VolunteerLocal Support

how do I set-up rolling birthday notifications?

12/26/2018

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First, create your birthday template under Volunteers > Communication (Email).

There is a link just above the dialogue box to "create and manage templates." Once you've named and saved a "Happy Birthday" template message, go to Account > Settings and scroll down to Automated Messages.

You’ll be able to select your birthday template from the drop-down. This will now send the happy birthday message you've created to each volunteer on his/her birthday.

Please note: for this feature to work, the volunteer's birthdate information must be added as a field in the volunteer information form (Events > Your Events > Volunteer Information). Be sure to label the field with the field designation "birthdate".

how do i create a t-shirt summary?

12/26/2018

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Option 1:

For a speedy tally of T-Shirt sizes, go to Home > Dashboard. If you haven't already, customize your dashboard by clicking the link on that page.

Then, select which events and/or applications you'd like to view on your dashboard. Drag and drop the "shirt sizes" report to your preferred event. Changes save automatically. Return to your dashboard to view the report.

Option 2:

The second option option is through the Export tool, under Volunteers > Export.

Select "T-Shirt Size" under Custom Fields on the right-hand side, and use the “Group by volunteer to get hours reporting” checkbox to give you an un-duplicated list of your volunteers. You can then sort and tally t-shirt sizes using this spreadsheet.

What Are field settings in the report tool?

12/26/2018

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Field Settings are located under Volunteers > Report, at the top of the page.

This feature allows you to choose specific data points that you'd like to see displayed underneath each volunteer’s record, without requiring you to open each individual profile.

To see how this works, expand 'Field Settings' by clicking the grey button at the top of the Report page. Use the check-boxes to select the fields that should be revealed. Close 'Field Settings' by clicking on the button again. When you expand any job and shift, you'll now see each volunteer's record with the appropriate fields populating automatically beneath their names.

how does text messaging work?

12/26/2018

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Setting up Text Messaging
SMS (text) messages can be activated inside your account at anytime. Navigate to Volunteers > Communication (SMS) to add text messages to your bank. Click the link at the top of this page to “purchase more messages.”
Once you’ve loaded your bank with the number of messages you’d like, you can then activate text messaging for any event under Events >Your Events > Volunteer Information. If you don’t already have this field, you must create a question called “Mobile Phone” and be sure to set the question as “Mobile Phone” using the drop-down under This question is the volunteer’s...

Click the “Add Question” button and scroll down to the question on your form. Check the box to “validate phone for text messaging” and this will ensure that each volunteer receives an opt-in (confirmation) text when they register for your event.

Sending Text Messages
When you’re ready to send a text, go to Volunteers > Communication (SMS). This page is quite similar to the email broadcast communication tool. enter any text you would like in the box under Message to send and use the merge tags ({first name}, {event name}, and {volunteer profile link}) to create messages that will auto populate with each volunteers’ information.

Responses to text messages will be sent via email. You can enter the email you would like text responses to go to under Capture replies.

From there you can choose to send texts right away or schedule them to be sent later.

how do i attach documents to an email?

12/26/2018

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You can attach documents (PDF, JPG, PNG, GIF) to broadcast messages at anytime. Here's how:

1. Upload the file to your File Library under Account > Settings.

2. Once uploaded, copy the URL link that appears below the file.

3. Navigate to Volunteers > Communication (SMS) and type some text into the dialogue box. Highlight that text and click the hyperlink icon in the toolbar - you will be prompted to submit a URL to hyperlink the text. Paste the URL from the hosted document you copied in Step 2.

The text in the message is now hyperlinked to a securely hosted file that your volunteers can download with just one click

Tip: To upload an image file directly into your email go to Volunteers > Communication (Email). In the toolbar pictured above, click on the polaroid icon to upload an image directly from your device.

! Note: We understand this process is a bit lengthy. Hyperlinking documents directly in your email (as opposed to attaching or pasting a full link in) makes it far less likely to get caught in a spam/junk folders.

If you get stuck, please contact us! We are always here and happy to help.

how do i recruit groups?

12/26/2018

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There are two ways to recruit groups in VolunteerLocal. The easiest approach is to password protect a job or shift and then share that password with the group of volunteers you'd like to register online. This empowers each member of the group to register separately, which ensures accurate t-shirt sizes, email addresses and of course, waiver signatures.

The other option is to activate the "Group Signup" feature. Go to Events > Your Events > Event Detail and scroll to Optional Settings. Use the drop-down under Group Signup to choose how many volunteers any individual can indicate as a part of his/her group. Click “Save” at the bottom of the page.

Next, go to to Events > Your Events > Volunteer Information. Under each question, there is now an option to “Include this question for additional volunteers.” This creates a secondary form that must be completed on behalf of each group member, and can include such important details as mobile phone or t-shirt size.

! Note: Each group member will need to sign the waiver when he/she checks in at the day of the event. We cannot collect waiver signatures using this "Group Signup" methodology, as it inherently acknowledges that the primary leader is completing the form on behalf of each member.

Can i change the layout of my signup page?

12/26/2018

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Yes! Go to Events > Your Events > Event Detail and scroll to Signup Page Options. Under Layout, click to drop down menu next to “Display the shifts” and choose "fully expanded" or "collapsed."

You can also adjust the default sort - by date, job name, location or even as a calendar grid.

What is a coordinator? a leader/captain?

12/26/2018

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There are two (2) administrative roles within VolunteerLocal: a Coordinator and a Leader/Captain.

What is a Coordinator?
A coordinator is the highest administrative setting in VolunteerLocal. A coordinator can edit or modify volunteer data and settings within your account. This means that coordinators can add volunteers, create events and more. It is important to note, however, that coordinators are still subject to the rules and permissions you set for them under Account > Manage Users.

What is a Leader/Captain?
A Leader/Captain is a a lower-tier administrative user in VolunteerLocal. This means that Leader/Captains have a read-only view; they cannot edit or delete volunteer data. When he/she opens a volunteer profile, they'll only see the fields you make visible to them under Events > Your Events > Volunteer Information. This user-type is a perfect fit for administrators who only need to view reports and shouldn’t be able to move volunteers around within a report.

You can choose exactly what each administrator has access to by clicking specific permissions under What can the user do? on the User Information page. You can also give them access to specific events, jobs and even shifts by going under What events can the user manage?

can I add my logo to the landing page?

12/26/2018

Yes! To add a logo to your event page, go to Events > Your Events > Event Detail. Scroll to signup page options and select "Event Logo" to upload your image.

which upgraded package am I using?

12/26/2018

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You can check which plan you're currently using under Account > Billing & Plan Info.

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