Frequently Asked Questions and Resources for Volunteers and Nonprofits Using our Volunteer Platform
The Volunteer McKinney portal is used to help organizations recruit volunteers by giving them a platform to post volunteer opportunities and events as well as to help match potential volunteers to opportunities they are interested in. Please review our FAQs and Resources to become familiar with the portal. Feel free to reach out to info@volunteermckinney.org if you have any questions.
Website Terminology:
Please note that our website/guides may use different terms than our vendor’s (Galaxy Digital) Help Center but they have the same meaning. Here is a list of our language override glossary:
Galaxy Digital’s Terms | Volunteer McKinney’s Terms |
Need, Needs | Opportunity, Opportunities |
Agency, Agencies | Agency, Agencies and/or Organization, Organizations |
Volunteers - General FAQs:
Q: How can I get started as a volunteer?
A: You can browse opportunities without an account, but you’ll need to register and create a profile to actually respond to an opportunity. Click here to create a user account and start your volunteer journey with us!
Q: Who should I contact if I have questions about a volunteer opportunity?
A: Volunteer McKinney does not directly manage the opportunities listed on our portal; we simply advertise them. If you have specific questions about a volunteer opportunity, please contact the Site Supervisor listed in the opportunity description or visit the Agency’s profile page for contact information.
Q: If I'm volunteering with a minor, do I need to create an account for them?
A: Children under thirteen are not allowed to use our services without parental consent. If you plan to volunteer with a minor, first make sure the opportunity is family-friendly or allows children to volunteer with an adult. We recommend noting in your “Response Notes” that you will be volunteering with a child and include their age.
Q: How can I be notified about new opportunities?
A: To receive notifications when new opportunities are added, simply follow the agency you’re interested in. When they post a new opportunity or event, you’ll automatically receive a notification from our system.
Q: Can I cancel my user account?
A: Yes! To cancel your user account, go to “Edit Profile,” scroll to the bottom of the page, and click on Deactivate Account.
Q: Does Volunteer McKinney provide court appointed community service hours?
A: Volunteer McKinney does not directly provide court ordered community service hours. However, some of our partner agencies do. Click here to view a list of those organization
Nonprofits - General FAQs:
Q: Is there a document that shows the steps to navigate the system?
A: Yes! Click here. This document outlines the steps for listing volunteer opportunities, tracking volunteer hours, and posting community events. Additionally, it offers some tips to maximize the use of our platform.
Q: What is the sign up process to join as Partner Agency?
A: Click here to sign up. It should take no more than 10 minutes provided you have all the information listed below available.
- Employer Identification Number (EIN) – if you don’t know your EIN, check the IRS page.
- Your organization’s primary contact info
- Your organization’s address
- Your organization's mission statement
- A brief description of what your organization does and your priority programs
Once you have created your organization account you can begin to post listings with us! We will review your profile and listing and either approve it as is, or contact you if we have questions.
Q: How long does it take for my opportunities to get approved?
A: We review and approve opportunities daily during the workweek (Monday through Friday). If your submission is complete, it will be approved within 24 hours. Opportunities submitted over the weekend will be reviewed and approved on the next business day. If you have an urgent opportunity that needs to go live immediately, please email us so we can expedite the approval process.
Q: Is there a way to send notifications to volunteers via text?
A: Not at this time.
Q: From a volunteer’s perspective – what does following an organization mean?
A: Volunteers can choose to become a follower of your organization. The organizations that they choose to follow will show up on their dashboard and populate suggested volunteer opportunities based on who they are following and the activities they have selected.
Q: Can you simply ‘follow’ an opportunity vs. an entire organization?
A: The organization only.
Q: What will happen if I select more than 3 Causes? Will it make the volunteer search less effective?
A: Causes are either/or, not “and”. The volunteer will still be able to match a focus area just as effective as if the organization selects 1 or 5 causes.
Opportunities and Events FAQs:
Q: What is the difference between “Events” and “Opportunities”?
A: Events are used when you want people to attend, not volunteer, an event can be such as a fundraiser, community meetings, or training sessions. Opportunities are for recruiting volunteers to do a specific activity. Sometimes Events may need volunteers – in which case you can list as an opportunity and link to each other.
Q: How do I post an opportunity?
A: Here is a detail article on how to post opportunities.
Q: How do I view volunteer responses?
A: When a volunteer signs up for an opportunity, you’ll receive an email notification from our system. You can also review and manage responses, add default hours, and email volunteers directly from the "Opportunities" section of your Agency Manager dashboard. Click here to learn more
Q: Can I create opportunities for only certain approved volunteers?
A: Yes! You can create private opportunities as needed, and only the individuals you share the link with will be able to view and respond. Here's the link to a complete guide on how to do it.
Q: Do I get notified when someone has responded to my opportunity?
A: Yes, you will get an email from our system when a volunteer has responded to your opportunity. Then you can log in to your profile to see the details. You will also receive an in-app message. Please update your email settings to make sure that no-reply@galaxydigital.com is not going to your junk mail so you receive future communication from our site.
Q: Can I add links to an application or registration platform within my opportunity description?
A: Yes! Volunteer McKinney allows our partner agencies to use our platform to promote opportunities or events, even if registration takes place through an external system. We encourage you to clearly state in the description that volunteers must use the provided external link to register. Otherwise, they may register through our platform by mistake.
Q: Can I link the opportunities I post on Volunteer McKinney’s platform to my organization’s website?
A: Yes! To find the link, log into your organization profile, click on the opportunity tab and select the opportunity you would like to link, then scroll down to “Opportunity Links” and copy and paste the link to be used on your website, newsletter, emails, etc.
Q: How to I bump up my opportunity listing to the top of the page?
A: Our site ranks volunteer listings that have been created or updated more recently than those that have not been modified in a while. To help your listing rise to the top of volunteer searches, make sure to update them frequently (once a week or once every two weeks) by clicking on the blue update opportunity button. Recently updated listings are also highlighted on the landing page that volunteers see.
Q: How do I use keywords to get my opportunity listing noticed?
A: Often, when a volunteer conducts a search on the volunteer site, they type a keyword into the search box related to the type of opportunity they are looking for. When you write your volunteer listings, think about what terms someone might use to search for it and include those words in the title and/or description of your listing.
Q: Can we post unlimited opportunities or events?
A: You may post as many opportunities and events you have; no limit. You also have unlimited space for descriptions, so we recommend including all the important details volunteers should know before registering.
Q: Can volunteers search for family or group opportunities?
A: Yes! Volunteers can search for group and for family friendly opportunities.
Q: Is there a way for court ordered volunteers to only see court ordered volunteer opportunities?
A: Yes, we have a new banner spotlight that makes it easy for volunteers to find court-ordered opportunities. Simply select the court ordered cluster within your opportunity and it will show up when a volunteer is searching for opportunities that accept court ordered volunteers. A volunteer can also search for this by going to Keyword, and searching for “court ordered”.
Q: Can we add more than one waiver?
A: No, however you can attach one document with multiple pages and forms.
Q: Can you add a photo to an opportunity or event?
A: Yes! Just use the text editor's "Insert/Edit Image" icon.
Q: When posting a event can I make the event private/only invite a particular audience or set of people vs. making public to the ENTIRE site?
A: No-Anything posted as an event will be visible to the entire site.
