What is a Day of Service?
The Day of Service feature helps organizers who host large volunteering events alongside nonprofit partners who operate volunteer opportunities as part of that event. Perfect for United Ways or organizations that coordinate volunteer days between nonprofit partners and companies, schools, or other groups.
Getting Started
Day of Service has been integrated into your Dashboard in the Opportunities section. To begin, set up the framework for your event by defining the guidelines you want your Opportunity Host partners to follow:
- Name of your event
- Time frame for the event (opportunity hosts won't be able to submit options outside your dates)
- A waiver for your host partners to sign
- Options for Virtual, Remote, and Local Opportunities
- Key contact information
- Other custom questions you may need
Collecting Opportunity Submissions
After setup, you'll access the Day of Service management page where you can request, create, approve, edit, curate, and monitor opportunity submissions.
Start by inviting partner organizations to be Opportunity Hosts. Click the invite button to get a shareable link that you can distribute via email, social media, or your website.
This link directs organizers to the Opportunity Host invite page where they can create and submit opportunities for your Day of Service. You can also create and draft your own opportunities by clicking "Create Opportunity."
Curating Opportunities
Once an opportunity has been created and submitted, it will appear in the "Pending Review" section where you can:
- Review opportunity details
- Make edits
- Approve the opportunity
You can also send opportunities back to the Host Organization for edits if they don't meet your criteria.
Once approved, opportunities automatically move to the "Active" section where you can:
- Adjust Audience and Privacy settings (individually or in bulk)
- Monitor sign-up progress
- Share directly to volunteers
- Make additional edits, duplicate opportunities, or cancel if needed
All of these actions can be performed on multiple opportunities simultaneously for efficiency.
Promotion
Ready to promote your Day of Service and start collecting volunteer sign-ups?
From the Dashboard, navigate to Settings, then Website Tools, and copy the link to share in emails, social media posts, your website, or anywhere else. This link shows volunteers all Day of Service opportunities and lets them sign up, with or without a Golden account.
You can also share links to specific opportunities, which is great for targeting specific groups or assigning volunteers to particular opportunities.
Hosting an Opportunity within a Day of Service
If you've been invited to participate as an Opportunity Host in a Day of Service, follow these steps to get started.
Log into or create a free Golden account. You'll see an invitation about the Day of Service with a prompt to click next and start creating your opportunity.
Opportunity Name and Description: Keep it short and to the point. Your opportunity name should be just a few words that capture what volunteers will be doing. Leave out your organization name or vague titles. For the description, stick to 1-2 sentences—there's room for more specific information later.
Purpose, Role, and Vibe: Keep these sections concise:
- What positive impact will participants have by getting involved?
- What specifically will participants be doing?
- What's the overall tone?
Answer key questions about the opportunity that help volunteers understand what to expect.
Location and Contact Information: Provide your opportunity location and point of contact information.
Capacity and Timing: Enter your volunteer capacity and timing details.
Post-Registration Instructions: Add any additional information volunteers need after signing up, such as parking details, what to wear, or reminders to bring a water bottle.
Waiver: You can upload a waiver, and Golden will automatically collect volunteer e-signatures.
Requirements: Set any requirements for participants like emergency contact, parental permission, or background check. However, we strongly urge you to only require these fields if absolutely necessary—fewer hurdles create more successful opportunities.
Additional Information: Let us know if you need volunteer t-shirt sizes, if volunteers can bring guests, and if there's anyone else on your team who should receive notifications about this opportunity.
Cover Photo: Upload a cover photo that gives volunteers a clear idea of what the opportunity is about and what they'll be doing. Avoid logos, posed group shots, or stock photos.
Review and Submit: Review your opportunity, make any necessary edits, save as a draft if it's not quite ready, or submit for review. All Day of Service opportunities must be approved by the host organization, which may take a day or two. The Day of Service organizer will promote this widely to the right audiences. Check your email for updates and create more opportunities in the meantime.
Don't see this as an option? Contact support@goldenvolunteer.com to learn more.