:
Volunteers respond to the public Need to show interest
Approved volunteers are added to a User Group
The private Need is assigned to that User Group
Only Site Managers can create and manage User Groups and assign Needs to them.
Best practice: When creating a Hand-Raising Need, consider using the Is Ongoing duration type so volunteers can continue expressing interest over time.
How it Works
Here are the steps of this process:
1. Volunteers Express Interest
Volunteers find the public Need and click Respond.
The Need should clearly explain that volunteers are expressing interest, not signing up for the opportunity yet.
Submitting a response simply indicates interest in participating.
2. Review Volunteer Responses
You can review responses from volunteers who expressed interest and determine which individuals should move forward in the vetting process.
This may include interviews, training, paperwork, or other onboarding steps.
3. Approve and Add Volunteers to a User Group
Once volunteers complete the required steps and are approved, they can be added to a User Group.
User Groups are managed by the Site Manager, who can:
Create the group
Add approved volunteers
Assign private Needs to the group
4. Volunteers Access the Private Need
After volunteers are added to the User Group, they can view and respond to the private Need.
Private Needs are indicated by a lock icon on the Need card.
Volunteers will not see this Need until they have been added to the User Group.
5. Schedule Volunteers
Once volunteers respond to the private Need, you can begin scheduling them for shifts or assignments.