The Argenta Volunteer Portals are a powerful tool designed to streamline volunteer management for nonprofit organizations. While a public volunteer task calendar allows sign-ups, the dedicated volunteer portal offers a more integrated and comprehensive experience. This guide will walk you through the various features and functionalities of the Argenta Volunteer Portal, from sign-up to task management and community discussions.
Becoming a Volunteer: The Sign-Up Process
- Every volunteer portal features a login screen. New volunteers can click the "Sign up to become a volunteer" link, or organizations can provide a direct link on their website.
- Filling Out the Volunteer Sign-Up Form
- The sign-up form is self-explanatory and collects essential information
- Contact Information: Standard contact details.
- Volunteer Information (Areas of Interest & Skills): Volunteers can select areas of interest (e.g., event coordination, social media) and indicate relevant skills (e.g., fundraising, writing).
- Customizing Choices: Organizations set these choices within their Argenta instance via Classification Codes in the main menu. "Volunteer Needs" translate to "Areas of Interest," and "Constituent Skills" translate to "Volunteer Skills."
- Additional Information: An open field for volunteers to provide extra details (e.g., availability, allergies).
- Submitting The Form
- Upon submission, the information is entered into Argenta:
- A constituent record is automatically created.
- A lead record is created, indicating the individual is a potential volunteer, not yet active with portal access.
- An email notification is sent to the designated volunteer notification email address in your system, and a copy to the primary email address.
- Converting a Lead to an Active Volunteer
- Once you've vetted a potential volunteer:
- Go into Argenta.
- Convert the lead to an active volunteer.
- Create a portal login for them using Portal Tools in your main menu.
- Notify them that they can now log into the volunteer portal.
Logging into the Volunteer Portal- Forgotten Password
- If a volunteer forgets their password, they can click "Forgot password" on the login screen, enter their email, and receive a secure reset link.
- The Volunteer Portal Dashboard
- Upon logging in, volunteers are directed to the dashboard, their home base within the portal.
- Navigation: The main menu is always visible on the left.
- Welcome Message: Displays a personalized welcome, the user's email, and a link to your website.
- Volunteer Info: Shows basic volunteer details.
- Task Statistics: Displays both organizational and individual volunteer task statistics.
- Dashboard Message Section: Organizations can post important announcements or messages for volunteers. This is edited in the Dashboard Editor within Portal Tools in Argenta, using the Argenta editor for rich content (images, documents, emojis).
Volunteer Portal Features
- My Profile: Allows volunteers to manage their personal information.
- Contact & Demographic Data: Important fields, many of which are required.
- Text Message Opt-in: Crucial for compliance with US law if sending text messages to volunteers.
- Driving Information: Section for volunteers who drive on behalf of the organization.
- Available Tasks: This is a private version of the public task sign-up system.
- Browsing Tasks: Volunteers can browse and sign up for available tasks.
- Task Details: Clicking "Sign Up" reveals comprehensive details:
- Description and special instructions (set by the volunteer coordinator in Argenta).
- Location (linked to Google Maps for easy navigation).
- Option to add questions or comments.
- Confirmation: After clicking "Sign Me Up," volunteers receive a confirmation, an email with task details, and a reminder email 24 hours prior to the task.
- Calendar Integration: Volunteers can add tasks to their Google Calendar or import an invitation into other calendar programs.
- My Tasks: This section lists all tasks a volunteer has signed up for and completed.
- Task Information: Opening a task reveals contact details, location, and other necessary information.
- Calendar Add (Future Tasks Only): The "Add to my calendar" button appears only for upcoming tasks.
- Cancel Task (Future Tasks Only): Volunteers can click "Cancel this task" for future tasks to notify the volunteer coordinator. This does not automatically unassign them.
- Documents Library: This feature facilitates document sharing between the organization and volunteers, or among volunteers.
- Searching and Sorting: Volunteers can search by name, ID, or uploader, and sort the list.
- Downloading: Documents can be downloaded directly from the list.
- Adding/Opening Documents:
- Document Workspace: Includes a title (required), optional description, and the document manager.
- Uploading: Documents can be browsed from the device or drag-and-dropped into the upload zone.
- Saving: Click "Save" or "Save and Exit" to upload to the server.
- Deletion: While volunteers can delete documents, it's typically turned off by default for security. Organizations can manage documents in Portal Tools.
- Discussions: The discussions system is a forum, similar to Reddit for volunteers to communicate and collaborate.
- Starting a Discussion: Click "Start a New Discussion," enter a subject/title, and type the message using the Argenta content editor.
- Posting Responses: Open a discussion and click "Add Comment" to post a reply.
- Editing/Deleting: Only the original poster can edit or delete their own discussions or responses within the portal. However, organization team members can edit or delete any post in Argenta via Portal Tools.
- Notifications: The designated volunteer notification email address receives an email whenever a new discussion or reply is posted. This ensures oversight for content moderation and adherence to organizational standards.
- Content Policy: Emphasize respect, professionalism, and accountability in all communications to prevent harassment or inappropriate content.
- Settings: This standard interface allows volunteers to manage their portal account.
- Account Information: Edit name, email address, and upload a profile picture.
- Change Password: Update their portal password.