Whether you were invited to volunteer with an organization or looking to volunteer, you'll need to register with a site to respond to available volunteer Opportunities. Some sites require that you complete all the steps of their registration process before you can even view their available volunteer Opportunities. Here, we cover how to join a site today to kick off your volunteer journey!
How to join a site
You're here because you received a join link from a friend, co-worker, family member, organization, etc., or you found an organization with volunteer Opportunities you want to get involved in! The first step is to join an organization's site by creating an account.
To get started:
1. Navigate to the organization's site that you want to register on.
2. Click Sign Up at the top of the page. 3. Choose a track from the dropdown menu, or use the track already setup for you.
ⓘ So you know: The tracks on your site should match the type of volunteer you are. A track might indicate a certain skill, affiliation, or group. If you don't know which track is right for you, contact the owners of the site!
4. Fill out the registration form for the track you chose and select Create Your Account when finished.
- Some organization's tracks ask you registration questions and others might have you submit a qualification when registering on their site.
- This information helps the organization match you with the best Opportunities that fit your skills and interests!
- It also makes it easier for you to receive notifications about Opportunities that match your skills and interests.
ⓘ So you know: You might have to wait until your qualifications are reviewed and approved before you can submit an Opportunity response.
4. Once you're account is set up, you can start responding to available volunteer Opportunities!
- You can always update your profile information by selecting your profile image or initials in the top right-hand corner, then click either View Profile or Edit Profile to make changes.
Navigating the site
After your account is set up, it's time to get familiar with the site!
Your dashboard
Every organization has a different site setup. So, the organization you've registered with might have different options in the volunteer dashboard than in the following example.
- Opportunities: These are the available volunteer Opportunities that you can respond to! This is where you can sign up and start making an impact in your community.
- Programs: Programs house volunteer Opportunities. For example:
- If an organization manages a soup kitchen, it might have a Program titled The Soup Kitchen and Opportunities for volunteers to work scheduled shifts in The Soup Kitchen.
Your menu bar
Much like the dashboard, your menu options might look different, depending on how the organization has set up its site.
- Return to Our Website: You can click this button from any page on the site and return to the main landing page.
- You can see a snapshot of your awesome volunteer impact here once you start submitting hours.
- Volunteer: Click this to see available volunteer opportunities.
- Add Hours: This is where you can review or submit volunteer hours for Opportunities.
- Calendar: Review your schedule and see what Opportunities are scheduled on specific dates.
- You can see details about the Opportunities by clicking on a date with an Opportunity available.
- Bell icon: This takes you to your inbox where you receive automated notifications, email blasts, etc.
- Profile icon or initials: Click this to access and edit your profile, review your volunteer resume, track hours, manage Opportunity responses, and more.
- Help: This takes you to our Help Center.
- The Help Center has helpful resources, like this one, that guide you through the steps to accessing and navigating a volunteer site.