Case Worker Complete Guide — NeedBridge Documentation

As a case worker in NeedBridge, you are the front line of your organization's community support. You create needs on behalf of the people your organization serves, coordinate with volunteers who claim those needs, and track outcomes from start to finish. This guide covers everything you need to know to work effectively in NeedBridge, from posting your first need to managing a full caseload.

NeedBridge is an email-powered need-matching platform built for nonprofits. When you post a need -- like diapers for a foster family or a ride to a medical appointment -- volunteers in the matching service area receive an email notification. A volunteer clicks a button in that email to claim the need, and you coordinate the details to get it fulfilled. No apps to download, no logins for volunteers. Just email that connects people who need help with people who want to give it.

Your Role

Case workers are the bridge between the people your organization serves and the volunteers who want to help. Your responsibilities include:

Creating needs that clearly describe what is required, when it is needed, and how urgent it is
Coordinating with volunteers who claim those needs -- sharing logistics, confirming timing, answering questions
Tracking progress from the moment a need is posted through completion
Recording outcomes so your organization can measure its impact and tell compelling stories
Protecting privacy by never including identifying details about the people you serve in public need descriptions

You do not need to recruit volunteers or manage organization settings. Volunteers are managed by your organization admin, and coordinators oversee area-level operations. Your focus is on the needs themselves and the people behind them.

Dashboard Overview

When you log in to NeedBridge, your case worker dashboard gives you a snapshot of your current workload. The dashboard displays:

Open Needs -- Needs you have posted that have not yet been claimed by a volunteer. These are actively visible to volunteers.
Claimed Needs -- Needs where a volunteer has stepped forward. These require your attention to coordinate logistics.
Completed Needs -- Needs that have been fulfilled. Review these to make sure outcomes are recorded.
Urgent Needs -- A count of your needs marked as Critical or High urgency that are still open. These should be your top priority.
Approaching Due Date -- Needs with a due date coming up soon that are not yet complete.

Use the dashboard as your starting point each day. The numbers tell you where to focus your attention.

Creating Needs Step-by-Step

To create a new need, navigate to the Needs section and click the button to create a new need. You will fill out a form with the following fields.

Title

The title is the first thing volunteers see, both in their email notification and on the website. Write a clear, specific title that tells a volunteer exactly what is needed.

Good titles:

"Family of 4 needs groceries for the week"
"Single mom needs a ride to medical appointment Thursday"
"Foster family needs size 4 diapers (2 boxes)"

Avoid:

"Help needed" (too vague)
"Urgent!!!" (use the urgency field instead)
"Sarah Johnson needs diapers" (includes the client's real name -- see privacy guidelines below)

Description

The description gives volunteers the details they need to decide whether they can help and how to do it. Include:

What is needed -- Be specific about items, quantities, or the type of help required
When it is needed -- Include dates, time windows, or deadlines
Where it is needed -- General area or drop-off location (not a client's home address)
Any special instructions -- Dietary restrictions, size requirements, brand preferences, accessibility needs

Write as if you are explaining the need to someone who has never met your client and knows nothing about your organization.

Privacy Guidelines

Protecting client privacy is critical. Never include in a need title or description:

Client names or initials
Home addresses (use a general area or your office as a drop-off point)
Phone numbers or email addresses
Medical details beyond what is necessary to fulfill the need
Case numbers or internal identifiers
Any information that could identify a specific person

Instead of "Maria Garcia at 123 Oak Street needs groceries," write "Family of 3 in the Eastside area needs groceries for the week."

Urgency Levels

Every need has an urgency level that determines how it is presented to volunteers and how quickly notifications are sent.

Critical -- The need must be fulfilled immediately. Volunteers in the matching area receive an instant email notification regardless of their usual notification frequency. Use for emergencies: a family has no food tonight, a child needs medication today, someone needs immediate shelter. Critical needs should be rare.
High -- The need is time-sensitive and should be fulfilled within a day or two. Volunteers see it prominently in their notifications. Use when there is a real deadline approaching soon.
Medium -- The need is important but not time-critical. This is the default urgency and is appropriate for most needs. Volunteers receive it in their normal notification cycle.
Low -- The need is a nice-to-have or has a flexible timeline. Use for ongoing needs, wish-list items, or things that can wait.

Choose the urgency level honestly. If everything is marked Critical, volunteers will stop paying attention to urgency signals.

Area and Category

Area -- Select the geographic service area where this need should be fulfilled. Volunteers subscribe to specific areas, so choosing the right area ensures the right people are notified. If you are unsure which area to choose, ask your coordinator.
Category -- Select the type of need (for example, Groceries, Transportation, Clothing, Housing). Categories help volunteers quickly identify needs that match their ability to help. Your organization defines its own categories.

Need Type

Select the type of need:

Physical Item -- Tangible goods like groceries, diapers, clothing, or furniture
Financial Assistance -- Monetary support for bills, rent, or other expenses
People Needed -- Volunteers needed for tasks like driving, mentoring, moving help, or meal preparation

Images and Attachments

You can add an image to help volunteers understand the need. For example, a photo of the specific item needed or a flyer for an event that needs volunteers. Do not upload images that could identify your client.

Helpful Links

You can include links to online product listings, wishlists, or other resources that help the volunteer understand or fulfill the need.

Due Date

If the need has a deadline, set a due date. This helps volunteers understand the timeline and triggers approaching-due-date alerts on your dashboard.

Submitting the Need

Once you submit the need, one of two things happens depending on your organization's settings:

Immediate publication -- The need goes live and volunteers in the matching area are notified based on their notification preferences.
Pending approval -- The need is submitted for review by a coordinator or admin before it is published. You will be notified when it is approved.

You will receive a confirmation email when your need is published.

Managing Your Needs

Viewing and Filtering

The Needs page shows all needs you have created. You can filter by:

Status -- Open, Claimed, Completed, or Cancelled
Urgency -- Critical, High, Medium, or Low
Area -- Filter to a specific service area
Category -- Filter by need category

Use these filters to quickly find needs that require your attention.

Editing a Published Need

You can edit a need after it is published to update details, change the urgency, or add information. Navigate to the need and click Edit. Updated information is reflected immediately on the website, though volunteers who have already been notified will not receive a new email about the change.

Cancelling a Need

If a need is no longer required -- perhaps the client's situation changed or the need was fulfilled outside of NeedBridge -- you can cancel it. Cancelled needs are removed from the active list and volunteers will no longer see them.

Working with Claims

When a volunteer claims one of your needs, NeedBridge sends you an email notification immediately. Here is what happens and what you need to do.

What Happens When a Need Is Claimed

The volunteer clicks the claim button in their email or on the website
They provide their name, email, phone number, and a brief message about how they can help
NeedBridge records the claim and changes the need status to Claimed
You receive an email notification with the volunteer's contact information and message
The volunteer receives a confirmation email with your organization's contact information

Viewing Claim Details

When you open a claimed need, you can see:

The volunteer's name, email, and phone number
Their message about how they plan to help
The date and time they claimed the need
For needs that support partial claims, how much of the need they are covering

Coordinating with the Volunteer

After a claim, it is your responsibility to reach out to the volunteer promptly. Here is a recommended approach:

Contact the volunteer within 24 hours -- Sooner for Critical and High urgency needs. Use the contact method they provided (email or phone).
Confirm the details -- What they are providing, when and where the handoff will happen, any special instructions.
Share only what is necessary -- Give the volunteer the information they need to fulfill the need (drop-off location, specific items, timing) without sharing private client details.
Follow up -- If you do not hear back from the volunteer within a reasonable time, follow up. If they are unresponsive, you may need to reopen the need for another volunteer.

Partial Claims

For some need types (like financial assistance or large item requests), multiple volunteers can claim portions of the need. The need shows progress toward the total target, and each volunteer's contribution is tracked separately.

Completing Needs

When a need has been fulfilled, mark it as complete. This is an important step that:

Removes the need from the active list
Updates your organization's completion metrics
Triggers a story capture prompt (if enabled) so you can record the outcome

How to Complete a Need

Navigate to the need
Click the Complete button
Optionally add a completion note describing the outcome
The volunteer may receive a thank-you email and an invitation to share their experience

Capturing the Story

Your organization may have story capture enabled. When you complete a need, you or the volunteer may be prompted to share the story of how the need was fulfilled. These stories are valuable for:

Demonstrating your organization's impact to donors and stakeholders
Encouraging other volunteers by showing the difference they can make
Providing your organization with content for reports and communications

Write stories that are genuine and specific while still protecting client privacy.

Daily Workflow Recommendations

A consistent daily routine helps you stay on top of your caseload and respond to volunteers quickly.

Morning Check (10-15 minutes)

Review new claims -- Check your email and dashboard for any needs that were claimed overnight. Contact those volunteers as soon as possible.
Check urgent needs -- Look at any Critical or High urgency needs that are still open. Consider whether they need to be reshared or if the urgency should be updated.
Review approaching due dates -- Address any needs with upcoming deadlines.

Midday Follow-Up (5-10 minutes)

Follow up on in-progress needs -- Check in on needs where you have coordinated with a volunteer but the need is not yet complete. Send a quick message if needed.
Respond to volunteer messages -- If any volunteers have reached out with questions, reply promptly.

End of Day (5-10 minutes)

Update statuses -- Mark any needs that were completed today. Cancel any that are no longer needed.
Post new needs -- If you gathered new needs during the day, post them now so volunteers see them in their next notification cycle.
Check tomorrow's due dates -- Identify anything urgent coming up tomorrow.

Email Notifications You Will Receive

NeedBridge sends you email notifications to keep you informed without requiring constant dashboard checks:

Claim notification -- Sent immediately when a volunteer claims one of your needs. Includes the volunteer's contact information and message.
Need creation confirmation -- Sent when you create a need, confirming it was published (or submitted for approval).
Daily digest (if enabled) -- A summary of activity on your needs from the past day.
Approaching due date reminders -- Alerts for needs with due dates coming up.
Completion prompts -- Reminders for claimed needs that have been in progress for a while without being marked complete.

You can reply to most NeedBridge emails to reach your organization's support team.

Tips and Best Practices

Be specific in your need descriptions. The more detail you provide, the more likely a volunteer will claim the need and fulfill it correctly.
Respond to volunteers quickly. Volunteers are generous with their time. A fast response shows respect and keeps them engaged for future needs.
Use urgency levels honestly. Reserve Critical for genuine emergencies. Overusing high urgency erodes volunteer trust.
Protect client privacy always. Never include names, addresses, or identifying details. When in doubt, leave it out.
Keep statuses current. A need marked as open when it has already been fulfilled wastes volunteer time and creates a poor experience.
Write good titles. Volunteers decide whether to read the full description based on the title alone. Make it count.
Thank your volunteers. A brief thank-you message goes a long way toward keeping volunteers engaged and coming back.
Work with your coordinator. If you are struggling with unresponsive volunteers, low claim rates, or difficult needs, your coordinator can help.

Troubleshooting

A need is not getting claimed

Check that the need is assigned to the correct area. If the area has few subscribers, ask your coordinator about expanding coverage.
Review your title and description. Is it clear what is needed and how a volunteer can help?
Check the urgency level. Needs marked Low may take longer to get noticed.
Ask your coordinator if there are enough active volunteers in that area.

A volunteer is unresponsive after claiming

Try reaching out again using a different contact method (phone instead of email, or vice versa).
If you cannot reach them after two attempts over 48 hours, contact your coordinator. You may need to reopen the need.

I posted a need with incorrect information

Navigate to the need and click Edit to update the details. Changes take effect immediately on the website.

I cannot see a need I just created

If your organization has need approval enabled, your need may be waiting for coordinator or admin approval. Check for a pending status.

I am not receiving email notifications

Check your spam or junk folder for emails from NeedBridge.
Verify that your email address in your profile is correct.
Contact your organization admin if the issue persists.

A need was fulfilled outside NeedBridge

Cancel the need in NeedBridge so it is removed from the active list. Add a note explaining that it was fulfilled through other means so your coordinator has visibility.

Getting Help

If you need assistance:

Ask your coordinator -- They oversee your area and can help with most day-to-day questions about needs, volunteers, and processes.
Contact your organization admin -- For account issues, settings changes, or technical problems.
Contact NeedBridge support -- If you encounter a bug or technical issue that your admin cannot resolve, your admin can submit a support ticket on your behalf.

You can also reply to any NeedBridge notification email to reach your organization's support contact.