This article...
- Explains accessing Volunteer Settings to set points per hour, manager email, and volunteer terminology.
- Describes Opportunities Health thresholds and Volunteer Evaluation permissions for who can rate volunteer performance.
- Details how Volunteer Evaluation completes opportunities, impacts volunteer history and metrics, and supports alternative rating systems.
You can customize various aspects of your Volunteer program, such as:
- the number of points volunteers will earn per hour of service,
- your Volunteer Manager's email address, and
- the terminology to be used as your Volunteer program's default nomenclature.
Access the Volunteer settings
To manage these settings:
- In the Admin Toolbar, click Admin.
- Navigate to Programs > Volunteer > Settings.
- On the Settings page, you can manage some of the behind-the-scenes aspects of your Volunteer program in several sections.
- When you have finished, scroll to the bottom of the page and click Save.
General Settings
Configure these high-level settings for your Volunteer program. These settings affect various aspects of your program, so return here and adjust them if necessary.
The table below the image provides information and guidance on these settings.
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Volunteer Points Per Hour | Specify a baseline number of points that volunteers earn per hour of service. To determine what this number should be, determine the amount of time that is required for your shortest opportunities (e.g., 15 minutes), assign 1 point to that <length_of_time> and then, based on how long that is, figure out how many points that is per hour; in this example 60 minutes in an hour divided by the 15 minutes for the shortest opportunity = 4 points per Volunteer hour. This value and a Skills Multiplier value (on the Qualifications page in Admin) are factored into the Volunteer Admin Dashboard page's Statistics and Leaderboard sections. NOTE: If you don't want to award points for Volunteer Opportunities, set the Skills Multiplier to 0 on the Manage Volunteer Qualifications page. |
| Maximum overlapping volunteer opportunities | Specify the maximum number of opportunities for which volunteers can be concurrently committed to and awaiting approval. ("Overlapping" means opportunities that exist simultaneously and include opportunities for which the volunteer has been approved but which have not yet been completed and pending applications.) NOTE: Open-ended opportunities do not have an end date and, therefore, effectively overlap with all future opportunities. When a Contact has reached the threshold, the Contact can no longer apply for Volunteer Opportunities; the Apply button no longer displays for the Contact on the My Opportunities widget or on opportunities' Details pages. "Bulk" approvals by Admins do not include applicants who have reached the threshold. NOTE: If you don't want to set an "overlapping" limit, leave this blank or specify 0. |
| Volunteer Manager's Email Address | Specify the email address for whomever manages your Volunteer Program. Volunteer-related messages will be sent to this person. This address is automatically selected as the From Email and signature block in various messages sent by Automation Rules (template emails, volunteer Automation Rules, etc.). |
| Nominate singular and plural global text | Accept the default values or specify the singular and plural forms of the word to replace "Nominate" (e.g., "Propose" and "Proposes"). These words will be used as your Volunteer program's default nomenclature. NOTE: Higher Logic recommends consistency across these words in order to minimize confusion. |
| Nominate past tense global text | Accept the default value or specify the past-tense form of the word to replace "Nominate" (e.g., "Proposed"). This word will be used as your Volunteer program's default nomenclature. NOTE: Higher Logic recommends consistency across these words in order to minimize confusion. |
| Nomination singular and plural global text | Accept the default values or specify the singular and plural forms of the word to replace "Nominate" (e.g., "Proposal" and "Proposals"). These words will be used as your Volunteer program's default nomenclature. NOTE: Higher Logic recommends consistency across these words in order to minimize confusion. |
Volunteer Dashboard Chart Configuration
You can define thresholds for the Caution and Jeopardy warnings for the Opportunities Health chart on the Volunteer Admin Dashboard.
The Caution and Jeopardy warnings alert you to Volunteer Opportunities that are lacking the necessary number of volunteers with X days remaining before the Opportunity's start date.
- Click a dashed-underline percentage value to set the less-than threshold for the alert.
- Click a dashed-underline days value to set the number of days remaining threshold for the alert.
Volunteer Evaluation
You can set which Admins can evaluate (i.e., "rate") volunteers' performances after a Volunteer Opportunity has completed.
Click the dropdown to select:
- Community Admins, Volunteer Admins, and Super Admins
- Volunteer Admins and Super Admins
- Super Admins (the default)
- No one
NOTE: If No one is selected, none of your Admins can rate volunteers' performances.
Volunteer Evaluation ratings
Volunteer Evaluation is what marks a volunteer opportunity as "complete" and gives credit to a volunteer for having completed the opportunity. If a volunteer does not receive a rating, the opportunity will not show up in that volunteer's history and the metrics of completed applicants for the opportunity will be incomplete and inaccurate.
NOTE: Higher Logic staff can change the default rating system (1 – 5 stars) to a two-option rating ("Did attend/Did not attend"). To request this change, create a case with Higher Logic Support.
Volunteer Titles
You can edit the default terminology that is set up for various elements of your Volunteer program. You might want to do this in order to align with your branding or to be consistent with language that is already used by your organization and which your members are familiar with.
- Click into a field and replace the default term with your preferred term.
For example, you might prefer:
- "Background" instead of "Qualifications" or "Experience"
- "Details" instead of "Description"
- "Organizer" instead of "Contact"
NOTE: Higher Logic recommends that any replacement terms be somewhat "intuitive."