This glossary is for all Connect site users (volunteers, agency managers, and site managers). It is updated on a regular basis. If you think a term should be added, please contact us and let us know!
Note: If you know the term you're looking for, click CTRL+F, enter your search term in the text box provided, and press ENTER.
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z
A
Active (Status) | Any user, need, agency, or event that is currently using (or being displayed on) Get Connected. For reference, see other statuses: Imported, Inactive, Pending. See also Expired (Needs).
Admin | See Site Manager.
Admin Panel | See Site Manager Panel.
Advanced Event | Typically a large-scale event in which multiple nonprofit organizations participate by offering volunteer opportunities. An example is the United Way’s Day of Caring. Click here to learn more about advanced events .
Advanced Event Module (AEM) | Module designed for managing advanced events such as Day of Caring. Prior to Connect version 2.8, which featured initiatives and user groups, the AEM was the only means for offering needs privately to groups. No future enhancements are planned for AEM; as such, site managers are encouraged to use initiatives rather than AEM for large-scale volunteer events. Click here to learn how initiatives differ from advanced events.
Agency | A nonprofit organization, and the default term used on a Connect platform for organizations that can post needs and events. This term can be overridden on an individual site as requested.
Agency Management Area | The area of a Connect platform where an agency manager can post needs and events, edit their agency profile, approve volunteer hours, and more.
Agency Manager | Someone who can edit an agency’s profile, post needs and events on behalf of an agency, and approved volunteer hours submitted. An Agency Manager automatically receives email notifications when users respond to needs and events.
Agency Partner | See Partner Agency.
Agency Registration | Nonprofits can create agency accounts on most Connect sites. To do so, they can click to sign up their agency and complete a registration form. By default, the form requires an agency name and the agency manager's email address. Site managers have the option to customize the agency registration form as needed. Site managers can also require that agency accounts be approved before the agency's profile page, needs, etc., are visible on the site.
Agency View | In Get Connected reports and agency manager stats, an “agency view” refers to an agency profile page that has been visited. If a user is viewing an agency profile and refreshes the page, the system counts that as two agency views.
Alias Domain | Your alias domain is the domain that was created for your site shortly after your organization purchased its Connect platform. All Connect site alias domains end with .galaxydigital.com (for example, localvolunteercenter.galaxydigital.com. Even if your organization opts to purchase a custom domain or use a subdomain, the alias domain will continue to function as an URL for your site.
Anonymous Hours | A way of submitting hours on behalf of volunteers who do not have a Connect account. This feature is only available to agency managers; click here to learn how to submit anonymous hours.
Approved (Status) | This status is assigned to volunteer hours once an agency manager or site manager has approved them. An agency manager cannot reverse hours approval, but a site manager can.
Auto-approval | A setting that allows new material posted by agency managers to go live on the site without review by a site manager. Agency accounts, profile updates, needs, and events can be set to auto-approve. Galaxy Digital recommends not auto-approving new agencies that sign up for a Connect site.
Automated Notifications | Messages that are triggered by a particular event, such as an individual responding to a need. Automated notifications can be edited or disabled as needed.
Avatar | Another word for logo.
Availability | A volunteer can indicate their availability in their user profile. This information is emailed to the agency manager when the volunteer responds to an agency's need. It's also available to a site manager who wishes to find available people to fill volunteer slots for an upcoming need.
B
Banner | The top section of a Connect platform screen; the banner does not change from page to page within a site. Your site should have two banners uploaded in Main Settings :
- For desktops and laptops: 1600 pixel x 250-300 pixel banner image (JPEG, PNG, or GIF)
- For mobile devices: 960 pixel x 300-360 pixel banner image (JPEG, PNG, or GIF)
Badge | A graphic indicator that a volunteer has reached an established benchmark for volunteer hours. All Connect sites have access to fifteen badges. Badges cannot be edited, and custom badges cannot be uploaded to your Connect site.
Benchmark | A set number of volunteer hours that must be achieved within a certain time frame. Site managers can set up benchmarks and attach them to badges that are awarded to volunteers when they reach certain benchmarks.
Blog | Web log. Use of a blog is optional on Connect sites. The blog is managed by a site manager.
Block | An academic period such as a semester or summer session. Used in the Service Learning Module.
C
Campus Connect | A Connect platform developed specifically for colleges, universities, and other educational institutions. Some versions of Campus Connect include the Service Learning Module (SLM). Campus Connect is often linked to a local United Way or volunteer center via the Galaxy Link, where students can access volunteer opportunities available to the community.
Cause | Designation applied to an agency or program; used to match agencies or programs up with volunteers who express an interest in one or more of its causes. By default, each platform has 16 causes, but a site manager can request that their platform have fewer or more. A site manager can also replace the default causes with custom causes as desired.
Check Box | An answer option for custom questions; allows the person answering the question to select multiple answers as needed.
Check-In | See Volunteer Check-in.
Click-wrap waiver | A click-wrap waiver is agreed to by checking a box stating that one has agreed to the waiver. Click here to learn more about the types of waivers available on your Connect system.
Clone | The act of copying a need, event, SLM course, or other items by clicking the applicable Clone button. A cloned item may include the word "Copy" in the title, so the person cloning the item should take care to update the title.
Closed Need | A need whose registration deadline has passed. When posting a need, an agency or site manager can specify a "closed date." Once a need is closed, it is still displayed with all other active needs, but with a red Closed button that cannot be clicked.
Cluster| Feature that allows agency managers to "self-tag" agencies and needs by choosing from a selection of established tags, or clusters.
CMS | Content Management System; see Custom Pages.
CNAME | Canonical Name record; necessary for sites that opt not to use the alias domain originally assigned upon purchase of a Connect platform.
Comma-Separated Value | A file in which data can be stored as a structured table. CSVs have a .csv extension and are typically text files where the information is separated by commas.
Community Connect | A Connect platform developed specifically for "single-cause" nonprofits (such as food banks, churches, and environmental groups) and to manage and facilitate community volunteerism.
Community Impact | A United Way effort to improve the conditions of a community by focusing on one or more areas of need, such as health and education. You can set up your Connect platform to measure community impact by establishing community impact areas and requiring that needs (and hours) be associated with one of those areas.
Company | (Advanced Events) An entity (typically a corporation) to which an Site Manager can assign one or more advanced-events needs. Companies can be loaded into your database manually or via import. Companies in the database can then be added to an advanced event and assigned needs.
Company Manager Link | In advanced events, a unique link that a company manager uses to view private needs that have been assigned to the company. This link is provided in the "AEM: Corporate Partner Invite" notification and is generated when the email is sent. It works only if clicked from the email notification; it will not work if copied and pasted into a browser's address bar.
Corporate Connect | A Connect platform developed specifically for businesses to facilitate and manage corporate volunteerism. Corporate Connect typically links to a local United Way or volunteer center via the Galaxy Link so that employees can access volunteer opportunities available to the whole community.
Custom Code | Header or footer code for using tracking pixels on a Connect site. Custom codes are established in Main Settings .
Custom Domain | Connect clients who do not wish to use the alias domain (which ends in .galaxydigital.com) have the option of purchasing a custom domain from a web hosting company of their choice. Additional fees for site security may be required.
Custom Form | A feature for building and sharing forms on a Connect site. Forms can be added to custom pages. Answers to submitted forms are emailed to the recipient specified by the admin.
Custom Page | Feature available to site managers for creating, editing, and publishing web pages on a Connect site.
Custom Questions | Questions that a site manager can create and add to certain forms on a Connect platform. The site manager can word the question as they wish, can select the answer type, and can decide if a question should be required. Answers to custom questions are typically available in data exports.
Custom Shifts | A need duration type for needs where the person posting the need can set up specific shift times that are not recurring.
Customer Care | Your dedicated support staff. You can contact us by clicking this link.
CSV | See Comma-Separated Value.
D
Dashboard | The "landing page" for a logged-in user of a Connect site. See also Volunteer Dashboard or Manager Panel Dashboard as applicable.
Deactivate | To assign an item (such as a need, agency, or user account) "Inactive" status. A deactivated item can be reactivated as needed.
Declined (Status) | Typically applies to submitted volunteer hours; if the agency manager or site manager rejects the hours, they will assign them a status of "Declined." Declined hours are not displayed on the volunteer resume, and they are not included in the total shown on the volunteer dashboard.
Default Manager Account | The primary contact for your site. The default manager is set up in Main Settings .
Digest | See Email Digest.
Disaster Response Initiative | Available for ReDI clients, a special initiative type for posting disaster-response needs.
Domain Name | A Connect platform's active URL. A site may use the alias domain, a subdomain, or a custom domain. Your Connect platform's domain name is shown in Main Settings.
DNS | Domain Name System; controls your Connect platform URL's site and email settings. You can find your Connect platform's DNS information by going to Settings > DNS Information.
Dollars for Doers | Corporate volunteer program to encourage employee volunteerism by donating money to nonprofits for each employee hour volunteered. Similar programs include Volunteer Grants, Dollar For Hour, and Grants for Time.
Donation | Something that is given to a charity or nonprofit, particularly in the form of money. A Connect platform can be set up to accept monetary donations via Stripe. Stripe charges a flat rate of 2.9% plus 30¢ per successful charge. Galaxy Digital does not receive a percentage of donations made through a Connect platform.
Duration | A setting for a need that indicates if the need is ongoing (no expiration date), runs until a certain date, happens on a certain date, or occurs in shifts on certain dates and at certain times. If a specific date is associated with the need, the need (or the shift) will expire once that date has occurred.
Dropdown | An answer option for custom questions; when selecting from a dropdown, an individual can only select one of the available answers.
E
Email Blast | Administrative tool for emailing groups of users.
Email Digest | An email the compiles data from the past week into a single message. A Connect site has two digest emails available: The Volunteer Weekly Digest, which informs volunteers of new opportunities that match their interests, and the Agency Manager's Weekly Digest, which provides agency managers with useful information regarding pending hours and needs that may expire soon. Digest emails are automatically send once a week and can be edited or disabled as needed.
Email "From" Name | The sender name that appears in the From (return address) field of an email message. The default for all Connect platforms is "No Reply," but this name can be overridden.
Email "From" Address" | The sender address that appears in the in the From (return address) field of an email message. The default for all Connect platforms is no-reply@galaxydigital.com, but this address can be overridden.
Email Suffix | The part of an email that appears to the right of the @ symbol. For example the email suffix of anne.m.rogers@galaxydigital.com is galaxydigital.com.
Employee Access Link | In advanced events, a link that employees of a company (or members of a group) can use to access private needs that have been assigned to their company or group.
Entered (Status) | A rarely used status for volunteer hours. This status indicates that a volunteer has entered hours but has not yet verified them. This status only appears if a site requires that volunteers take a two-step process (entering hours, and then verifying them) in order to submit them for approval.
eSign waiver | An eSign waiver is signed by typing one's name into a field. To learn more about types of waivers available in your Connect system, click here.
Event | A public occasion sponsored or promoted by a nonprofit organization, and to which the community is invited to attend. Events can include the option for people to RSVP. An event is not the same as an advanced event.
Expired (Need) | A need whose “happens on,” “runs until,” or shift date is in the past. Needs are no longer displayed publicly after they expire. Site managers and agency managers can view expired needs as desired.
Export | Transfer of data to a CSV spreadsheet. Export buttons are available throughout a Connect platform, including in the various management areas and in reports.
F
Family Friendly | A field available on a need-posting form; generally indicates that children are welcome to attend and even participate in the volunteer opportunity with their parents or primary caregivers. Volunteers can narrow their need search to include only those needs that are family-friendly.
Fan | An agency fan receives notifications when one of their fanned agencies posts a new need or events. Anyone who is logged in can fan an agency.
Favicon | An icon associated with a URL. Favicons are displayed in various places, including a browser's address bar, a browser tab, or in a bookmark list. A site's favicon is uploaded in Main Settings .
Favorite Agency | Agency that a volunteer can select in their profile to indicate their preferred recipient corporate donations through a program such as Dollars for Doers. Not be confused with a fanned agency.
Field Type | See Question Type.
File | A feature that allows site managers to save PDFs and other file types to the platform. A unique URL is provided for each uploaded file.
File (Question Type) | A type of question or requirement that volunteers must answer or complete by uploading a file to the Connect platform. This question type is only available for qualifications.
"From" Name/"From" Address | See Email "From" Name or Email "From" Address
Full Need | A need that has met capacity. Site managers have the option of showing or hiding full needs from site visitors.
G
Galaxy Link | A setup that enables two or more Connect platforms to share data with each other. Platforms can share content, response information, and reporting data. Click here to learn more.
Get Connected | Galaxy Digital's main product for volunteer matching and management. The preferred tool for Galaxy's United Way and volunteer-center clients.
Google Analytics | Google's web analytics service for tracking and reporting website traffic. A Connect platform can be set up to track data through this service.
Grid View | The default view for looking at agencies, needs, and events; features "cards" that display relevant information and include a button to learn more.
H
Happens On | A need duration type that is assigned to a need that happens on a particular date. Once that date has occurred, the need expires and no longer appears in the volunteer view.
Hours | Volunteer hours. Volunteers can submit their own hours, or they can be submitted on behalf of a volunteer by a team leader, agency manager, or site manager. See also Individual Hours and Anonymous Hours.
Hours Question | Custom questions that a site manager can add to the hours-submission form to collect additional data from volunteers.
Hub | Informal term for a Connect site that is sharing its agencies, needs, events, and advanced events with another site. If the other site only receiving that content (i.e., it is not also sharing agencies, needs, and events with the Get Connected site), it is sometimes called a portal.
I
Image Manager | Tool for storing photos and other images used on a Connect platform.
Image Rotator | Tool for displaying photos and other images in slideshow format on the volunteer dashboard. The image rotator is managed by the site manager.
Impact Area | A defined category of community impact. Examples can include education, health, or income, or they can be more specific (middle school success, childhood obesity, job training). When posting needs, agency managers must select from the established impact areas, and volunteers can search for needs by impact area. Community impact areas are set up by the site manager.
Impact Page | See Volunteer Impact Page.
Impact Value | Monetary value of a volunteer hour. A volunteer's impact value is shown on both the volunteer's dashboard and resume. Value is determined based on state rates provided at independentsector.org/volunteer_time. A site manager can override the state rate in Main Settings .
Import | Transfer of data from a spreadsheet or CSV file into a Connect platform. Galaxy Digital's import policy can be found here.
Imported (Status) | Status applied to items (agencies, needs, users, etc.) that have been imported into the system but have not yet been activated.
In-app Messaging | Messaging system within a Connect platform. Site managers can send messages within the system only, but all emails from the system (including automated notifications and email blasts) are also copied to a user's in-app messaging inbox. Unread in-app messages are indicated by a bell in the utility bar, along with the number of unread messages in parentheses.
Inactive (Status) | A status applied to any agency, user, need, or event that has been manually deactivated by a manager. Note: An expired need is not necessarily an inactive need; if a need is expired but was never manually deactivated, it is classified as active.
Incomplete Agency | An “incomplete agency” is one whose profile does not include a logo, complete contact information, and/or complete address/location information. A site manager can view incomplete agencies and email the agency managers to remind them to complete their agency profiles.
Individual Hours | Volunteer hours that are not associated with a need response on a Connect site.
Initiative | A tool for grouping needs under a single heading, such as needs that happen in a particular season. Initiatives can use a banner, custom questions, and custom messaging.
Interest | Designation applied to needs; used to match needs up with volunteers who indicate a preference for certain volunteerism types and tasks. By default, each platform has 16 interests, but a site manager can request that their platform have fewer or more. A site manager can also replace the default interests with custom interests as desired.
Is Ongoing | See Ongoing.
J
Join Link | A link that volunteers can use to join a team or user group.
K
Key | See Template Key.
Kiosk | Tool that enables volunteers to check in to volunteer opportunities. When the Kiosk is used, a volunteer's hours will be logged automatically. Click here to learn more.
L
Language Override | Replacement of a term on your site with a term of the site manager's choice (for example, replacing "need" with "opportunity). Click here to see which terms can be overridden.
LMS | Learning Management System. A self-paced series of training videos and accompanying articles. Galaxy Digital provides LMS courses in several areas; contact Customer Care to learn more.
List View | An optional view for looking at agencies, needs, and events; features a table listing relevant information, along with a button to learn more.
M
Manager | See Agency Manager or Site Manager.
Manager Panel Dashboard | The default page of the site manager panel; includes shortcut buttons for managing various areas of the platform and a link to the Help Center. The manager panel dashboard can be customized to feature charts and graphs showing site activity.
Map View | An optional view for looking at agencies, needs, and events; features a map with clickable "pins" that take the user to the applicable agency, need or event.
Menu | See Navigation Menu.
Multi-Date | A need duration type indicating that a need spans several days. This date type is most often used for mission trips and other volunteer opportunities that involve travel.
N
Navigation Menu (also Navigation Bar) | A tool for moving from one page to another. The navigation menu is vertical and is located in the left-hand area of the screen. In the volunteer view, the navigation menu has a white background. The site manager panel's navigation menu has a black background.
Need | A volunteer opportunity; needs are typically posted to the site by agency managers. "Need" is the Connect platform's default term, but it can be overridden by request.
Need Response | Registration for a need. A volunteer responds to a need by clicking the Respond (or Respond as Team) button. Following a need response, automated notifications are sent to both the volunteer and the manager(s) of the agency that posted the need.
Need Response Form | A form that appears once a volunteer has clicked to respond to a need. This form provides the opportunity for the volunteer to enter additional information and answer any custom response questions that have been added. The volunteer must submit the form in order to complete the need response.
Need View | In Connect site reports, a “need view” refers to a need page that has been visited (i.e., the viewer opened a page showing just that one need). If a user is viewing a need and refreshes the page, the system counts that as two need views.
Notification Template | Your Connect platform sends out numerous automated notifications in response to different actions on the site; for instance, if someone responds to a need, an automatic notification goes to that volunteer, thanking them for responding. Site managers can manage the texts of these notifications by accessing notification templates in the administrative view. Click here to learn more about automated notification messages.
O
Ongoing | A need duration type indicating that a need has no specific deadline or date of occurrence. Ongoing needs never expire. If an ongoing need has been active for 90 days, the agency manager receives a notification suggesting that they review the need and update it as applicable.
Opt Out | Choosing not to receive Connect system notifications and other emails. A user can select to opt out of notifications and other emails by going to their user profile and changing the opt-out setting. Once a user has opted out, they will cease to receive emails and notifications, with one exception: the "Reset Password" email, which is triggered when an individual uses the "Forgot Password" link on the login page.
Override | See Language Override.
P
Partner Agency | Technically, "partner agency" is a United Way term for an agency that receives United Way support. A site manager can designate an agency as a "partner agency" by clicking the applicable box in the administrative view of the agency's profile. "Partners" is included in the agency "seach by" options for volunteers.
Pending (Status) | This status is assigned to items that are awaiting approval by an agency manager or site manager. Items that can be "Pending" include volunteer hours, agencies, needs, events, teams, user accounts, and qualifications.
Plus-one Hours | A type of hour entry where a volunteer can log hours on behalf of a friend or colleague who does not have a Connect account. A site manager has the option to allow or not allow plus-one hours on their Connect site.
Portal | Informal term for a Connect site that is receiving agency, need, event, and advanced-event data from another site (the "hub"), and whose users can fan the other site's agencies, respond to its needs, and RSVP to its events.
Posting Page | See Agency Management Area.
Q
Qualification | A feature that prevents volunteers from viewing or responding a need unless they have met the required qualifications for that need. Qualifications are established in the site manager panel, and an agency must be approved to attach qualifications to its posted needs.
Question Type | Actually an answer type; one of several options for answer format on a Connect site form. Question types include text fields, dropdowns, radio buttons, checkboxes, and files.
R
Radio Button | An answer option for custom questions; with the radio-button option, an individual can only select one of the available answers.
Recurring Shifts | A need duration type for needs where the person posting the need can set up specific shift times occur at the same time every day, week, or month.
Registration | See User Registration or Agency Registration.
Registration Steps | The process of signing up for a Connect site. By default, a volunteer must provide their name and email address and choose causes and interests in order to sign up. In addition, they are given the option of fanning one or more agencies. A site manager can also add a "Qualifications" step to the registration process as needed. There are several options for allowing users to skip one or more of the default registration steps.
Respondent | Someone who has responded to a need on a Connect site.
Response | See Need Response.
Response Question | A custom question that a site manager can add to the need-response form. Custom questions are added from the Settings area of the site manager panel.
RSVP | A tool that individuals can use to indicate that they plan to attend an event posted on a Connect site. Once a user RSVPs, a message is sent to the agency manager. The RSVP feature is only available if the agency manager has turned it on when posting the event.
Runs Until | A need duration type for needs that are active until a certain end date. Once that end date has occurred, the need expires and no longer appears in the volunteer view.
S
Schedule | On a Connect site, a calendar view showing scheduled volunteer opportunities for a volunteer, agency, or site. The volunteer schedule is available from the utility bar, the agency schedule is available from the agency management area, and the site schedule is available in the site manager's response-management area.
Service Learning Module (SLM) | Add-on module designed for managing student volunteerism in colleges, universities, and other educational institutions.
Shift Need | An need that has a duration of Custom Shift or Recurring Shift.
Single Sign On (SSO) | A user-authentication service that permits a user to use one set of credentials (such as a company or college username and password) to log in to another application (such as a Connect site). SSO options with Galaxy Digital include LDAP, Shibboleth, and JWT.
Site Manager | Individual who can access the site manager panel and manage their organization’s Connect platform. At minimum, all site managers should undergo agency manager training and site manager training.
Site Manager Panel | Accessible only by site managers, the admin panel has a dark red background and features the tools necessary to manage a Get Connected platform. Also known as the admin panel.
Site Settings | Area of the admin panel; accessible from the top right-hand corner of the admin panel screen
SLM | Service Learning Module.
SMS | Short Message Service; formal name for text messaging.
Spontaneous Unaffiliated Volunteer (SUV) | Someone who has not received formal disaster-response training from any state organization or agency active in a disaster. Despite lack of training, SUVs are crucial in disaster response. The ReDI System was specifically designed for management of SUVs in response to a disaster.
Spotlight | Tool for drawing attention to certain areas of a Connect platform. A site manager can create unlimited spotlights, but only the first three will be displayed as colored banners or boxes on the volunteer dashboard. Site managers have the option of adding more spotlights to the volunteer's navigation menu.
Steps in Registration | See Registration Steps.
Stripe | An online payment system used for donations on a Connect site.
Subdomain | An internet domain that is part of a primary domain. Connect clients who do not wish to use the alias domain (which ends in .galaxydigital.com) have the option of using a subdomain; however, some fees and additional work may be required.
Survey | A Connect platform feature, available for site managers who wish to survey their users. Survey results can be viewed from the site manager panel.
T
Tag | Designation that a site manager can apply to a user, need, agency, or event. Tags are useful for grouping like items. Some tags are applied automatically; for example, a unique tag is applied to all agencies that are part of a single import. A site manager can set up clusters, which allow an agency to self-tag its agency profile or any needs posted.
Team | A group of volunteers who are part of a single need response. A team response is initiated by a team creator. The team creator can reserve slots for team members, can add the team members using their email address, or can send out a team join link to volunteers so that they can join the team. A team cannot be created independently of a need response.
Team Response | A need response created by clicking the Respond as Team button for a need. This button is available only for needs that accept team sign-ups.
Team Creator | The volunteer who initially signs up a team. A team creator has team-management capabilities in the My Teams area of their user profile.
Team Leader | The assigned leader of the team; not necessarily the same person as the team creator. Like the team creator, the team leader has team-management capabilities in the My Teams area of their user profile.
Team Member | A person who is included in a team response but is not the team leader or team creator. A team member's My Teams area of their user profile includes the option to email the team leader.
Template Key | A code that, when used in an email blast or automated notification, pulls specified data into the email. For example, the user_firstname template key will be replaced with the first name of the message recipient. Template keys are recognizable by the double curly brackets on either side. The text within the brackets is a specific code and should not be edited by anyone other than a Galaxy Digital programmer.
Text Field | An answer option for custom questions; allows the person answering the question to type text into a box. A small text field shows up as a small rectangular box with the instructional text inside it; a large text field shows up as a larger box with the instructional text to the left of it.
U
User | Designation for individuals who have Connect platform accounts and can access only the public side of the platform. (In other words, users cannot access the site manager panel.) Users include both volunteers and agency managers.
User Group | A user group is a tool for grouping volunteers under a single "umbrella" so that volunteers and organizations can (1) measure engagement for multiple people who are volunteering on behalf of their larger group, and (2) engage community initiatives as a group. A site manager creates and manages user groups, and can also designate a user group leader.
User Profile | An area of a Connect site where a user can store and update their profile information, including their name, address, photo, causes, and interests.
User Registration | A user registers for a Connect site by entering, at minimum, their first name, last name, and email address. A site manager can add additional registration questions, and they can also set up which registration steps show up in the registration process. Once a user registers for the site, they can begin viewing and responding to needs. There is no "pending" period or approval required.
Utility Bar | The black bar at the top of a Connect site page. This bar can include options to add hours, check in-app messages, view a calendar of upcoming needs, and view or update the user profile.
V
Sterling Volunteers | A background-check platform geared toward nonprofits. Site managers can request that a Sterling Volunteers option be added to their site for agency managers who require background checks for their volunteers.
Video | A visual recording. Videos cannot be created using a Connect site; they can only be linked or stored. Agency managers can link to a YouTube or Vimeo video on their user profile, and site managers can store videos in the Content > Videos area of their manager panel. (This area of the manager panel was developed primarily to prevent loss of videos that had previously been uploaded to Legacy (version 1.0) sites.)
Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOADs) | Agencies involved in disaster-related work. VOADs provide skilled direct services in various stages of a disaster from prevention and preparation to response and recovery. Using the ReDI System, VOADs can reach area volunteers by posting specific disaster-related needs.
Volunteer Check-in | Feature that allows a volunteer check in to a need and have their hours logged automatically. With the agency check-in tool, the volunteer is checked in at the volunteerism site, and their hours are automatically approved. With self check-in, the volunteer checks in on their on device, and hours follow the approval rules of the site. With the Check-in Kiosk, volunteers log in when they arrived to the opportunity site.
Volunteer Dashboard | A page shows a user’s volunteer snapshot, suggested needs (based on user interests), agencies, spotlights, and other useful items.
Volunteer Impact Page (VIP) | A tool for sharing a site's activities and accomplishments with site users and the public. VIPs are created and managed by site managers.
Volunteer Resume | A PDF showing a volunteer's past volunteer activity for a specified date range, as submitted on a Connect site.
W
Waiver | A document that must be agreed to in order to move forward with a need response or an event or course signup. Waivers can be attached to standard needs and to areas with the AEM and SLM.
"What We Do" | Part of the agency profile; tells volunteers about the agency's programs and services in support of its mission.
"Who We Are" | Part of the agency profile; tells volunteers about the agency's mission, history, and vision.