Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington Volunteer Link

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington Volunteer Link website is a great resource for club staff and community members to keep up with volunteer activities in the Greater Washington area.

Administrative Staff
Manage all clubs and volunteer opportunities online. Add requests for contributions and advertisements for upcoming events. View, download, and save administrative reports.
Club Staff
Search clubs in your area and view volunteer information online. Sign up for volunteer events online and club contacts will be notified automatically. Log your past volunteer hours and donations quickly and easily.
Community Members
Search clubs in your area and view volunteer information online. If you are interested in an activity, our easy sign-up feature will allow you to sign up online and club contacts will be notified automatically. You can also log your past volunteer hours and donations quickly and easily.

This help guide will provide you with quick and easy steps to do any of the following activities:

Activity	Users
Creating a New User	All Users
Logging In	All Users
Viewing Club Information	All Users
Viewing Volunteer Opportunities	All Users
Searching for Volunteer Opportunities	All Users
Logging Volunteer Hours	All Users
Logging Donations & Contributions	All Users
Signing Up / Cancelling a Volunteer Opportunity	All Users
Adding / Editing Clubs	Club, Administrator
Adding / Editing Volunteer Opportunities	Club, Administrator
Requesting Contributions	Club, Administrator
Adding Advertisements & Announcements	Club, Administrator
Viewing Administrative Reports	Club, Administrator

You must be logged in as a Club or Administrator user to view help sections for those features.

Question: Do I need a Username/Password?

You will need a username/password do any of the following functions:

Signing Up for a Volunteer Opportunity	All Users
Canceling a Volunteer Opportunity	All Users
Logging Volunteer Hours	All Users
Logging Donations & Contributions	All Users
Adding a New Club	(Administrator)
Adding a New Volunteer Opportunity	(Club, Administrator)
Editing Existing Clubs / Volunteer Opportunities	(Club, Administrator)
Managing Advertisements	(Club, Administrator)
Requesting Contributions	(Club, Administrator)
Viewing Reports	(Club, Administrator)

Question: I am having problems using Volunteer Link. Who should I contact?

If you are having problems using the volunteer website, simply click the email link under the "Help" tab of the main menu to send us a message. Be sure to include your name, contact information, and a description of your issue. Someone will respond to your email as soon as possible.

Anyone can create a user account. Public users can view and sign-up for volunteer opportunities. They can also cancel opportunities they have signed up for, log their volunteer hours, and log any donations they have made.

Club users are associated with a specific club. They can create, edit, and delete opportunities at their assigned club as well as edit their club’s information. In addition, they can view all volunteers that have signed-up for an opportunity and access their contact information.

Admin users can create, edit, and delete opportunities at all clubs, create new clubs, and edit all existing clubs. In addition, they can view volunteer sign-up information and volunteer contact information at all clubs.

Both Admin and Club users can manage advertisements, manage contribution requests, and view administrative reports. To create a new user, complete the following steps:

Click on the "Create a user today!" link on the top of the page.
The Create a User page will be displayed.
Complete the following account information fields:
- User Name - A 6-10 character username that will be used for logging on to the website.
- Password - that will be used for logging in to the website. Passwords must be at least 7 characters in length and should contain at least 1 non-alphanumeric character.
- Confirm Password - Re-enter your password to confirm it is recorded correctly.
- Email Address - Your e-mail address will be used to send you the information of the volunteer opportunity you have signed up for. This address will also be sent to the club so that they may contact you regarding the volunteer opportunity you have signed up for.
- Security Question - The security question will be used to help us give you access to your account if you forget your username or password.
- Security Answer - answer to the security question will be used to help us give you access to your account if you forget your username or password.
Complete the user profile information. The user profile consists of the following fields:

First Name
Last Name
Phone Number - Your phone number (10 digits, no spaces or dashes).
Address - Street number and street name
Apt/Unit/Suite - Apartment/unit/suite number (if applicable).
City
State - Select your state from the drop-down list.
Zip - The first 5 numbers of your zip code.
Date of Birth - Your date of birth in MM/dd/yyyy format.
Gender - Select your gender from the drop-down list.
Race - Select your race from the drop-down list. this field is optional and is used to track volunteer statistics.

To create a Club or Administrative user, click on the applicable checkbox.
Click the "Create User" button on the screen.
If your user profile is created successfully, the following message will be displayed: “Your account has been successfully created.”
Click the "Continue" button to view the homepage and login with your new username and password.

Record your username and password for future logons!
All of the account and user profile fields are required except for 'Apt/Unit/Suite' and 'Race'.

Once you have created a user, logging in is easy and enables you to sign-up for volunteer opportunities, log your volunteer hours, and keep a record of donations you have made.
To log in, simply complete the following steps:

On the top right corner of any page, enter the following:
- User Name - User name that was created when you registered with the website.
- Password - Password that was created when you registered with the website.
Click the 'Log In' button. If you are a Club or Administrator user, you will be given access to administrative features.

The Login link can be found in the upper right corner of every page. If you are already logged in, you will see your username and the Logout link.
Don’t forget to logout when finished with all activities!

The Browse Clubs page lists all active Greater Washington Boys & Girls Clubs.

To view details for clubs, click on the Browse Clubs link on the menu bar under the Volunteer tab.

All active clubs in the Greater Washington area will appear on the list. Click on the club name under Club Name to view the details of a specific club.

There are a number of different sections to the Club Information page. Each section contains information specific to the club you are viewing.

General Information

Club Name - Official name of the Boys & Girls club.
Address - Street address.

Hours of Operation

Club Hours - Hours the club is open, including hours the club office is open without children present.
Child Hours - Hours children are at the club during the school year.
Summer Hours - Hours the club is open, with and without children present, over the summer.

Club Contacts

Club Phone - Club phone number.
Club Fax - Club fax number.
Club Director - Director of the club.
Club Director Email - Email address used to contact the club director.
Primary Contact Name - Club associate contact for all volunteer opportunities.
Primary Contact Phone - Phone number for the primary contact.
Primary Contact Email - Email address for the primary contact.
Club Website - The club’s website.
Parent Advisory Council Contact Name - Contact for the Parent Association Committee. PAC is comprised of parents of children belonging to the club.
Parent Advisory Council Contact Phone - Phone number used to contact the PAC contact.
Parent Advisory Council Contact Email - Email address used to contact the PAC contact.

Scheduling Information

Activity Schedule - The club Activity Schedule will show the daily activities that the club provides during the school year. If the club has uploaded an activity schedule, it can be viewed by completing the following steps:
- Click on the Activity Schedule link. The File Download message box will open.
- To view the schedule, click on the ‘Open’ button. The Activity Schedule will open in the format in which it was uploaded (Microsoft Word, PDF, etc.).
Holiday Schedule - The club Holiday Schedule shows the holidays that the club is closed. If the club has uploaded a holiday schedule, it can be viewed by completing the following steps:
- Click on the Holiday Schedule link. The File Download message box will open.
- To view the schedule, click on the ‘Open’ button. The Holiday Schedule will open in the format in which it was uploaded (Microsoft Word, PDF, etc.).
Other Schedule - The club Other Schedule will show any other schedule used by the club. If the club has uploaded a schedule, it can be viewed by completing the following steps:
- Click on the Other Schedule link. The File Download message box will open.
- To view the schedule, click on the ‘Open’ button. The Activity Schedule will open in the format in which it was uploaded (Microsoft Word, PDF, etc.).

Club Specifics and Directions
This section will show specific details relating to the children that belong to the club. In addition, the section will list the age range of the children that are club members. The age range includes all children, from elementary school through high school.

This section will also give directions to the club. Click on the 'here' link to open a separate browser page for the MapQuest website with a map of the club. You can also map driving directions to or from the club using MapQuest. For those clubs that are metro accessible, this section shows how to get to the club using the DC Metro Transit system.

Under Volunteer Opportunities, click on the 'here' link to view the current volunteer opportunities available for the club.

On the Browse Clubs page, you can sort the order in which clubs are displayed:

Click on the Club Name link to view the clubs in reverse alphabetical order.
Click on the State link to view the clubs by state.

The Club Locations page lists all active Greater Washington Boys & Girls Clubs. To view volunteer opportunities for a club, click on the 'View' link under the Volunteer Opportunities column.

The Volunteer Opportunities page provides summary information about each volunteer opportunity available at the selected club.

If many opportunities exist at a club, you can narrow down the number of opportunities displayed by using the date range filter on the screen. Just enter the range of dates you would like to see volunteer opportunities for and click the 'Refresh' button. The volunteer opportunities that fall within the desired time range will be displayed.

The information provided on the Volunteer Opportunities page includes:

Title - The overall event for the volunteer opportunity. For example, if a club is having a carnival, they may need a number of volunteers for different activities at the carnival. The event title in this example would be “Carnival".
Role - This is the physical activity that the volunteer will be doing for the event. In the example above, the role may be a “Clown” that will walk around during the carnival.
Commitment - Level of commitment required for the volunteer opportunity. (Examples: one time, weekly, etc.).
Volunteer Type - Ongoing or event.

Ongoing - An ongoing opportunity event will occur more than once.
Event - This opportunity event will occur only once.

Skills Needed - Required skillset needed for the volunteer opportunity.

Manual Labor - Physical activities, such as painting, landscaping, etc.
Skilled Labor - Skilled activities, such as carpentry or masonry.
Computer Skills - Activities related to computer programming, applications, or hardware.
Tutoring - Activities working with kids to help support academics.
Sports - Activities related to sports.
Other - Other types of activities not associated to the previous categories. See Volunteer Opportunity Description section for particulars.

Start Date - First day of the volunteer event. For ongoing opportunities, this is the first date that the volunteer(s) would be needed.
End Date - Last day of the volunteer event. For events, the Start Date and the End Date will be the same.
Details - Click on the View/Sign-Up link to view additional details about the event or sign-up to volunteer.

Click the View/Sign-Up link to view additional details on the opportunity. The Volunteer Opportunity Details page will display.

The Volunteer Opportunity Details page contains additional details, including:

Date Posted - Date the volunteer opportunity was added to Volunteer Link.
Start Date - Start date of the opportunity.
End Date - End date of the opportunity.
Time - Start time of the opportunity.
Duration - How long the volunteer is needed at the opportunity.
Volunteer Type - Ongoing or event.
Commitment - Level of commitment required for the volunteer.
Skills Needed - Required skillset needed for the volunteer opportunity.
Vacancies - Number of volunteers needed for the opportunity. As volunteers sign up, the number of remaining vacancies will decrease.
Volunteer Opportunity Description - Brief description of the volunteer opportunity. This section may also include additional details for the opportunity.
Age Range of Children - Range of ages for the children who will be participating in the event.
Background Check Required - In most cases where the opportunity will involve working with children, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington require a background check prior to volunteering. If a background check is required for the volunteer opportunity, please download the applicable background check form by clicking on the View Form for Adults or View Form for Minors link. Fill out the form and be prepared to email it to the club contact.
Additional Notes - Any other information about the opportunity.

If you are logged in, you can sign up for a volunteer opportunity by clicking the ‘Sign up!’ button.
If you are not logged in, enter your user name and password and click ‘Log In’ at the top right-hand corner of the screen.
When viewing the complete list of volunteer opportunities for a specific club, click the club name to return to the club details page.
When viewing opportunity details, to return to the complete list of volunteer opportunities click the "back to Volunteer Opportunities" link.

Interested in volunteering? Simply complete the following steps to search for volunteer opportunities:

Click on the Search Opportunities link on the main menu bar under the Volunteer tab.
The Search Page will be displayed.
Enter desired search criteria and click the ‘Search’ button to find a list of events that meet the criteria you selected.
Use the following guidelines to help you search for a volunteer opportunity:
- If you know what club you would like to volunteer at, use the drop-down list to select the Club Name.
- Use the Keywords search to narrow down the opportunities available. Typing a word in this field will return results that have that word in any part of the volunteer opportunity. (Example: “music”)
- If you have time constraints in your volunteering, use the Volunteer Type field or Commitment field to search for opportunities that will fit your schedule.
  - Ongoing: An ongoing opportunity event will occur more than once. Ongoing events will have a start and end date listed.
  - Event: This type of opportunity will occur only once. The start and end date of this opportunity will be the same.
  The 'See Notes' option under the Time Commitment field is used for activities with an alternative level of commitment which is not described by the previous options (Example: Once every 2 weeks).
- In the Skills Needed field, select the type of skills that you are interested in.
  - Manual Labor: Physical activities, such as painting, landscaping, etc.
  - Skilled Labor: Skilled activities, such as carpentry or masonry.
  - Computer Skills: Activities related to computer programming, applications, or hardware.
  - Tutoring: Activities working with kids to help support academics.
  - Sports: Activities related to sports.
  - Other: Other types of activities not associated to the previous categories. See the Volunteer Opportunity Description section for particulars.
- If you have constraints on the dates that you can volunteer, use the Date Range fields and select a start date from the popup calendar in the left text box and an end date from the popup calendar in the right textbox. To select a date from the calendar, click on the corresponding day. Once the date is chosen, the selected date will be displayed in the textbox. You may also manually enter dates using the format “MM/dd/yyy”.
Click the ‘Search’ button to view all matching opportunities. The Search Results page will display matches.
If no matches are found or you did not find what you were looking for, click on the 'Click Here' link to return to the Search page and try a new search.
To view additional details about any matches on the Search Results page, click on the 'View/Sign-Up' link in the Details column. The Volunteer Opportunity Details section will display and show event details and club contact information.

The Search link can be found in the upper left corner of most pages.
To select multiple options for any field, hold down the Control [Ctrl] button on the keyboard when selecting options.
If you are interested in all options for a field, do not select any of the criteria, or select the 'All' row at the top of the field. The search results will bring back matches for all categories.

To sign up for a volunteer activity, navigate your way to the Volunteer Details page by either viewing the volunteer opportunities associated to a specific club or by searching for an opportunity using the search functionality.

From the Volunteer Opportunity Details page, click on the 'Sign Up!' button.
The 'Sign up' button will only appear if you are logged into the Volunteer Link website. If you are not logged in, you can use the login section on the upper right-hand corner of the page.
You must have a user profile to sign up for opportunities through the website.
Please note that certain opportunities require a background check prior to volunteering. For those opportunities that the clubs determine require a background check, you will see a link to download the Background Check Forms on the screen. Please download and complete the appropriate background check form by clicking on the View Form for Adults or View Form for Minors links. The club contact may ask you to email them this form.
Once you sign up for an opportunity, you will receive an email with the opportunity details.
The club’s primary contact will also receive and email notifying them that you have signed up. The email to the club will include your contact information.
The club will contact you to confirm your participation for the volunteer opportunity. If the club does not contact you within three business days, please call the club’s primary contact directly.

You must be logged in to sign-up or to cancel a volunteer opportunity. If you see the “Please Login to Sign-up for this Opportunity” message, you are not logged in.

If you are signed up for a volunteer opportunity and can no longer attend the opportunity, you can cancel your participation using the Volunteer Link website.

If you are logged in, click the 'My Profile' link in the top right corner of the page.
You need to be logged in to see the 'My Profile' link.
Your profile information will be displayed
Click the View My Participation link to view the volunteer opportunities you are currently signed up for.
All of the volunteer opportunities that you are currently signed up for will be displayed.
You can select the opportunity that you want to cancel your participation by clicking on the 'click here' link.
The Opportunities Details page will be displayed with a ‘Cancel Participation’ button that allows you to cancel your participation. Click the button to remove your name from the opportunity.
Once you cancel your Participation for an opportunity you will receive an email that confirms your cancellation.
The club’s primary contact will also receive and email notifying them that you have canceled your participation.

You must be logged in to sign-up or to cancel a volunteer opportunity. If you see the “Please Login to Sign-up for this Opportunity” message, you are not logged in.

After completing a volunteer activity, you can log the hours you worked to help both yourself and the clubs keep track of total volunteer hours.

Click the “Log Volunteer Hours” link from the main menu under the “Volunteer” tab.
The following fields are required to log volunteer hours:
- Club (Optional) – If your volunteer activity was for a specific club, select the appropriate club from the dropdown list.
- Select Event (Optional) – When a club is selected, this box will contain all of the active volunteer opportunities from this club. If your event is not listed, fill in the comment field with a description of your volunteer work.
- Comment (Optional) – You may enter any additional data regarding your volunteer hours here. If your volunteer event was not listed, please list it in this comment section.
- Hours Worked – Enter the number of volunteer hours that you worked.
- Date of Event – Select the date on which the volunteer hours occurred. If the hours were worked over multiple consecutive days, please select the first day. To select a date, you can select a day from the popup calendar or manually enter a date using the format “MM/dd/yyyy”.
Click the “Submit Volunteer Hours” button to confirm the volunteer hours and log them in the database. Alternatively, you can click the “Clear Record” button to clear the current form and enter new information.
Once a volunteer record is submitted, it cannot be changed, please make sure all information is correct and accurate before submitting.
In the bottom section of this page, a list of the past volunteer hours that you have logged will be displayed. You can sort this list by clicking the Date, Hours, Event, Club, Type, or Comment fields.

Try to enter accurate information regarding past volunteer hours.
If you participated in an event that lasted several consecutive days, it may be easier to select a single date and enter the total number of hours for the event.

You can help the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Washington track donations by entering details regarding any donations and contributions you have made recently. You will be able to provide details about the donations you make and see your own donation history.

Disclaimer: The Volunteer Link website does not keep official records of donations. Donations that are logged through the website are unverified, and donation records should be used for reference only.

Click the “Log Volunteer Hours” link from the main menu under the “Volunteer” tab.
The following fields are required to log past donations:
- Donation Type – Select the type of donation/contribution you have made from one of the categories in the dropdown box:
  - Monetary
  - Tickets
  - Furniture
  - Toys
  - Books
  - Clothing
  - Equipment - Donation of equipment or supplies.
  - Other - Misc. types of donations that do not fit in the other categories.
- Club (Optional) – Select the name of the club to which to the donation was made.
- Estimated/Actual Value – Enter the actual value for monetary donations or an estimated value for non-monetary donations. Do not include the ‘$’ sign.
- Description – Enter details regarding the donation to help administrators know exactly what was donated.
- Date of Donation – Select the date on which the donation was made.
Click the “Log Donation” button to confirm the donation and create a permanent record of your donation or contribution. Alternatively, click the “Clear Record” button to clear the form and the record will not be submitted.
Once a volunteer event is submitted, it cannot be changed, please make sure all information is correct and accurate before submitting.
All donation records that you have entered will be saved and displayed in the “Your Past Donations” section of the page. Your past records can be sorted by Date, Type, Value, Club, and Description be clicking on the corresponding header link.

When selecting the "Other" donation type, it is helpful to enter additional information in the "Comments" field about the donation.

After consulting the user manual and online help function, if you still require additional assistance with the volunteer link webpage you can email the webmaster. To email the Volunteer Link webmaster, click on the email link on the Volunteer Link homepage.

An open email addressed to volunteerlink@bgcgw.com will appear. Please include your name, contact information, and a description of your issue in the body of the email. Someone will respond to your email shortly.