Our Volunteering in Cumbria Portal is a powerful tool, enabling organisations to advertise their volunteer opportunities to a wide audience, reach potential applicants, and use a range of other features to strengthen volunteering.
The database is run by Cumbria CVS, with the aim of strengthening volunteering in the county. The service allows individuals to self-register and search for the latest opportunities, and organisations seeking volunteers to add vacancies and manage applications.
You will find our Portal here: https://volunteering.cumbriacvs.org.uk
Timings are given below to help you navigate to a particular point in the video if you are looking for something specific.
This training session will cover:
PART 1
– What is the Portal, who is using it, and how will it help you? Looking at the portal from a volunteer’s point of view. (2:18)
* The search widget, which can be embedded in your own website (2:20)
* How to search for a volunteer opportunity (2:56)
* Categories (4:41)
* Badges (5:24)
* Events (6:08)
* Looking at an opportunity (6:50)
* Opportunity title (7:40)
* Flexible v Sessions opportunities (9:00)
* Logging in as a volunteer to apply (10:05)
* Print button to create handouts (11:14)
* Organisation’s Profile (13:16)
* Same role, different location (13:52)
* Getting ideas for a good opportunity description that works for you (15:07)
* The App (16:26)
* Weekly email to volunteers (16:57)
* Example volunteer application journey (17:46)
PART 2 (18:23)
– How to create a Profile for your organisation. (18:40)
* CVS membership (19:45)
* Logging in and creating your organisation’s profile (21:33)
* Profile image (22:04)
* Profile text (22:45)
– How to create Opportunities. (23:50)
– What makes a good opportunity description. (24:25)
* WHY? (describe the need for this volunteer role, describe the difference the volunteer will make)
* WHAT? (what will the volunteer be doing)
* WHEN? (days/times, level of commitment)
* WHERE?
PART 3 (39:50)
– How to keep your Profile and Opportunities information up to date.
* Help videos (40:20)
* Adding users (40:28) [Note that here we switch to a different organisation’s profile. Some features, such as adding users, become available once Cumbria CVS has granted your organisation access, so you will not be able to do this straight away. Contact us with any problems.]
* Checking and updating an opportunity’s details (41:56)
* Copying opportunities (43:15)
* How to close an opportunity (44:54)
– Promoting your opportunities. (46:15)
– What happens when a potential volunteer is interested in your opportunity. (47:38)
* Adding private notes regarding a volunteer (51:20)
* Approving an applicant (52:37)
– Other Features (53:53)
* Email (54:17) – apologies for the error in the video, this screen shows the email you as an organisation will receive when a volunteer applies, NOT the email the volunteer will receive. The email an applicant receives actually says: “Thank you for registering your interest for [OPP TITLE]. Your chosen organisation will be in touch directly to start the volunteer recruitment process. Please allow 10 working days for the organisation to get back to you and if you don’t hear anything please email or call: info@cumbriacvs.org.uk / 01768 800350 so Cumbria CVS can follow this up. Thank you once again for your interest in volunteering making a difference to our communities in Cumbria.”
– Summing up (55:55)
To contact Cumbria CVS with any questions or problems, email or call: info@cumbriacvs.org.uk / 01768 800350
This training video was produced as part of our This Is Us project, made possible by Westmorland and Furness Council through funding from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.