VOLUNTEER

USER GUIDE

1. PURPOSE

This document provides guidance to students and staff wishing to register as volunteers in order to participate in volunteering or training opportunities advertised on the website.

It explains how to register, how to apply for volunteering or training opportunities and what happens at each stage of the process. An overview of the broader functionality of the site is also provided.

 

2. MAIN NAVIGATION

The website has several main navigation features which can be accessed using the navigation across the top of the website. The menu options on the Home page (horizontally across the page below the images) which are relevant to volunteers are as follows:

Search – in this section you can search the site for volunteering and training opportunities.

Volunteers – in this section you will find an FAQ page plus options on the right of the screen to go to the Why Register and RecommendVolunteering for Oxford pages.                                                                                            

News – here you can read the latest articles about volunteering. You may submit articles for inclusion in this section by emailing us (see Contact Us below).

About – information about the services offered, who can use them and who we are.

Contact Us – this section provides contact details for any queries/issues/requests for articles to be added to the site.

At the bottom of each page is a secondary navigation which takes users to a variety of websites. The websites act as reference points to websites of interest for more information about volunteering and how to get involved in your community.

 

3. REGISTRATION

Please note registration on Volunteering for Oxford is FREE.

On the Home page, click on Register button to take you to the volunteer register page. This is also available by going to /volunteerregsiter.aspx at any point. (NB you can also register as a volunteer from other links throughout the website).

Below gives an example of the volunteer registration page taken from the Bournemouth University example;

Complete as much information as possible on the Volunteer Registration page. Points to note:

-        Please ensure the email address you provide is accurate as confirmation of your registration will be sent by this method.

-        Please be as accurate as possible when selecting your preferred contact method. Organisations will use this information when contacting you regarding the opportunities they are running which you have applied for

-        If you tick the box at the foot of the page (saying that you DO NOT wish to be contacted occasionally about events, news and information regarding Volunteering for Oxford) then we will not send you our newsletters.

-        All fields which are marked with a * must be filled in for the registration form to be completed. If they are no completed

-        Volunteers should complete the ‘Availability’ section as much as possible. By filling in this section, you will tell the system about when you are available and then later on, see opportunities which are more relevant to you

NOTE: The example screen below may ask slightly different questions to those on your register screen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3.1 CONFIRMATION

Within 24 hours of registering on the site, you should receive a confirmation email with the subject ‘Registration confirmation’. An example is shown below:

Hi <Your name>,

Thanks again for registering!

To finish your registration, please click on the link below:

Volunteering for Oxford

Kind Regards,

N.B. If you do not receive the email within 24 hours please contact your volunteer co-ordinators as possible using the Contact Us page

When you click on the link within the email to confirm your registration and you will be linked back to the website where you will be taken to a screen confirming your registration. An example is shown below.

On this screen are two links where you can select your areas of interest for volunteering or training and/or rate yourself on a set of skills. Providing this information will help the system match you to opportunities you may be interested in.

NOTE: As well as confirming your registration with the system, you will also be logged in to your own volunteer admin area (see point 4)

The final step in the registration process is a second email which you will receive entitled ‘Volunteering for Oxford registration successfully finished’. Here is an example:

Dear <Your name>,

Congratulations! You are now a member of a great group of people who want to get involved in their local community and make a difference.

Your email for Volunteering for Oxford is: you@someaddress.com
Your password is xxxxxx

………

Kind regards,

N.B. If you do not receive the email within 24 hours please contact your volunteer co-ordinator via the Contact Us page.

 

4. VOLUNTEER ADMIN AREA

As soon as you have a username and password, you can log onto the site as a registered user at any time to access the Volunteer Homepage. An example from the Bournemouth Version of the system is shown below:

By logging into the system with your username and passwrod, you will now be given access to various volunteer tools. These consist of the following options:

My Login:you may change your email address and/or password at any time.

My Profile:this page allows you to update your personal details. Make sure you save any changes by clicking the ‘Save’ button at the foot of the page (these are the same details you entered during the register process).

Search:use this page to search the site for volunteering or training opportunities you might want to apply for.

Current Opportunities: you may view any opportunities you are currently registered on and also any that you have applied for.

Matched Opportunities: this page lists any opportunities on the site that match your skills, interests and availability (more about this later!)

Past Opportunities: you may view any opportunities which you previously took part in.

Current Training: you may view any training you are currently registered on and also any that you have applied for.

Matched Training: this page lists any training opportunities on the site that match your skills, interests and availability.

Past Training: you may view any training sessions which you previously took part in.

The main part of the Volunteer Homepage contains a table showing the latest opportunities which have been added to the site. Brief details of each one are shown and by clicking on ‘more’ button on the right or the title of the opportunity which will take to a new screen with the full information about that opportunity.

Finally on the Volunteer Homepage is a Polls section. Polls are set up and maintained by the admin users of the website to gauge your opinion on the things which affect you. Each time you log in a poll will be shown which you may vote in until all the current polls have been shown. NOTE: You can only vote once on each poll, so make your vote count! Votes are recorded anonymously so we only gauge general opinion.

 

5. OPPORTUNITIES

5.1 Searching for opportunities

Once you are logged in, you can search for opportunities in three different ways: either by clicking on Search or Matched Opportunities in the volunteer menu or by clicking on ‘clicking here to use the search function’ in the Latest Opportunities table on your Volunteer Homepage (which will take you to the search page). 

On the Search page key in any search criteria you may have:

Type: Select the relevant option – opportunities, training or both.

Keywords: If you know the name of an opportunity put it here and the system will find any which match your keyword(s) entered

Location Category: Select either Any, Local, National or International. NOTE: if you select Local or Any you can also specify a Location.

Availability: When you are available to participate in opportunities or training

Interests: Select the opportunities which you are interested in getting involved with

An example is shown below:

 

 

 

NOTE: The Locations and Interests shown here may be different on your set up.

Once you have completed the criteria click on the ‘Search’ button at the foot of the page. You may also just click on the ‘Search’ button without keying in any search criteria if you want to look at all the opportunities available.

The Search Results page will show you all the opportunities that match your search criteria.

 

 

From this page you can either click on ‘Read More >>’ for any that you are interested in to see the full opportunity details, scroll to the bottom of the page and look at further pages of information if there are any (the links will be numbered as there are 10 results per page).

Each opportunity listed, shows how many spaces are left on the opportunity, as well as what the opportunity will be about and where it is run. The main image shown highlights the main interest that this opportunity will fulfil, with the other interests also listed.

To get more specific with the opportunities you want to get involved with, the advanced search option (available on the ‘Click here for Advanced Search’ link) allows you to find the exact opportunity you want.

 

 

The links shown here can all be clicked on and used to be as specific as possible about the opportunity you are looking to find. Here are some quick notes about the links available;

Basic info: Allows you to amend the type, location & keyword information entered on the previous screen

Interests: Select from the interests available

Availability:When you are able to volunteer or can do training

Skills required: Allows you to pick out the opportunities which require the skills which you have entered as being competent at in your profile page

Skills to develop: Ask the system which opportunities are available which will help you develop your skills you have highlighted as needing improvement in your profile

Dates: Select when you would like to do the opportunities entered in the system.

 

5.2 MATCHED OPPORTUNITIES

The Matched Opportunities page is basically another Search Results page but one that Volunteering for Oxford has done specifically for you through a matching process. This page shows a list of all the opportunities that require skills which you have rated yourself on as 6 or higher and which also match your availability and interests. Any opportunities which offer the chance to develop the skills you have ticked as wishing to develop will also be listed here. You can click on ‘Read More >>’ for any opportunities on this page just like the normal Search Results page.

(NB – if you want to change your skill levels, areas of interest or availability at any time just click on My Profile in the volunteer menu.)

On the Matched Opportunities page, if there is an opportunity listed here that you are not interested in you can remove it from the list. Also, if there is an opportunity that you think might be of interest to a friend you can ask for it to be recommended to him/her. To do either of these, simply click on the relevant link at the foot of the opportunity details page.

 

5.3 APPLYING FOR OPPORTUNITIES

If you are interested in an opportunity once you have read the details for it, then you can apply by clicking on the ‘Apply Now’ button at the foot of the page.

 

 

If the opportunity requires additional information to be completed, then you will be shown the Application Confirmation page. Depending on the requirements set by the organisation for this opportunity, a variety of options will appear and you will be asked to type in the details of your Next of Kin (NB if you have already done this for another opportunity, the existing information will be shown for you to change if necessary), CRB level, References (up to two) and whether you have a driving license.

 

 

If the opportunity requires you to have references you will also be asked for referee details on the Application Confirmation page. Once you have completed the relevant fields, click on the ‘Submit Application’ button and a screen thanking you for your application will appear.

 

5.3 APPROVAL FOR YOUR APPLICATION

Once you have applied for an opportunity Volunteering for Oxford administrators will then start work on arranging approval of your application or pass on your details onto the relevant organisation:

-        If references are required for the opportunity these will be requested by contacting the referees you have specified

-        If a CRB check is required, you will be asked to complete the forms to apply for this

-        If any discussion is needed about the opportunity (eg further clarification of what it involves) you will be contacted

When all the necessary administration has been done the system administrators will approve your application on the opportunity. When the admin users approve you, an email is then triggered to the organisation that posted the opportunity entitled‘New volunteer!’ asking it to contact you and arrange the logistics of you starting. An example is shown below:

Dear member,

We're delighted to inform you that we have now approved the following volunteer to participate in your opportunity (Opportunity Zzzzzzz):

Name: <Your name>
Email: your@emailaddress.com
Phone: 01234 567890
Mobile:  07890 123456

Preferred contact method: Email

Availability: Monday - Evening, Tuesday - Evening, Wednesday - Evening, Thursday - Evening,

Interests: Animals, Arts & Media, Children / Youth, Community, Environment, Health, MAD Days
Skills: Evaluation, Negotiation, Organisation, Planning, Questioning, Research, Support/Listening, Problem Solving, Critical Analysis, Presentation,

We believe that <Your name> is a suitable volunteer for your requirements and organisation. Please contact Sarah Harrison as soon as possible to arrange starting and logistic details for your opportunity.

If you have any problems contacting <Your name>or any questions regarding your involvement please contact us by e-mail at the following address:

email@adminaddress.com

or telephone our office between the hours of 9 - 5 Monday to Friday on 01234 567890

Kind Regards

Once the email is received it is the organisation’s responsibility to contact you and make arrangements for you to participate in the opportunity. If you do not hear anything from the organisation within two weeks of applying for the opportunity please notify the admin team via the website.

 

5.4 SUGGESTING OPPORTUNITIES

If you search Volunteering for Oxford for opportunities and/or training and can’t find the right one for you then on the Search Results page you are able to make suggestions. Click on ‘suggestion for an opportunity’ at the foot of the page and complete the form.

 

 

Your suggestion is automatically emailed to the site administrators who will investigate it and let you know if such an opportunity becomes available.

 

6. TRAINING

You can search and apply for training in a similar way to opportunities: either by clicking on Search or Matched Training in the volunteer menu or by clicking on ‘clicking here to use the search function’ in the Latest Opportunities table on your Volunteer Homepage - don’t forget to change the Search type to Training!

 

 

7. OPPORTUNITY REMINDERS

If you are due to participate in a one off opportunity or training session (i.e. where the start and end dates are the same) then three days before it is due you will be sent a reminder by email entitled ‘Opportunity reminder’. An example is shown below:

Hi <Your name>,

Don't forget you are taking part in '<Opportunity Name>”' starting in a few days time.

Click here if you need reminding of the opportunity details.

If you can no longer take part please let me know on 01234 567890

Hope you enjoy it!

Please make sure when you receive this email that you check the details of the opportunity/training and let the administrator know as soon as possible if you can no longer attend.

NB – opportunity reminders are NOT sent for opportunities or training which are longer than one day’s duration.

 

8. EVALUATION FORMS

If you are participating in an opportunity six months after its start date then you will be sent an evaluation request (with a link to an evaluation form) asking you for feedback on your experience.

Please complete the form as the information you give helps the administrators ensure that a quality service is provided by the website. You will also be sent an evaluation request once you have completed an opportunity.

 

9. VOLUNTEER PROFILE

As a registered volunteer you can update your personal information at any time. For example your personal details might change – if you don’t update them you may no longer be notified of opportunities that you have been approved to participate in or receive any other volunteering information from Volunteering for Oxford.

To ensure you continue to be matched to opportunities that might suit you make sure you keep your availability and list of interests up to date. Also check the ratings you have given yourself on the skills page – you might find that these change over time as you gain more experience through volunteering or taking part in training sessions.

To update your information go to the ‘My Profile’ section on the VolunteerHomepage and make your changes – don’t forget to click ‘Save’ at the foot of the page when you’ve finished!

 

10. FORGOTTEN YOUR PASSWORD/ANY OTHER QUESTIONS?

If you forget your password for Volunteering for Oxford then click on ‘Forgotten Password/’ on the site Home page (in the Already a Member box on the right) and your password will be emailed to you.

If you have any other questions about Volunteering for Oxford or Volunteering at Oxford University then please email volunteering@admin.ox.ac.uk