System Settings

NeedBridge is an email-powered need-matching platform for nonprofits -- foster care agencies, churches, disaster relief organizations, and community groups. The Settings area in the admin panel is where organization admins configure everything about how NeedBridge looks, works, and communicates for their organization. This guide covers every settings section and what each option does.

How to Access Settings

From the admin panel, navigate to Settings (accessible to Organization Admins and Executive Admins). The settings page is organized into sections, each covering a different aspect of your organization's configuration.

Organization Profile

The organization profile contains the basic information that identifies your organization across NeedBridge.

Fields

  • Organization name -- The display name that appears on your public pages, in email notifications, and throughout the admin panel. This should be your organization's official or commonly recognized name.
  • Slug -- A URL-friendly identifier used in your public page URLs. For example, if your slug is "hope-community," your public volunteer signup page will be at https://[domain]/hope-community/volunteer. The slug should be short, lowercase, and use hyphens instead of spaces. Once set, changing the slug will change your public URLs.
  • Contact email -- The email address displayed on your public pages where volunteers or community members can reach your organization.
  • Contact phone -- An optional phone number for your organization.
  • Website -- A link to your organization's main website.

Tips

  • Keep your organization name consistent with how you refer to yourself in other communications
  • Choose a slug that is easy to remember and type -- volunteers may need to enter it or share it verbally
  • Use a monitored email address for the contact email so inquiries get answered

Branding

Branding settings control the visual appearance of your public pages and email notifications.

Logo

Upload your organization's logo. It appears on:

  • Your public volunteer signup page
  • Your public needs browser page
  • Email notifications sent to volunteers and team members
  • Tax receipts (if enabled)

Recommendations:

  • Use a PNG or JPG file
  • Use an image that is clear and readable at small sizes (it will be displayed at approximately 200 pixels wide in most contexts)
  • Avoid very tall logos -- horizontal or square formats work best

Colors

NeedBridge uses three customizable color values to style your public pages and emails:

  • Primary color -- Used for main buttons, links, and headers. This should be your organization's primary brand color. Ensure it has good contrast against white for readability.
  • Secondary color -- Used for secondary buttons, borders, and supporting elements.
  • Accent color -- Used for highlights, badges, and emphasis elements.

Enter colors as hex codes (for example, #2563eb for a blue).

Email Banner

An optional banner image that appears at the top of email notifications. This is useful for:

  • Reinforcing your organization's visual identity in every email
  • Seasonal or campaign-specific branding
  • Making emails feel professional and recognizable

Upload a wide image (recommended width: 600 pixels) that looks good at the top of an email.

Preview

The branding section includes a live preview showing how your logo, colors, and banner will appear in emails and on public pages. Always check the preview after making changes.

Language and Terminology

NeedBridge allows you to customize the language used throughout the platform. This is one of the most powerful customization features -- it lets you match the platform's vocabulary to your organization's culture and mission.

Why Customize Terminology

Different organizations use different words for the same concepts. A foster care agency might say "Need," while a church says "Request" and a disaster relief organization says "Opportunity." A group might call their helpers "Volunteers," "Neighbors," "Champions," or "Helpers." Terminology customization ensures the platform speaks your organization's language everywhere -- in the admin panel, on public pages, and in emails.

Customizable Terms

NeedBridge provides 25+ customizable terms organized into categories:

Entity Terms (nouns with singular and plural forms)

Need A posted request for help Request, Ask, Opportunity Volunteer A community member who helps Helper, Neighbor, Champion, Partner Case Worker A staff member who posts needs Family Advocate, Coordinator, Navigator Area A geographic service region Region, Zone, County, Neighborhood Category A type of need Type, Department, Ministry Story A success outcome Outcome, Impact Story, Testimony Donation An offered item or gift Offer, Gift, Contribution

Action Terms (verbs and button labels)

Browse Browsing content View, Explore, See Join Us Signup call to action Get Involved, Sign Up, Join Our Community Donate Donation action Give, Offer, Contribute Claim Claiming a need Respond, Help, Sign Up Submit Form submission Send, Complete, Finish Respond Responding to something Reply, Answer

Status Terms (state labels)

Active Active/subscribed state Open, Current, Live Available Available to be claimed Open, Unclaimed Claimed Need has been claimed Matched, In Progress Completed Need has been fulfilled Fulfilled, Done, Closed

Descriptive Terms (section and concept labels)

Service Areas The set of areas Coverage Areas, Regions, Zones Community The broader group Network, Neighborhood, Family Impact Outcomes and results Outcomes, Results, Stories

How Terminology Works

When you change a term in Settings, it updates everywhere that term appears:

  • Admin panel navigation and labels
  • Public-facing pages (volunteer signup, needs browser)
  • Email notifications and digests
  • Buttons and calls to action
  • Reports and metrics labels

You set the singular form of each term, and NeedBridge automatically generates the plural form.

Tips for Terminology

  • Choose terms that your volunteers and team already use in conversation
  • Keep terms short and clear -- they appear on buttons and in navigation
  • Test how your custom terms read in context by reviewing a few emails and pages after making changes
  • You can change terms at any time; changes take effect across the platform immediately

Service Areas

Service areas define the geographic regions your organization covers. They are fundamental to how NeedBridge routes notifications -- volunteers subscribe to specific areas, and needs are assigned to areas.

Managing Areas

  • Create a new area -- Add areas as your organization expands its coverage. Give each area a clear, recognizable name that volunteers will understand.
  • Rename an area -- Change an area's name if your terminology evolves (for example, renaming "District 5" to "Eastside"). The area's data (needs, volunteers, coordinator assignments) is preserved.
  • Deactivate an area -- If you stop serving a region, deactivate the area rather than deleting it. Deactivated areas no longer appear in dropdowns and filters, but historical data is preserved.

Coordinator Assignments

Each area can be assigned to one or more coordinators. Coordinators oversee the needs and case workers within their assigned areas. Manage these assignments from the area settings or from the user management section.

Tips for Areas

  • Name areas based on how your community thinks about geography, not internal codes
  • Do not create too many small areas -- volunteers will not sign up for all of them, and you may have notification gaps
  • Do not create too few large areas -- volunteers may receive notifications for needs they cannot realistically help with due to distance
  • Review area coverage periodically as your organization grows

Categories

Categories classify the types of needs your organization handles. They help volunteers quickly identify whether they can help and provide structure for reporting.

Managing Categories

  • Create a category -- Add categories that match the types of requests your organization receives. Examples: Groceries, Transportation, Clothing, Household Items, Meals, Gift Cards, Housing Assistance, Childcare.
  • Edit a category -- Change the name or description of an existing category.
  • Deactivate a category -- If you no longer handle a specific type of need, deactivate the category. It will not appear in the need creation form or filters, but historical needs with that category are preserved.

Tips for Categories

  • Start with a focused list based on what you actually receive -- you can add more later
  • Use clear, common terms that both case workers and volunteers will understand
  • Review category usage in reports to see which categories are most active and whether any are unused

Tags

Tags are optional labels that can be added to needs for additional filtering and organization beyond the area and category.

How Tags Differ from Categories

  • Every need must have a category; tags are optional
  • A need has one category; it can have multiple tags
  • Categories represent the type of need; tags represent additional attributes or context

Examples of Tags

  • Seasonal: "Back to School," "Holiday," "Winter"
  • Source: "Church Referral," "Partner Agency," "Self-Referral"
  • Special: "Recurring," "Large Family," "Urgent Deadline"

Managing Tags

Create, edit, and deactivate tags from the Settings page. Tags can be freely added and removed from needs by case workers and coordinators.

Homepage Customization

Your organization's public homepage can be customized with content that introduces your mission and guides visitors.

Customizable Sections

  • Welcome message -- A headline and introductory text that appears at the top of your public page. Use this to explain what your organization does and how volunteers can help.
  • About section -- A longer description of your organization, its mission, and how NeedBridge fits into your work.
  • Featured needs -- Optionally highlight specific needs on your homepage to draw attention to the most urgent or important requests.

Tips

  • Write your welcome message from the volunteer's perspective -- what will they experience and how can they help?
  • Keep the about section concise but informative -- this may be a visitor's first introduction to your organization
  • Update featured needs regularly so your homepage stays current

Security Settings

Security settings control access and authentication for your NeedBridge account. Configure these options to match your organization's security requirements.

Data Export

NeedBridge supports exporting your data for use in external tools, reports, and backups.

Available Exports

  • Volunteer CSV -- Export your complete volunteer list including names, email addresses, phone numbers, area subscriptions, frequency preferences, signup dates, and subscription status.
  • User CSV -- Export your team member list including names, email addresses, roles, area assignments, and account status.

How to Export

  1. Go to Settings.
  2. Find the Data Export section.
  3. Select the export type (volunteers or users).
  4. Click to generate and download the CSV file.

Tips

  • Export your data periodically as a backup
  • Use volunteer exports to sync with your CRM, email marketing tool, or donor management system
  • Review exported data for accuracy and completeness

Tax-Exempt Settings

If your organization is a tax-exempt nonprofit, you can configure tax receipt settings so that volunteers who fulfill needs receive documentation of their in-kind donations.

Configuration Fields

  • Legal entity name -- The official name of your organization as registered with the IRS or relevant authority. This appears on tax receipts.
  • Tax identification number -- Your organization's EIN (Employer Identification Number) or equivalent tax ID. This appears on tax receipts.
  • Receipt disclaimer -- A legal notice or disclaimer that appears on every tax receipt. This typically includes language about the organization's tax-exempt status and a note that no goods or services were provided in exchange for the donation.

Enabling Tax Receipts

Toggle tax receipts on or off from this section. When enabled, completing a claim can automatically generate a tax receipt for the volunteer.

Tips

  • Consult with your organization's accountant or legal advisor to determine the appropriate disclaimer language
  • Make sure your legal entity name and tax ID are accurate -- these appear on official documents
  • Test the tax receipt generation by completing a test claim after enabling the feature

Keeping Settings Organized

As you configure NeedBridge, here are recommendations for keeping your settings clean and maintainable:

  • Document your terminology choices so new team members understand why specific words were chosen
  • Review areas and categories quarterly to ensure they still match your operations
  • Keep branding assets up to date -- update your logo and colors if your organization rebrands
  • Assign a single person (typically the organization admin) to be responsible for settings changes to avoid conflicting configurations
  • Test changes after making them -- send a test email, view your public pages, and check that everything looks right