❖ Heads up! This article is only intended for Site Managers.
By the end of this article, you will be able to:
Understand what Benchmarks are and how they support volunteer engagement.
Add and customize Benchmarks for your site.
Identify available badge options.
Overview
Benchmarks let you recognize and motivate your volunteers by celebrating their achievements. When a volunteer reaches a goal—such as completing a set number of hours—they earn a badge that appears on their profile and volunteer resume.
Note: Benchmark updates take overnight to display on the site.
How it Works
A Site Manager creates and sets the parameters for the benchmark.
The volunteer achieves the benchmark.
The Benchmark Awarded notification is sent to volunteers after they complete that benchmark.
You can edit the notification at any time by visiting Communication > Notifications > Benchmark Awarded.
To learn more about updating your site's notifications, see our article, Managing Your Site's Automated Notifications.
Please note, only the volunteer receives an automated notification once they achieve a benchmark. Site Managers and Program Managers can track benchmark progress by using the User Filter and applying the following filter: Volunteer > Benchmark > has achieved > [name of benchmark].
Adding Benchmarks
Go to Volunteerism > Benchmarks.
Click Add New Benchmark.
Customize your benchmark:
Field | Description |
Status |
|
Title | Add a clear, descriptive name (e.g., Superstar Vol). |
Badge | Select the badge rewarded when volunteers meet the goal.  |
Hours Required | Enter the number of hours volunteers must complete. |
Start/End Dates | Only hours submitted within this date range will count. |
Approval Required | Toggle On if only approved hours should apply.  |
Allow Individual Hours | Toggle On to let Individual Hours count toward the goal. |
User Group | Choose a specific User Group if only its members should be eligible. |
Available Badges
Badges come in bronze, silver, and gold, and each color includes multiple wording options for celebrating volunteer milestones.
Badge | What it looks like |
Bronze - 10 Hours |  |
Bronze - 25 Hours |  |
Bronze - Community Champion |  |
Bronze - I Made a Difference |  |
Bronze - Outstanding Service |  |
Silver - 20 Hours |  |
Silver - 50 Hours |  |
Silver - Community Champion |  |
Silver - I Made a Difference |  |
Silver - Outstanding Service |  |
Gold - 50 Hours |  |
Gold - 100 Hours |  |
Gold - Community Champion |  |
Gold - I Made a Difference |  |
Gold - Outstanding Service |  |