Email Verification

NeedBridge is an email-powered need-matching platform that connects people in need with volunteers through nonprofit organizations. After creating an account, you must verify your email address before you can fully use NeedBridge. This article explains why verification is required, how to complete it, and what to do if you run into issues.

Why Verification Is Required

Email verification serves two important purposes:

Security

Verification confirms that you own the email address you registered with. This prevents someone from creating an account using another person's email, which could lead to unauthorized access or misdirected communications.

Functionality

NeedBridge relies on email for critical communications -- need notifications, coordination messages, password resets, and more. Before you can create needs or perform other actions in the admin panel, the system needs to confirm that your email is valid and reachable.

The Verification Email

When you complete registration, NeedBridge automatically sends a verification email to the address you provided.

What the Email Contains

  • A brief message explaining that you need to verify your email
  • A verification link (button or URL) to click
  • Information about what to do if you did not request the account

When It Arrives

The verification email is typically delivered within a few minutes of registration. Delivery time depends on your email provider.

Clicking the Verification Link

To verify your email:

  1. Open the verification email in your inbox.
  2. Click the verification link or button.
  3. You will be taken to a NeedBridge page confirming that your email has been verified.
  4. You can now log in and use your account fully.

The verification link is a one-time-use link. Once clicked, your email is verified and the link cannot be reused.

Resending the Verification Email

If you did not receive the verification email or cannot find it:

From the Login Page

  1. Attempt to log in with your email and password.
  2. If your email is not yet verified, you may see a prompt with an option to resend the verification email.
  3. Click "Resend Verification" (or similar).
  4. Check your inbox for the new email.

From an Admin

If you cannot trigger the resend yourself, contact your organization's admin. They can check your account status and may be able to resend the verification from the admin panel.

Link Expiration

Verification links are time-limited for security. If you wait too long to click the link, it will expire.

What to Do if the Link Expired

  1. Go to the login page and attempt to log in.
  2. Use the "Resend Verification" option to receive a fresh link.
  3. Click the new link promptly.

Each resend generates a new link and invalidates any previous ones.

Troubleshooting

Check Your Spam or Junk Folder

Verification emails are sometimes filtered by email providers. Search your spam, junk, promotions, or "other" folders for the email.

Verify the Correct Email Address

If you registered with a typo in your email address, the verification email was sent to the wrong place. In this case:

  • Contact your organization's admin to check the email on file.
  • The admin may need to update your email address or delete the account so you can re-register with the correct address.

Check for Email Delivery Issues

If you are not receiving any emails from NeedBridge (not just verification), there may be a broader delivery issue. See Email Delivery Issues for detailed troubleshooting.

Multiple Accounts

If you accidentally created more than one account, only one will be associated with each email address. Contact your admin to sort out any duplicate accounts.

After Verification

Once your email is verified:

  • If you were invited by an admin, your account is fully active and you can log in to the admin panel.
  • If you self-registered as a case worker, your account moves to the "pending approval" stage. You will receive another email when your registration is approved.

See Creating an Account for more on the post-verification process.

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