🦮 Volunteering

There are two main types of volunteer opportunities available on Deed – Volunteer Events & Volunteer Projects. Volunteer Events and Projects can be created by:

1. Admins
2. Organizers
3. Ambassadors
4. A partner nonprofit 
5. Volunteer opportunity sourcing
6. Employees

☝ Employees can only create Volunteer Events (not Projects). This feature (’Create a Deed’) must be turned on by your Partner Success Manger.

Volunteer Events

A Volunteer Event is a direct service volunteer opportunity with a specific date and time. Like Fundraisers, Volunteer Events must be associated with a nonprofit on the Deed platform. Please note that volunteer events will only populate on the platform if they are within 56 days (8 weeks).

If you don’t see the nonprofit listed that you are hoping to support, you can nominate a nonprofit directly on the employee facing interface.

• Creating a Volunteer Event Step-by-Step
  • Log-in to your Deed Organizer profile.
  • Go to Manage Deeds > Under Add Deeds, Select New Deed > Volunteer Event
  • Fill out the fields on the form (Select whether virtual or in-person, Select the Date w/ start & end time, Name your Event, Create an event description, Add a point of contact, Select applicable categories, Add a photo or use one of ours, Add Volunteer Roles/Responsibilities, Applicable donation information, and whether or not you want the event to be public)
  • Once complete go to Publish Status > Set to Pending > Submit

☝ Volunteer Event Pro Tips: When creating your event, you can add additional information needed from volunteers such as a background check, mailing address, etc. You can also make this event a featured Deed and it will prominently show up on the employee homepage. When selecting an image for your event, we suggest a 1350 x 750 px – **image size approx 1MB. Important: If you select for this to be a virtual opportunity, you must have created the dial-in link and added to the location line before you publish.

• Invite employees to sign up

After you create a Volunteer Event, you can invite volunteers to sign up.

Under ‘Manage Deeds’ on the Organizer Portal, click on an existing Volunteer Event. In the bottom right-hand corner, select ‘Invite Attendees’ corner, and input their name and email address. This will send an invitation to sign up for your volunteer event.

You can upload a distribution list (no more than 500 at a time) through the “Invite Attendees” tool, search existing employees on the platform, or add them manually with name and email.

• Event Waitlist

  When spots get filled for your Volunteer Event, employees are able to join the waitlist and will be notified by email if more spots open up.

  New Waitlist Configuration: You can now turn off the waitlist by selecting “Disable waitlist”. If you select “Disable waitlist”, once an event reaches the total participant cap, no one will be able to join the waitlist, and will see messaging that the event is full.

  

• Contact employees

  Email all the volunteers who signed up with updates or reminders about your event.

  In ‘Manage Deeds,’ click on a Volunteer Event. Select ‘Contact Attendees’ in the bottom right-hand corner.

  You’ll receive a copy of this email in your inbox.

• Checking in volunteers

  You can manually check in volunteers to a Volunteer Event if the volunteer does not check in themselves. In ‘Manage Deeds,’ click on an Event. In the bottom left corner, select ‘Check-in’ next to the volunteer’s name.

  How to check employees in after a Volunteer Project?

  ☝ For Virtual Events, there is no way to check in employees at the time of the event. However, at the end of the event you can upload a CSV of attendees and they will be automatically checked-in ✅

• Add event attendees

  Company and NPO admins and organizers are now able to add attendees to volunteering and non-volunteering events.

  • This can be done using the Add Attendees button on event details on Organizer.
  • The hours are automatically logged when the volunteer is added to a past event.
  • When the volunteer is added to an upcoming event, the volunteer is automatically checked in but the hours are not automatically logged. (needs to be updated as not checked in)
  • For the events with roles, admins won't be able to select roles for them and they will be added to the event without roles.
  • Admins can overbook the events.

i.e. if an event has 5 spaces, and the admin uploads 10 volunteers, there should be 10 volunteers added to the event.

• Current notifications the volunteers will get when they’re added to an event:
  • • • When details have changed
      • When it’s almost time for the event (10 mins before)
      • If they receive donation credits from the volunteering
      • Post-event log your hours email
      • When it’s cancelled

• Virtual Volunteer Events

  Please ensure that you create a virtual link (through Zoom, Google Meet, etc.) before you create your virtual Volunteer Event. The virtual link will be emailed to attendees in their confirmation email, in reminder emails, and is available on the Deed platform.

  ☝ When you upload a CSV of attendees after the Event, the employees will be automatically checked-in ✅

• Automated employee email notifications

  To help things run as smoothly as possible for your virtual and in-person volunteer events, automated emails will be sent to event participants as follows:

  • One confirmation email upon sign-up
  • One reminder email 24 hours in advance of event
  • One reminder email 1 hour in advance of event

Volunteer Projects

A Volunteer Project is an ongoing, skills-based volunteer opportunity where volunteers donate their skills, expertise or pro bono services virtually or in person. You’ll work together to make sure your volunteers meet the milestones that you lay out. Once you 'start' a Project, employees can no longer sign up for it.

VIDEO TUTORIAL:

Creating a Volunteer Project Step-by-Step

• Log-in to your Deed Admin profile.
• Go to Manage Deeds > Under Add Deeds, Select New Deed > Project
• Fill out the fields on the form (Project Name, Details, Volunteer Roles, Point of Contact, Applicable categories, Add a photo or use one of ours, Beneficiary Nonprofit, Project site, Milestones, and whether or not you want the event to be public)
• Once complete go to Publish Status > Set to Published > Submit

☝ Volunteer Project Pro Tips: When creating your project, you can add additional information needed from volunteers such as a background check, mailing address, etc. You can also make this event a featured Deed and it will show up on the homepage. When selecting an image for your project, we suggest a 1350 x 750 px – **image size approx 1MB.

What’s the difference between Volunteer Events & Projects?

The biggest difference between Volunteer Events & Projects is the length of time. Volunteer Events are one-day, one-time volunteer opportunities, while projects are ongoing. Projects can also have milestones for volunteers. Project volunteers might also need approval to participate (you can turn this feature off) while event attendees simply sign up and show up. Both opportunities can be in-person or virtual. Learn more on our Employee Knowledge Hub.

Accept applications for skilled volunteers

When a volunteer applies for a role in your project, you can review their application in Deed. Select ‘approve’ to bring them on the project, or ‘reject’ to deny their application.

To Approve Volunteers: Go to Manage Deeds > Click Project > Select Applicable Deed > Scroll Down to “Needed Roles” > Approve or Reject employees who have applied

☝ If you need skilled volunteers and would like our support scoping and defining your project, reach out to us at nonprofits@joindeed.com.

The “estimated value” offers an estimated dollar value of the skills offered by the volunteer to the nonprofit. For example, below the nonprofit has estimated that an hour of “Coaching” is worth $100 in USD.

Approval configuration

Organizers can create project roles that do not require approval.

• • When you create a role within a project, you can indicate that the role does not require approval. If turned on, Organizers will not be required to approve applications for that role!
  • Employees signing up for a project role that does not require approval will be automatically approved to that role.

Automated employee email notifications

• • • A Sign Up confirmation email (or Slack message, if applicable) will be sent when a user signs up for a project role
      • If approval is required for this role, as an admin you will need to go in approve the employee.
    • A Sign Up cancellation will be sent (Email, Slack if applicable) when a user cancels sign up for a project role that does not require approval.

Logging Volunteer Hours

Employees will receive a reminder email to log their hours following participation in a project:

• 1 week after the start date for a user that is attending but has not logged hours
• After the project ends

How to use “External application”

When using the “External Application” capability, volunteer sign up and management will be handled external to the Deed platform. When you add an external application, Deed will not track the applications for the Project. Volunteers will need to log their hours for there to be record of their participation in this project.

Nonprofit created Deeds

Deed is home to countless nonprofits who are constantly adding new volunteer events & projects to their homepage. Employees can view these opportunities by click the “All Deeds” toggle on the employee facing site under “Volunteer”.

For the best experience, we suggest that you encourage your favorite nonprofit partners to create their own nonprofit Deed account. Reach out to your Partner Success Manager or our Nonprofit team at nonprofits@joindeed.com.