Days of Caring 2010
Frequently Asked Questions
Posting Projects
- How do I post a Days of Caring Project?
- What types of projects are appropriate for Days of Caring?
- I posted a project. What's next?
- I posted my project, but I don’t see it amongst the other projects. Why?
- I received an error message when posting my project.
How do I resolve this issue?
Signing up for Projects
- How do I sign up for a project?
- Do I have to provide supplies for the project I signed up for?
- I signed up. What’s next?
- Who is eligible to sign up as a volunteer?
- What are the benefits of registering a Days of Caring team?
Days of Caring Open Houses
- What is a Days of Caring Open House?
- What's the format of a Days of Caring Open House?
- What should I bring to the Open House?
- Do I need to register for an Open House?
- What if I cannot attend the Open House time selected by the agency?
Days of Caring T-shirts
General Days of Caring Information
- I work during the week and believe that I am unable to help out with Days of Caring.
- I have a question. Whom do I contact?
Posting Projects
How do I post a Days of Caring Project?
Follow 3 easy steps-
- Follow this link.
- Login using your agency name and password. All of your projects can be managed through your agency’s profile page. If you have not created an agency profile you will need to set up one. Registering your agency should take less than 15 minutes.
- After you have logged in, follow the prompts as you navigate through the registration process. Post your project as you would a volunteer recruitment message. Projects that have attractive descriptions are usually popular among volunteers. Here are some tips for writing persuasive volunteer recruitment messages.
What types of projects are appropriate for Days of Caring?
You have an appropriate Days of Caring project if it involves things like site beautification or putting together baskets of needs items for the homeless. Projects that are outside of the scope of Days of Caring are fundraising or donation drive events. We encourage agencies to post fundraising or donation drive projects as a general opportunity by logging into our Volunteer Solutions system.
See a list of appropriate Days of Caring projects.
I posted a project. What's next?
After you have posted your project, you must wait for an email notification to know it is approved. To view your agency’s Days of Caring project details and volunteer registration information for teams and individuals registered for your agency, login to your agency profile and click the "events" tab. It is important for the Volunteer Center to review all projects to make sure the projects meet Days of Caring criteria.
See a list of appropriate Days of Caring projects.
I posted my project, but I don’t see it amongst the other projects. Why?
When a project is submitted but not available to the public this means your project is being reviewed for approval by the Volunteer Center. Allow 48 hours or 2 business days for project approval before contacting the Volunteer Center. It is important that a Volunteer Center staff member approves your project once it is determined the project does indeed meet Days of Caring criteria.
See a list of appropriate Days of Caring projects.
Upon approval, the project will be available to the public and searchable from our Days of Caring volunteer opportunities.
If your project was approved and is not among the Days of Caring projects searchable within our Days of Caring volunteer opportunities, this means your project has reached your requested demand for volunteers. When you or the Agency Project Lead initially went through the steps to post your project, there was an option to set the number of volunteers the project required for completion. Setting the number of volunteers to "Unlimited" will keep your project posted and available for volunteer sign ups within our Days of Caring volunteer opportunities. As volunteers sign up for your project, your Agency Project Lead should receive a basic email response that includes volunteer contact information.
If you or the Agency Project Lead did not receive volunteer contact information and have not heard from any volunteers by mid-August, please contact the Volunteer Center.
I received an error message when posting my project. How do I resolve this issue?
Here at the Volunteer Center, we are committed to efficient processes to ensure and improve our quality of service. With that in mind, the Volunteer Center works hard to ensure every agency receives the appropriate level of assistance when posting projects. If you do run into a problem such as a system glitch, please run through the following troubleshooting instructions to help us help you:
- First, notify the Volunteer Center at volunteer@uwsc.org explaining the glitch and that you are going the run through the troubleshooting steps below. This will help us repair the glitch so other people do not run into the same problem. We recommend and greatly appreciate it if you could send this email as a courtesy, even if the following steps work for you.
- Save your work by cutting text from Volunteer Solutions and pasting that text into Microsoft Word or similar word processing application.
- Once your text is removed from the system, log out.
- Next, log back in to the system and try re-posting your project by copying and pasting your text from Microsoft Word of a similiar word processing application.
If does not resolve the issue, please contact the Volunteer Center for further assistance at volunteer@uwsc.org or 425.374.5534
Signing up for Projects
How do I sign up for a project?
Visit our Days of Caring home. You can freely search for projects, but you will need to register and sign into our Volunteer Solutions system to complete your registry for projects. If you do not have a username and password, you will need to create a user profile.
Do I have to provide supplies for the project I signed up for?
No. Volunteers are not required to provide any supplies needed to complete the project. In some cases, Project Leads may ask Team Leads to coordinate efforts to provide supplies such as gardening tools. Just keep in mind that agencies that post projects hold the responsibility in providing all the necessary tools and supplies for a project.
I signed up. What’s next?
Thank you for Living United and becoming a proud volunteer for the Days of Caring Event! Next, please follow the steps below:
- Contact the Agency Project Lead to get any additional information and to introduce yourself. If you have signed up a team, as the Team Leader you need to get down to business by bridging the gap between the Project Lead and your team’s responsibilities. It is wise to get organized.
- To view the details of the project that you registered for, including contact information and logistics, log in to your Volunteer Solutions account and click on the "Your Events" tab.
- Work on getting t-shirt quantities and sizes for your team members using the T-Shirt Request Form. Bring the completed form with you to the DOC Open House in September, t-shirts will be distributed at that time.
- In August, the Volunteer Center will contact the Volunteer Team Lead to coordinate attendance at the Days of Caring Open House that the Agency Project Lead has indicated they will attend.
Who is eligible to sign up as a volunteer?
Anyone who is willing to promote a culture of volunteerism to fill gaps in our community by lending a hand to local non-profit agency in Snohomish County.
What Is the benefit of registering a Days of Caring team?
In addition to promoting camaraderie and team building skills, your combined efforts will benefit everyone by bridging gaps in our community by providing a much needed service to local non-profit organizations. In 2009, 1,032 Days of Caring volunteers spent 6,372 hours reading to kids, painting walls, pulling weeds and building fences—completing 56 projects with a value of $132,800 in volunteer impact to our community. It is truly a win-win situation that brings together first-hand experience with meaningful collaboration.
Days of Caring Open Houses
What is a Days of Caring Open House?
In preparation for the Days of Caring event we provide time for both Agency Project Leads and Volunteer Team Leads to meet and discuss logistics, gather important event information, pick up t-shirts and network.
If you have participated in Days of Caring in the past, Open Houses replace Match Meetings that were held in previous event years.
What's the format of a Days of Caring Open House?
Each non-profit agency selects one of three available Open House dates/times when registering their Days of Caring project. At the Open House, the Agency Project Lead will be present to discuss logistics with the Volunteer Team Lead.
Beginning in August, the Volunteer Center will contact Volunteer Team Leads and individual volunteer registrants to coordinate Open House attendance on the same date/time that the Agency Project Lead will be present. All meetings take place at United Way of Snohomish County (3120 McDougall Avenue, Ste. 200 Everett). There are three dates to choose from:
Thursday, Sept. 16, 2 - 4 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 18, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Tuesday, Sept. 21, 1 - 3 p.m.
At the Open House, Volunteer Center staff will give a Days of Caring overview and allow time for Agency Project Leads and Volunteer Team Leads to discuss project details and pick up t-shirts.
In the rare occurrence the Agency Project Lead and Volunteer Team Lead cannot attend one of these meeting times, an alternative meeting time can be arranged. Please email the Volunteer Center at volunteer@uwsc.org or call 425.374.5534
What should I bring to the Open House?
- Your completed Days of Caring T-shirt Request Form
- Other items will be emailed by the Volunteer Center 2-3 weeks prior to the Open House date.
Do I need to register for an Open House?
No, Volunteer Team Leads will be placed with the Agency Project Lead on the Open House date that the agency indicated at the time of registration. Volunteers will receive this information from the Volunteer Center via email in August.
What if I cannot attend the Open House time selected by the agency?
The Volunteer Center will assist in setting up an alternate meeting time. If you have questions, email the Volunteer Center at volunteer@uwsc.org.
Days of Caring T-shirts
How do I order t-shirts?
Fill out a Days of Caring T-shirt Request Form for your team or agency. Bring the completed form to the Days of Caring Open House in September and United Way staff will distribute t-shirts at that time.
How many t-shirts can I order?
Agencies are limited to 5 shirts. The Team Lead may order 1 shirt per volunteer on the team.
What sizes are available?
Adult Small, Medium, Large, X-Large, XX-Large, and XXX-Large.
For youth indicate adult small.
General Days of Caring Information
I work during the week and believe that I am unable to help out with Days of Caring.
Days of Caring is two days long (Friday and Saturday). If it does not work with your schedule and you still want to volunteer, please feel free to browse our volunteer opportunities.
I have a question. Whom do I contact?
If your question is concerning a project you registered for, please contact your Project Lead. If you have a question that has not been answered by your Project Lead or the above Frequently Asked Questions, please contact the Volunteer Center by emailing volunteer@uwsc.org or calling 425.374.5534