Heads up! This article is only intended for Center Site Managers working with Volunteer Link.
By the end of this article, you will be able to:
Explain what Volunteer Link is and how it connects corporate volunteers to your Needs
Understand what has changed on your Center site with the introduction of Volunteer Link
Describe how Site Managers and Agency Managers can use Volunteer Link effectively, including Collective Impact Days
What is Volunteer Link?
Volunteer Link is a corporate-facing platform that helps companies connect their employees to local volunteer opportunities across multiple organizations and states.
For your Center site, Volunteer Link acts as a bridge between:
Your public, active Needs
Corporate employees who are actively looking for ways to volunteer in their communities
Through Volunteer Link, corporate volunteers can:
Browse Needs from many organizations in one place
Search and filter opportunities in their area
Express interest in volunteering with specific Agencies
Respond directly to Needs that appear on your site
Companies can also submit project requests to your organization through Volunteer Link. These requests may be unpaid or paid opportunities, giving you an additional avenue for corporate partnerships and potential revenue.
What Changed on Your Platform?
With the introduction of Volunteer Link, your Center site now has expanded visibility to corporate volunteers. This does not change how your existing volunteers experience your site.
What's New for Your Site
Public, active Needs are automatically visible in Volunteer Link.
Site Managers and Agency Managers can control sharing through Promotions and Sharing settings in each Need.
Corporate Volunteer Link admins can submit tailored project requests directly to you.
Site Managers and Agency Managers can now add Needs to Collective Impact Days.
Agencies may receive interest from corporate volunteers even when they don’t have active Needs.
What Has NOT Changed
Your current volunteers do not see Volunteer Link features.
Your volunteers do not see Collective Impact Days filters.
Your volunteers do not see “Potential New Volunteers.”
You do not need to post Needs in multiple places—posting once is still enough.
Collective Impact Days
Collective Impact Days are nationally recognized days of service, such as Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Earth Day, or National Day of Service.
How They Work on Volunteer Link
Corporate volunteers can filter and search Needs by Collective Impact Days in Volunteer Link.
This helps match corporate volunteers with timely, mission-aligned opportunities.
How Site Managers and Agency Managers Use Them
You can add individual Needs to a Collective Impact Day.
You can also add all Needs within an Initiative to a Collective Impact Day.
The option to add a Need to a Collective Impact Day appears directly in the Need form.
Adding Needs to Collective Impact Days is a simple way to increase visibility and participation from corporate volunteers who are specifically looking to serve on these days.
Agency Manager Perspective
Agency Managers may notice a few new things with Volunteer Link.
What They May Experience
More responses to their public, active Needs.
A new “Potential New Volunteers (Volunteer Link)” section in the Needs tab if they have no active Needs. This collects interest from corporate volunteers who want to volunteer with that Agency.
How Agency Managers Control Visibility:
Turn off “I’m seeking new volunteers” in their Agency Edit page to limit interest.
Hide individual Needs from Volunteer Link in the Promotions and Sharing section of each Need.
Notifications
Agency Managers receive a notification when a corporate volunteer expresses interest via “Potential New Volunteers,” prompting them to review that list.
Collective Impact Days for Agencies
Like Site Managers, Agency Managers can add their Needs to Collective Impact Days to increase discoverability in Volunteer Link.
How Site Managers Can Support Agency Managers
You can help your Agencies get the most out of Volunteer Link by encouraging them to:
Review and update Agency profiles
Clear descriptions
Accurate causes
Updated contact information
Clean up and refresh Needs
Remove outdated opportunities
Update long-standing Needs
Add clear role descriptions and time commitments
Use Promotions and Sharing intentionally
Decide which Needs should be visible to corporate volunteers
Adjust sharing settings as needed
Consider Collective Impact Days
Identify Needs that align well with national days of service
Add relevant Needs or Initiatives to those days
Respond to Potential New Volunteers
Regularly check the “Potential New Volunteers” list
Follow up with interested corporate volunteers in a timely way
You can also share the Volunteer Link FAQ for Agency Managers article with Agency Managers so they understand how Volunteer Link affects them.
FAQ
Q. Do I need to do anything to attract companies to Volunteer Link?
A. No. All public, active Needs automatically appear in local Volunteer Link platforms. You can opt out of sharing specific Needs if needed.
Q. Can I choose which companies see my Needs?
A. Not at this time. Sharing is currently all-or-nothing for your community, though more granular controls may come in the future.
Q. Will I be notified every time a Need is shared to Volunteer Link?
A. No. Needs are automatically shared unless you opt out or a company filters your Needs based on their criteria (such as required Causes).
Q. What do I receive when a company submits a project request?
A. You will receive details including:
Project goal
Date and location
Number of volunteers needed
Budget details (if applicable)
Q. Will Volunteer Link conflict with my existing corporate partnerships?
A. No. Volunteer Link should complement your existing relationships. You can continue working with non–Volunteer Link companies as usual.
Q. Do I need to create a Volunteer Link for my corporate partners?
A. No. Companies create their own Volunteer Link portals. However, you could manage one for them as a fee-for-service if you handle volunteerism nationally for that organization.
Q. What does this cost?
A. Nothing—Volunteer Link is free for your organization.
Q. What is Global Profile, and is it related to Volunteer Link?
A. Global Profile allows volunteers to use one account across multiple sites instead of creating new accounts for each platform.
This is especially important for Volunteer Link because:
Corporate volunteers can respond to Needs across different sites without creating multiple logins.
Sites using Single Sign-On (SSO) are also supported.
When Global Profile launches, volunteers will receive a brief message at login explaining the update.