About the platform
We are very excited to introduce our new Volunteer Management Platform, through Team Kinetic, supported by Central Swindon North Parish Council and South Swindon Parish Council! We have been working on this for a while, and it is finally time to show you all of our hard work.
This platform was created through Team Kinetic, which is a software to help mobilise, manage, measure and motivate. The aim for this platform is to be used as the place to look for volunteering in Swindon, but in a more streamlined way for both providers and volunteers.
Volunteers can find specific roles for them using the filters through the sites, and providers can manage their volunteers and opportunities as much or as little as they would like.
We are open to feedback on the system as this is brand new, so please contact us if there is anything you would like to mention.
Providers
To be a provider, this means that you are a charity/not-for-profit/voluntary organisation/group that has, or is looking for volunteers. Whether you have 1 volunteer or 100, this platform can help you manage them whilst also looking for more. It also means you have volunteer opportunities for individuals to apply for.
Registration
To register, you will need to visit Voluntary Action Swindon promoting and developing volunteering in your area. A TeamKinetic powered website and click on ‘Register to join our volunteer community’. Once having clicked on this, you will need to find the button which states ‘Register as a provider’. From here, you will be asked a series of questions to create your account.
You will receive an email once your account is created, containing important information regarding the platform and your account, so please keep this safe. From here, you are now registered and ready to start uploading your opportunities!
Creating an opportunity
Creating an opportunity through our platform is very easy, and once logged in can be found under the opportunities heading on the home page. There will be a drop down box when you hover over this, and the option you will need is ‘create opportunity’.
From here, you will be asked to give us a bit of information about the opportunity, which will be seen by volunteers on the platform, so please make sure you add in everything necessary, and pictures too to help identify your organisation!
Pro tip: Add search tags onto your opportunity, especially if it is an opportunity that could be phrased in a few ways, to ensure volunteers find you easily. For example, a litter picking opportunity can have tags such as ‘rubbish’, ‘trash’.
Opportunity badges are great to add to an opportunity also, as these highlight any special features for your opportunity. We currently have 6 different badges, but please get in contact with us if you would like anymore added.
Managing volunteers
Managing volunteers is an amazing feature of this platform, as it helps you track your volunteers hours, engage with them through a chat, and even send them rewards/achievements!
To invite volunteers to the platform, which may be useful if you already have volunteers that you would like added to the system, you will need to find the ‘manage volunteers’ heading on the home page. There will be a drop down box when hovering over this called ‘invite volunteers’.
Here, you will be able to either create an email list, or upload a spreadsheet of emails, whichever is easiest for you. This will send out an email to these volunteers, asking them to register to the platform, which is a very similar process to the provider registration.
To create a volunteer, for example for somebody who struggles with IT, or may not have access to the internet, you can do this also through the ‘manage volunteers’ heading, under ‘create volunteer’.
This will just ask for their email and which group you would like to add them to.
You can also reward your volunteers with achievement badges!
General
For all other features on the platform, we recommend that you have a play around with the system and see what you can do/find. If you have any queries about how to do something, please email volunteeringswindon@vas-swindon.org, or call 01793 538398 and ask for Lily.
Volunteers
To be a volunteer, this means you are interesting in using your time to provide your skills to an organisation/activity that needs help. Volunteering is beneficial for both the organisation and the volunteer, as it also provides you with experience and can help you secure a paid role. If you struggle to find somewhere to look for volunteering opportunities, then this platform is for you.
Registration
To register, you will need to visit Voluntary Action Swindon promoting and developing volunteering in your area. A TeamKinetic powered website and click on ‘Register to join our volunteer community’. Once having clicked on this, type in your email and click ‘Register’.
The system will ask you a series of questions to create your profile, which you will then use to apply to opportunities. Please ensure you fill everything out accurately and any emails you receive are stored away safely.
After Registration
Once you have registered onto the system, it will then take you to your profile where you can see opportunities, events, ID badge, achievements, documents and more. You will be able to edit your profile from here if you need to, and also add a profile picture so that organisations can identify you.
Finding Opportunities
To find opportunities, you will see that in the ‘Home’ section you will already have some suggestions. If you have looked through these and decide you would like something else, then scroll all the way down on this page and click on the button stating ‘Show more opportunities’.
Once clicked on this, it will take you to a search page where you can filter and search for specific things. This can be filtered based on location and distance.
Applying for Opportunities
Once you have found an opportunity you would like to apply for, you will need to click on the opportunity. It will either state at the top of the opportunity ‘This opportunity has an application process’ or you will just be able to join the opportunity without applying by clicking ‘Join’.
If an opportunity has an application process, you will most likely need to state the experience you already have and answer any questions that the provider has requested. You will then hear back from the provider by email regarding whether you can join the opportunity.
General
For all other features on the platform, we recommend that you have a play around with the system and see what you can do/find. If you have any queries about how to do something, please email volunteeringswindon@vas-swindon.org, or call 01793 538398 and ask for Lily.
Corporates
To be a corporate, this means that you are a business with staff who have dedicated days for volunteering. This can be separate for each staff member or group volunteering. You will be able to use the system for finding opportunities that are suitable for corporate volunteering days. It will be noted on each opportunity if it is suitable.
Registration
Before registration, you are asked to contact us as there is a charge for corporates. Your registered account will be approved once we have received payment. To find out more, please contact volunteeringswindon@vas-swindon.org.
To register, you will need to visit Voluntary Action Swindon promoting and developing volunteering in your area. A TeamKinetic powered website and click on ‘Register to join our volunteer community’. Once having clicked on this, type in your email and click ‘Register’.
The system will ask you a series of questions to create your profile, which you will then use to apply to opportunities. Please ensure you fill everything out accurately and any emails you receive are stored away safely.
Applying for Opportunities
Once you have found an opportunity you would like to apply for, you will need to click on the opportunity. It will either state at the top of the opportunity ‘This opportunity has an application process’ or you will just be able to join the opportunity without applying by clicking ‘Join’. Please ensure that the opportunity states that it is suitable for corporates. If you are unsure, then please contact the organisations directly.
If an opportunity has an application process, you will most likely need to answer any questions that the provider has requested. You will then hear back from the provider by email regarding whether you can join the opportunity.
General
For all other features on the platform, we recommend that you have a play around with the system and see what you can do/find. If you have any queries about how to do something, please email volunteeringswindon@vas-swindon.org, or call 01793 538398 and ask for Lily.