This article is for Connect site managers. It provides details on many of the automated notifications that are available on a Connect site.

Note: For information on automated notifications, see the article Automated Notification Messages. For an index of all notification messages, see Index of Automated Notification Templates.

Your Connect site's automated notifications include messages that are sent to volunteers who have responded to needs:

Notifications Sent at Time of Need Response or Unregistration

Need Response Thank You
Unregistered Need Volunteer Confirmation

Note: Several team-related emails are also sent out at the time of need response or unregistration. For details on team emails, see Team Notifications.

Notifications Sent Later

Upcoming Need Reminder
Notification of Updated Need
Need Response Follow-up Survey
Need Participation Thank You - One Day After
Volunteer Hours Declined

Notifications Related to Volunteer Check-in

Volunteers who use the self check-in tool will receive the following notification on the date of a shift they've scheduled:

Volunteer Self Check-in

Notifications Related to Qualifications and eSign (Waivers)

If your system uses qualifications, volunteers may get the following messages:

Notice of Expired Qualification
Notice of "Qualified" Status
Notice of "Not Qualified" Status
Waiver Signature Completed by Parent or Guardian
Waiver Signature Request for Parent or Guardian

Note: If a team leader attempts to add a team member who lacks a required qualification, this may be addressed in the applicable notification. See Team Notifications for more information.

Notifications Related to Benchmarks

If your system uses benchmarks, volunteers may get the following message:

Benchmark Achieved

For information on other need-related notifications in the system, see Agency Need Notifications. For information on notifications related to volunteer scheduling, see Shift-Scheduling Notifications.

Notifications Related to Waitlist

If your site uses the waitlist feature for full needs, the following notifications will apply:

Waitlist: Volunteer Added
Waitlist: Volunteer Removed
Waitlist: Space Is Open
Waitlist: Space No Longer Available

Need Response Thank You

A user who responds to a need automatically gets a Need Response Thank You message. This message thanks them for their interest and assures them that someone from the agency will contact them soon. If they responded to one of more shifts and the {{shift_times}} template key is used, all shifts will be listed in the message.

By default, the Need Response Thank You template includes the following tags, or template keys:

Template Key	Description (Text that replaces the key in the message)
agency_name	Name of the agency
agency_contact	Name of the agency's contact person (as entered on the agency profile)
agency_email	Agency's email address (as entered on the agency profile)
to_firstname	Volunteer's first name
to_lastname	Volunteers last name
to_email	Volunteer's email address
need_title	Title of the need the volunteer responded to
need_link	Link to the need the volunteer responded to
calendar_links	Option to add the need (if associated with a specific date and time) to the volunteer's Google calendar. Below is an example of how this would appear in the message for an August 7 need started at 7 a.m.:
shift_times	For shift needs, the shift's start date and time. Below is an example of how this would appear in the message for an August 7 need starting at 7 a.m.:
signature	Default system signature
initiative_message	Customized message for the applicable initiative
site_name	The name of your site, as entered in Site Settings
site_domain	Your site's URL
need_comment	If you completed the Comment field for a need, the comment will appear in place of this template key in your message. The Comment field is only available to site managers.

Note: A need response triggers two notifications: this one, and the Notice of Need Response message.

Unregistered Need Volunteer Confirmation

This confirmation is sent to a user who has unregistered from a need.

By default, this template includes the following tags, or template keys:

Template Key	Description (Text that replaces the key in the message)
to_firstname	Recipient's first name
to_lastname	Recipient's last name
to_email	Recipient's email address
need_title	Title of the need to which the user responded
need_description	Description of the need
site_name	Name of your site
site_url	Your site's web address
signature	Default system signature

Upcoming Need Reminder

The Upcoming Need Reminder is tied to needs that occur on a particular date. Volunteers who respond to the need will get this message one week before the date of the need, and again the day before the volunteer opportunity occurs. This message reminds the volunteer of the upcoming need

By default, the Upcoming Need Reminder template includes the following tags, or template keys:

Template Key	Description (Text that replaces the key in the message)
need_title	Title of the need
need_description	Description of the need
need_date	"Happens On" date; date of the volunteer opportunity
need_link	A link to the need on your Connect site
agency_name	Name of the agency that posted the need
to_email	Email address of the recipient
to_firstname	Recipient's first name
site_name	Name of your site
site_link	URL of your site
signature	Default system signature
initiative_message	Customized message for the applicable initiative

Note: The agency equivalent of this notification is the Agency Need Happens On template.

Notification of Updated Need

When updating important information about a need or shift, an agency manager or site manager has the option of notifying registered volunteers of the update.

If this box is checked when the need is updated, registered volunteers will be notified of changes to the need description, date, or time. If this box is checked when the shift us updated, registered volunteers will be notified of the shift information.

By default, this template includes the following tags, or template keys:

Template Key	Description (Text that replaces the key in the message)
to_firstname	Recipient's first name
to_lastname	Recipient's last name
to_email	Recipient's email address
need_title	Title of the need to which the user responded
need_link	A link to the updated need
agency_name	Name of the agency that posted/updated the need
message	List of the updates that have been made
site_link	A link to your site's landing page
site_name	Name of your site
signature	Default system signature

Need Response Follow-up Survey

Your site settings offer an option to have a need response follow-up survey sent to anyone who responds to a need. By default, this automated notification is sent 72 hours after the individual's need response. Click here to learn how to change this setting.

This Need Response Follow-up Survey message thanks the recipient for responding to the need and asks them to complete the survey. By default, it includes the following tags, or template keys:

Template Key	Description (Text that replaces the key in the message)
to_firstname	Recipient's first name
to_lastname	Recipient's last name
to_userid	Recipient's ID (assigned by Galaxy Digital)
to_email	Recipient's email address
link	Link to the survey
need_title	Title of the need
need_description	Description of the need
agency_name	Name of the agency that posted the need
site_name	Name of your site
signature	Default system signature

Note: Click here to learn more about how to view and edit the need response follow-up survey on your site.

Need Participation Thank You - One Day After

This notification is tied to needs that occur on a specific date. Volunteers who responded to the need will get this message the day after the need occurs. The message thanks the volunteer for responding and participating and encourages them to volunteer again.

Note: Prior to a July 2018 enhancement, this message was triggered a week after the need occurred. If your template still refers to "week after," you may want to update it to the latest version.

By default, the Need Participation Thank You template includes the following tags, or template keys:

Template Key	Description (Text that replaces the key in the message)
need_title	Title of the need
need_description	Description of the need
agency_name	Name of the agency that posted the need
to_email	Email address of the recipient
to_firstname	Recipient's first name
site_name	Name of your site
site_link	URL of your site
signature	Default system signature
initiative_message	Customized message for the applicable initiative

Volunteer Self Check-in

This message is emailed to volunteers at 6 a.m. Eastern Time on the day of their scheduled shifts, and they can use it to schedule their shift check-in and check-out times. This notification is only sent for shift-based needs (and not for Runs Until, Happens On, or Ongoing needs).

The message includes a link that volunteers can click to access their check-in/check-out page. Click here to learn more about how this looks from the volunteer's perspective.

This template includes the following template keys:

Template Key	Description (Text that replaces the key in the message)
to_firstname	Recipient's first name
to_lastname	Recipient's last name
to_email	Email address of the recipient
shift_start	Start time of the shift
shift_end	End time of the shift
need_title	Title of the need
need_link	Link to the need description on your site
need_address	Street of the need, if entered on the need form
need_city	City location of the need, if entered on the need form
need_state	State location of the need, if entered on the need form
need_postal	Zip or postal code of the need as entered on the need form
agency_name	Name of the agency or program that posted the need
agency_phone	Phone number of the agency or program that posted the need
checkin_link	Clickable link to the check-in/check-out page
site_name	The name of your Connect site
site_link	A link to your site's landing page
signature	Your site's custom signature

Notice of Expired Qualification

This message informs a volunteer that one of their qualifications has expired, and it gives them a link that they can use to access and update their qualification.

Note: Click here to learn more about qualification durations and expiration dates.

By default, the Notice of Expired Qualification template includes the following tags, or template keys:

Template Key	Description (Text that replaces the key in the message)
site_name	Name of your Connect site
site_link	Link to your Connect site
to_firstname	Volunteer's first name
to_lastname	Volunteer's last name
to_email	Volunteer's email address
qualification_name	Name of the qualification
signature	Default system signature

Notice of "Qualified" Status

This message is sent when a site manager changes a volunteer's qualification status from pending to "Qualified," and it provides a link that the volunteer can use to update and resubmit their qualification answers.

By default, this template includes the following tags, or template keys:

Template Key	Description (Text that replaces the key in the message)
to_firstname	Recipient's first name
to_lastname	Recipient's last name
to_email	Recipient's email address
qualification_name	Name of the qualification
site_name	Name of the site
site_link	Link to the site's landing page
site_domain	Your site's URL
signature	Default system signature

Notice of "Not Qualified" Status

This message is sent when a site manager changes a volunteer's qualification status to "Not Qualified," and it provides a link that the volunteer can use to update and resubmit their qualification answers.

By default, this template includes the following tags, or template keys:

Template Key	Description (Text that replaces the key in the message)
to_firstname	Recipient's first name
to_email	Recipient's email address
site_name	Name of the site
site_link	Link to the site's landing page
signature	Default system signature

Waiver Signature Completed By Parent or Guardian

When a volunteer who is under 18 signs a minor-specific waiver using eSign, their parent or guardian will need to cosign the waiver. Once the parent or guardian has done so, the minor is notified with this message. If they signed the waiver in order to access or respond to a need, they will now be able to return to the site and continue.

This template includes the following template keys:

Template Key	Description (Text that replaces the key in the message)
to_firstname	Recipient's first name
site_name	Name of the Connect site
site_link	Link to the Connect site
signature	Your site's custom signature

Waiver Signature Request for Parent or Guardian

When a volunteer who is under 18 signs a minor-specific waiver using eSign, their parent or guardian will need to cosign the waiver. The minor will be prompted to provide the name and address of their parent or guardian. Once that information is submitted, the parent or guardian is notified with this message that they need to access, sign, and submit the waiver.

This template includes the following template keys:

Template Key	Description (Text that replaces the key in the message)
to_firstname	Recipient's first name
minor_name	The minor's first and last name
site_name	Name of the Connect site
site_link	Link to the Connect site
signature	Your site's custom signature

Note: Once they have submitted their signature, the minor receives another notification, Waiver Signature Completed By Parent or Guardian.

ir parent or guardian will need to cosign the waiver.

Benchmark Achieved

This notification is triggered when a volunteer meets all of the criteria for an established benchmark on your site. Each night, your Connect system runs a "benchmark check" on all users on your site, and sends this notification to everyone who qualifies for a benchmark. Click here to learn more about benchmarks.

This notification's default message informs the volunteer that they've reached a benchmark. It names the benchmark, displays an image of the related badge, and offers the option to share the badge on social media.