Skilled Volunteer Search

When you have a volunteer opportunity that is associated with one or more skills, then you can run a search to find volunteers in the database who match those skills.

Once you've found a match, you can 'invite' those volunteers to look at, and sign up, for the volunteer opportunity.

A volunteer opportunity must first have one or more skills associated with it.

A volunteer opportunity must first have one or more skills associated with it.

This opportunity, 'Feed the Hungry" has two skill ratings associated with it.  See this article on how to add skills to a volunteer opportunity.  

Note: Whether or not the skills are required is not a factor.  They just need to be associated with the volunteer opportunity.

To launch a skilled volunteer search, click on the Skilled Volunteer Search button at the top of the record

To launch a skilled volunteer search, click on the Skilled Volunteer Search button at the top of the record

The Skilled Volunteer Search is a 'quick action' in Lightning (and must be added to the page layout if you are not using the advanced volunteer opportunity page layout)

This will open a new window for creating the search parameters

This will open a new window for creating the search parameters

By default, the "Interest Area" associated with the opportunity will be checked and the Skill Ratings associated with the opportunity, as well as their minimum skill level will be selected.

If you click on search now, you will get all records where: 1) The volunteer has expressly indicated in their profile they have an interest in Hunger & Homelessness AND they have at least the required level of either of the two skills associated with the opportunity.

You can however, fine-tune your search as follows:

Contact Filters

Contact Filters

Contact filters cut down your search results based on the answers volunteers gave in their personal profile and in the skill-based volunteer profile.

If they have not completed their personal profile and indicated their interests -- then selecting a filter in the 'interests' category - would filter out all volunteers who have not specified the interest in their profile.  Selecting a filter on "Availability" will rule out all volunteers who have not completed their availability profile.

As a best practice - we recommend that you set all contact filters initially to 'None" so that you run your search solely on the Skill Rating Filters.

Skill Rating Filters

Skill Rating Filters

4. You can additional skills to the filters by choosing the category, skill and minimum skill rating and then clicking the ADD button.

If you wish to 'weaken' the skill rating of an existing skill, first REMOVE the existing skill, and then ADD it with a different skill rating.

5. By default, the search will result in anyone who matches any of the selected skill ratings.  To get an "AND" search where all skills must be present, uncheck the "Search Or" box.

6. Click on the Search Button to run the search using all the specified contact and skill rating filters.

Search Result Screen

Search Result Screen

The search shows us volunteers who matched the search parameter.

The % column tells us how closely they matched the search parameters (based on number of skills they matched on.)

If you get too many search results, you can then apply additional filters to the contact record to hone down the list

If you get too many search results, you can then apply additional filters to the contact record to hone down the list

Now you could set a minimum age, or look for only people who indicated they were a disaster volunteer, etc.

All the filters in this section are AND filters, so each filter you add will limit the search results a bit more.

Sending invitations to volunteers

Sending invitations to volunteers

Click on the checkboxes to the left of the volunteers you wish to send emails to, inviting them to look at and sign up for the opportunity.  This will send an email pointing them to the opportunity.

 

Email Sent to Volunteers who are invited

Email Sent to Volunteers who are invited

The email template sent out is found in HOC Email Templates and is called "Volunteer Opportunity - Invitation To Participate

It can be edited by your system administrator to meet your needs. See this post on how to edit email templates.

Skilled Volunteer search is only available to Salesforce users.  It is not available in the sharing portal.  You can however, if desired, create a report of a partners volunteers and their associated skills, and make it available in the sharing portal.

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