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

Some volunteers may not have an email address. However, Golden requires each volunteer 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 volunteers. For example, if you have two volunteers named "Steve McQueen," the email address helps you identify which one played Thomas Crown and which one directed 12 Years a Slave.

Note: If volunteers are coming as a "+1" (such as a child accompanying a parent), see the "Shared Email Address" article instead.

How to Add Volunteers 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 volunteers 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 volunteer'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 volunteers 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 volunteer's name is Albert Blanco, the dummy email would be volunteer+AlbertBlanco@yourorganization.org. This dummy email should be used consistently whenever this volunteer 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 volunteer separately: Use the shared email for the primary volunteer (e.g., GeorgeAndMartha@washington.com), then create a variation for the second volunteer using GeorgeAndMartha+George@washington.com.

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