How do I accept new volunteers?

Create Volunteer Opportunities

For each opportunity someone can elect to volunteer, create a volunteer project. This could be

• Gala check in table 4:30 - 6 pm
• Gala check in table 6 - 8 pm
• Office Support
• Tutoring Youth
• Lesson Planning

You can publish a project so that constituents can apply for it, or keep it private and internally assign volunteers. Only System users can create projects, and nobody can be assigned to a project without a system user's approval.

Project List

The Project List is found under Volunteers > Projects.

Click the pencil button to change what information is shown about each project.

Filters at the top allow you to drill down to more specific projects based on start date, end date, category, event, whether the project is available online, and whether the project is active or inactive.

Totals shown in blue as "Pending" have not yet been approved by a system user. Click these numbers under Volunteers to see pending applications, or under Hours/Expenses/Mileages to see pending time sheets.

Have several related volunteer projects? Click Create New > Category to create and manage your volunteer project categories.

Once your project category is created, you can add a project to your category by editing the project.

New Project

To create a new project, click Create New > Project.

Enter your project name and other details. 

• Project Name – This is what the project will be called throughout NeonCRM and on the public Project List.
• Contact – This is which system user is managing this project. If the system user has an email address in System Settings, assigned Volunteers will be able to contact them at that email address.
• Category – This is a way of sorting your different projects. To manage categories, see above on the Project List page.
• Event – Similar to Category, you can organize your projects by associating them with specific events in your NeonCRM.
• Starts On/Ends On – When the project will be taking place. Projects will not remain on the public Project List after the end date.
• Project Description - Your description can contain any additional information that was not available above.
• Active – This status determines whether or not people can still contribute time sheets to the project. Active projects remain available for time sheet submission, even if it is past their end date. 
• Available Online - This setting determines whether the project will be listed on your public Project List.
• Location Information - Helps your volunteers sort  and select projects based on location, and of course this information also tells them where to go to help.

Accept New Volunteer Applications

Find & edit your volunteer application. Then, copy the URL to your website. Be sure someone is watching for new potential volunteers!

Navigate to Web Content > Form Links & Landing Pages and open the Volunteer Project List. This serves as the first page of your volunteer application, for applicants to express interest in one or more projects. The next page of the application collects potential volunteers' information.

You can configure the content of the volunteer application by navigating to Configure Fields & Sections and adjusting the Volunteer form(s).

Link to this volunteer application on your website and/or social media. Direct new applicants to this link.

Someone will remain an applicant, or potential volunteer, until someone approves them to  a Project. Your volunteer coordinator should review volunteer applications & approve volunteers to specific projects on an ongoing basis.

To review and approve applicants, navigate to Volunteer > Applicants. Individually approve, decline, or email applicants by clicking the Actions button next to their application.

If you have multiple volunteers to email, approve, or decline, select the checkboxes on the left and you'll be able to email them or update their status as a group.

Designate Existing Volunteers

The new volunteers who fill out the application will automatically be visible in the Volunteers module. However, you already have some volunteers from before you started with this new system. Designate that your existing volunteers are in these projects by doing one of the following.

1. Have just a few volunteers? Head down to Step 2. 

   Have many volunteers? First, add all of the volunteers in a particular project to a volunteer group based upon the attribute you added. Go to Volunteer > Groups > New Group. Then, click on the group you created and choose Add Constituents.

2. Navigate to the project where you want to add volunteers. Volunteers > Projects > click on your project.

3. Click Assign Constituents. You can also click Assign System Users if your volunteer(s) have NeonCRM system user accounts.

4. Search for their Names OR their Volunteer Group to add them to the Project.

Follow Up

• If you need to receive a notification about new volunteer applicants, turn on your Account Creation System Email (Settings > Global Settings > System Emails > Account Creation System Email > View Settings & Versions) & BCC yourself. 
• If you want existing accounts who apply to volunteer to receive an email, create a Workflow for this purpose.