Managing Volunteer Onboarding with Credentials

Golden's Credentials feature makes volunteer onboarding smarter and more efficient by combining convenience with powerful tracking and vetting capabilities. Easily create, manage, and attach custom onboarding steps—like forms, interviews, and document uploads—to your volunteer opportunities.

To learn how to use Credentials for onboarding new volunteers, track their progress, and manage participation requirements, view our article: Streamline Your Volunteer Management: Introducing Credentials.

What Are Credentials?

Credentials help you screen and onboard volunteers by automating key processes. For example, an after-school mentoring program might require volunteers to submit an application, attend an interview, and provide reference checks. Golden's Credentials handle these steps seamlessly, saving you time and keeping everything organized from your dashboard.

Types of Credentials

Golden offers several credential types so you can customize onboarding steps to fit your organization's needs:

Forms: Build custom application forms to collect information about volunteers' skills, experience, or availability.
Interview: Notify volunteers that an interview is required. You can embed a Calendly link or provide contact details to help them schedule.
Video: Embed a brief orientation video to introduce volunteers to your organization or specific programs.
Document Upload*: Collect PDF documents like resumes or certifications directly from volunteers.
Offline Process: Use this as a placeholder for processes like reference checks or in-person orientations.

*Note: All documents must be uploaded as PDFs.

Creating Credentials

Navigate to the Credentials tab in your organizer dashboard and select Manage. Then click +Create New Credential and enter the following details:

Credential Name: Give your credential a clear name (e.g., "Volunteer Application" or "Interview").
Description (Optional): Explain why volunteers need to complete this credential.
Expiration: Set credentials to expire either on a fixed date or after a specific timeframe (e.g., 3 or 6 months from completion).
Required Review: Enable this if you need to manually review volunteer responses.
Credential Type: Choose from Form, Interview, Video, Document Upload, or Offline Process. (Form credentials let you create custom application questions.)
Instructions: Provide clear instructions for volunteers on how to complete the credential.

Once created, you can edit, share, or delete credentials using the icons to the right of each credential entry.

Using Packages to Bundle Credentials

What Are Packages?

Packages let you bundle multiple credentials into a single, organized onboarding process. This makes it easier for volunteers to follow the required steps and for you to track progress efficiently. For example, an "After School Mentor" package could include an application form, interview, and reference check. You can create different packages for distinct volunteer roles, like Mentor or Supervisor.

Creating a Package

Under Manage Credentials, toggle to the Package tab and click +Create a Package. Provide a clear title and brief description, then click Create Package.

To add credentials to your package, click the edit icon next to your package name and select +Add Credential. Choose from your existing credentials and use the arrows to arrange them in the order volunteers must complete them—for instance, requiring an application form before scheduling an interview.

Three Methods to Manage Volunteer Onboarding

There are three ways you can use credentials to onboard new volunteers into your organization:

1. Invitations

Use Invitations to directly invite specific volunteers to complete a credential or package. Invitations aren't tied to a particular opportunity. However, once a volunteer completes the invited credential, they automatically become eligible for any opportunity requiring that credential or package.

Example:
A volunteer shows interest in your mentorship program at a volunteer fair. To start their onboarding, send an invitation directly from the Status section of your credentials dashboard. Simply select the relevant credential or package and click Invite. You can either choose existing volunteers or upload a spreadsheet containing their first name, last name, and email.

2. Packaging an Existing Opportunity

Attach a credential or package to an opportunity to ensure only qualified volunteers can view and register for it. Setting an opportunity to Private-Open ensures that only volunteers who meet specific credential requirements can see and sign up for the opportunity.

To attach a credential or package to an opportunity:

Select an existing opportunity from the My Opportunities tab or create a new one.
In Section 1: About, set the privacy setting to Private-Open.
Scroll to the Credential section and select your credential or package from the dropdown menu.

Note: To make an opportunity broadly available, select the Portal group option, which targets all volunteers who have created accounts on your portal.

3. Sharing

Use Share Links to distribute credentials or packages broadly. Organizers can generate specific share links and embed them on their organization's website or social media channels.

Example:
If you have a standard volunteer application form, create a Form Credential containing your application questions. Then generate a share link for that credential and share it on your website, newsletters, or social media. Volunteers clicking the link will be guided directly to complete the required application.

Monitoring Volunteer Credential Status

Credential Status Review lets you efficiently track and monitor volunteers' onboarding progress. Using the Status section in the Credentials menu, you can easily view each volunteer's current stage, make decisions to approve volunteers, request updates, or reject applicants, and maintain clear communication throughout the onboarding process.

Statuses include:

Started: Volunteer has initiated the credential process.
Awaiting Participant: Volunteer needs to act after receiving feedback.
Complete: Volunteer successfully completed the credential.
Expired: Credential is no longer valid; renewal needed.
Declined: Volunteer declined the credential or was rejected.
Invited: Volunteer has received a direct invitation but has not yet started.

When reviewing a volunteer's credential status, you have three options:

Approve: Move the volunteer forward in the onboarding process.
Request an Update: Provide feedback or request more information from the volunteer.
Reject: Disqualify the volunteer from further participation.

To learn more about monitoring statuses, view our article: How do I Monitor Credentials?