Heads up! This article is only intended for Center Site Managers who have opted in to sharing their Needs through Volunteer Link.
By the end of this article, you will be able to:
Prepare your Agencies and Agency Managers for Volunteer Link
Confirm that your Needs are clear, searchable, and ready for Volunteer Link volunteers
Step 1: Make Sure Your Agencies and Agency Managers are Ready
Unless Agency Managers choose to hide their Agency and Needs from Volunteer Link, their Agency Profile will appear on Volunteer Link platforms. Here are some steps you can take to make sure that the Agency profile is up to date and that the Agency Managers are prepared for Volunteer Link volunteer responses.
1.Check your Agency list for incomplete Agencies
You can quickly see a list of Agencies who have not completed their Agency profiles. Use these steps to see who needs to update their profile, and how to notify them about needing to update their profile if you wish.
Go to Volunteerism > Agencies
Click the Incomplete Agencies tab
The chart shows an icon where there is missing information from the profile
To request that Agency Managers complete their profile, check the box next to that Agency. Click Notify Agency Managers to trigger the notification (called "Agency Incomplete Notification" in the Notifications page)
2.Send an Email Blast to your Agency Managers about Volunteer Link
Help your Agencies succeed by informing Agency Managers about what to expect from Volunteer Link. You can use this template to share information with your Agency Managers. Here are the steps to send an Email Blast to Agency Managers.
Go to Communication > Email Blast
Click User Filter and create the filter And > Agency > Agency Manager > Is Agency Manager
Fill out the rest of the Email Blast. You may want to copy/paste the text in this template
Click Send Email Blast
Step 2: Review Volunteer Needs When Sharing on Volunteer Link
Before sharing volunteer Needs on Volunteer Link, take a few minutes to confirm they are accurate, complete, and easy for new volunteers to understand. Use the steps below as a quick checklist.
1. Review the Title and Description
The title and description are the first things volunteers see.
Use a clear, specific title that describes the opportunity
Add helpful details in the description that are not covered elsewhere on the Create a Need form, such as:
Special instructions
Physical requirements
Additional contact information
What a volunteer can expect on their first day
Clear and detailed descriptions help volunteers decide quickly if a Need is right for them.
2. Confirm the Duration
Verify that the Need is set up with the correct time commitment.
Scheduled Needs (custom or recurring shifts):
Have assigned time slots and shifts
Are best for shifts occurring throughout the day, over several days, or recurring shifts
Is Ongoing Needs:
Allow more flexibility
Are best for opportunities without fixed schedules
Happens On
Great for holiday events or opportunities with a fixed date
Multi-Date
Best for opportunities occurring across several days without specific shift times
Choose the option that best reflects how volunteers will actually participate.
3. Check Assigned Interests
Interests help volunteers find volunteer Needs that match their skills or passions.
Add all relevant Interests to the Need
Remember that volunteers can filter and search by Interests on your site
Including accurate Interests improves visibility and volunteer matching.
4. Privacy Setting
A volunteer Need's default privacy setting is public. However, you can change it to Private if you want to control access to the Need.
Please note that once a Need is private, it will not be shared through Volunteer Link. The private Need will have to be shared via a share link or through a User Group.
To update the privacy setting of an existing volunteer Need:
Go to Volunteerism > Needs.
Select the Need.
Under Promotions & Sharing, select Private and click Update Need to save your changes.
