Managing Volunteers

Volunteers are the community members who subscribe to receive need notifications and claim needs through email. Unlike team members (case workers, coordinators, admins), volunteers do not log in to NeedBridge -- they interact entirely through email and public web pages. This guide covers the volunteer directory, managing subscriptions, and import/export.

The Volunteer List

Navigate to Volunteers in the left-hand menu to see all volunteers in your organization. The list shows each volunteer's name, email, phone number, areas they subscribe to, subscription status, and claim history.

Filtering and Searching

Use the controls at the top of the list to find specific volunteers:

  • Search -- Type a name, email, or phone number to find a specific volunteer.
  • Filter by area -- Show only volunteers subscribed to a specific service area.
  • Filter by status -- Show active, unsubscribed, or all volunteers.
  • Sort -- Sort by name, signup date, or number of claims.

Viewing Volunteer Details

Click any volunteer in the list to see their full profile:

  • Contact information -- Name, email, phone number, and address.
  • Areas -- The service areas they have subscribed to.
  • Subscription status -- Whether they are actively receiving email notifications, and their notification frequency (immediate, daily digest, weekly digest).
  • Claim history -- A list of needs they have claimed, including the status of each claim (claimed, completed, canceled).

Adding Volunteers Manually

To add a volunteer directly:

  1. Click Add Volunteer from the volunteer list.
  2. Enter the volunteer's name, email, phone number, and address.
  3. Select the service areas they want to subscribe to.
  4. Save.

The volunteer will begin receiving need notifications for their selected areas. Use manual entry for volunteers who sign up in person, at events, or through paper forms.

The Volunteer Signup Link

Every organization has a public volunteer signup page where community members can subscribe on their own. To find and share this link:

  1. Navigate to Settings in the admin menu.
  2. Look for your organization's public page URL or volunteer signup link.
  3. Copy and share it.

Common places to share your signup link:

  • Your organization's website (as a link or embedded form)
  • Social media profiles and posts
  • Email newsletters and church bulletins
  • Printed flyers and event materials
  • Email signatures

The signup page asks for the volunteer's name, email, phone, address, and preferred service areas. No login or account is required.

Managing Subscriptions

Notification Frequency

Volunteers choose how often they want to receive need notifications when they sign up. Options typically include:

  • Immediate -- Receive an email as soon as a new need is posted (for high and critical urgency).
  • Daily digest -- Receive one email per day summarizing new needs.
  • Weekly digest -- Receive one email per week summarizing new needs.

You can view and update a volunteer's notification frequency from their detail page.

Unsubscribe

Volunteers can unsubscribe from notifications at any time using the unsubscribe link in any NeedBridge email. When a volunteer unsubscribes:

  • They stop receiving all need notifications.
  • Their profile is retained in the system with an "unsubscribed" status.
  • Their claim history is preserved.

You can also manually unsubscribe a volunteer from their detail page if they request it through another channel.

Importing Volunteers via CSV

If you have an existing list of volunteers, you can import them in bulk using a CSV file:

  1. Click Import from the volunteer list.
  2. Download the CSV template to see the required format.
  3. Fill in your volunteer data (name, email, phone, address, areas).
  4. Upload the completed CSV file.
  5. Review the import preview to check for errors or duplicates.
  6. Confirm the import.

Imported volunteers will begin receiving notifications for their assigned areas.

Exporting Volunteer Data

To export your volunteer list:

  1. Click Export from the volunteer list.
  2. Choose the format (CSV).
  3. The export includes all volunteer data: name, email, phone, address, areas, subscription status, and claim counts.

Exports are useful for reporting, mail merges, or migrating data to other systems.

Tips

  • Promote your signup link regularly. A healthy volunteer base is the single biggest factor in getting needs fulfilled quickly. Share the link wherever your community gathers.
  • Monitor unsubscribe rates. If many volunteers are unsubscribing, review the frequency and relevance of your notifications. Too many emails or irrelevant needs can drive volunteers away.
  • Keep volunteer data current. If you know a volunteer's contact info has changed, update it. Bounced emails mean missed notifications.
  • Use claim history to identify engaged volunteers. Volunteers with many completed claims are your most reliable helpers. Consider reaching out to them for urgent or hard-to-fill needs.