What do I do if a participant doesn't have an email address?

Some participants may not have an email address. However, Golden requires each participant to have (or be assigned) an email address to maintain unique records in the system.

Why is an email address required?

Golden uses email addresses as unique identifiers to distinguish between individual participants. For example, if you have two participants named "Steve McQueen," the email address helps you identify which one played Thomas Crown and which one directed 12 Years a Slave.

Note: If participants are coming as a guest of another participant (such as a child accompanying a parent), see the "Enabling Participants to Bring Guests" article instead.

How to Add Participants Without Email Addresses

Navigate to the Opportunity in your Dashboard (either from the Overview page or the Opportunities page). Note that you can follow the same process in a Group if participants aren't being registered for an Opportunity yet.

Click the "Add Participant" button and select the "Upload Spreadsheet" option.

Create a spreadsheet file (CSV, Excel, or Google Sheets) with columns for the participant's first name, last name, and email address. Follow the prompts to upload the spreadsheet, then select "Add Participants" to complete the process.

Creating Dummy Email Addresses

Since these participants don't have real email addresses, we recommend assigning a dummy email using one of these formats:

For individuals without an email: Use the format volunteer+[firstnamelastname]@[yourorganization].org or similar. For example, if the participant's name is Albert Blanco, the dummy email would be volunteer+AlbertBlanco@yourorganization.org. This dummy email should be used consistently whenever this participant is referenced.

For children whose parents are signing them up: Use the format [parentemail]+[childname]@[domain].[extension]. For example, if the parent's email is steve@goldenvolunteer.com, the child's dummy email would be steve+[childname]@goldenvolunteer.com.

For couples sharing an email who may participate separately: Use the shared email for the primary participant (e.g., GeorgeAndMartha@washington.com), then create a variation for the second participant using GeorgeAndMartha+George@washington.com.

Once you've created a dummy email for a participant, you'll be able to find them again in your Dashboard using the "Add Volunteer Sessions" feature.