FAQ’s
Q: What is an "Agency", a "Need", and what am I "responding" to?
A: An "agency" is an organization, generally a nonprofit, who is active on Volunteer HQ. A "Need" is a volunteer opportunity/volunteer project posted by that agency: something they need assistance with. When you want to volunteer for a need (opportunity/project), you "respond" to that need. This lets the agency's manager know that you would like to volunteer, and that they should reach out to you.
Q: What happens if I want to volunteer at an agency, but they don't reach out to me?
A: If someone from an agency whose need you respond to does not reach out, you can find their contact information in the "Need" that you responded to, or on their agency page and try to reach out directly. If you still have trouble, the contact information may be out of date. Please contact United Way of Broome County (info@uwbroome.org / 607-240-2000) to connect with the Volunteer Engagement Specialist, who can connect you to the right person and tell the agency to update their contact information.
Q: How do I volunteer for an opportunity / respond to a need?
A: You can register as an individual or you can get a team together and register to volunteer as a team. When you are on the page for a project that you want to volunteer at, click either “Respond” to register as an individual, or “Respond as a Team”. To create a team, click “Respond as a Team”, click “Add Me” to add yourself, if you are volunteering. Then you can either add specific volunteers by clicking “Add Volunteer” and enter their contact information; or at the bottom you can “Reserve Additional Slots”, if you don’t yet know who will be volunteering but you know you will have a certain number of people. Volunteer HQ has an article here on how to register as a team, as well as other general volunteer resources. Of course, if you have any questions or issues, you can always reach out to United Way of Broome County's Volunteer Engagement Specialist.
Q: What does it mean to “Become a Fan” of an organization?
A: Volunteers can choose to become a “Fan” of an organization/agency. The organizations you choose to fan will show up on your dashboard. Suggested volunteer needs will populate based on your fanned organizations.
Q: Can you simply “fan” a need vs. an entire organization?
A: At this moment, one can only “Become a Fan” of an organization, not a need.
Q: What will happen if I select more than 3 Focus Areas? Will it make the volunteer search less effective?
A: Focus areas are either/or, not “and.” A volunteer will still be able to match a focus area just as effectively as if the organization selects 1 or 5 focus areas.
Q: Can volunteers search for family-friendly, group needs or court-ordered needs?
A: Yes, you can filter by clusters. Clusters are how we group activities together. Simply select the cluster within your need and it will show up when a volunteer is searching for them. You can search for this by going to the keyword and searching.
For more information, visit here.
Q: Is there an app?
A: Yes there is! The app is available in the Apple App Store and Google Play.
Q: I'm still confused! What do I do?
A: No worries! Check out Volunteer HQ's help articles for volunteers, or contact United Way of Broome County (info@uwbroome.org / 607-240-2000) to connect with the Volunteer Engagement Specialist.
