Tuesday 14 February 2012

Finding the Right Opportunity

Sarnia Gives is about connecting people and organizations and we put a lot of thought in to how to do that. The searches that we came up with are the heart of our website, www.sarniagives.com.

Knowing that you can search for volunteer opportunities is a great thing, but having inside tips on how to make the search work to the best of its ability is even better. So, we’ve put together some instructions and tips for community members looking to give back to Sarnia-Lambton.

To find your ideal volunteer opportunity, you can utilize one of our two search methods:
  1. Use the Criteria Search to find opportunities based on Interests, Skills and Location within Lambton County. 
  2. Use the Map Search to find opportunities that are in your neighbourhood or close to school.
All opportunities listed on SarniaGives.com provide you with the basic volunteer requirements, a description of the position and contact information for the organization.


CRITERIA SEARCH
  • Go to www.sarniagives.com
  • Click on the “Opportunities” heading on the menu and select “Criteria Search”
  • Select the Interests, Skills and Locations that you are interested in
  • Once you have finished, click “Search”
  • Your results will be divided into categories based on the Search Criteria. The results you see at the top of the list are your best matches.
  • To view the details of an opportunity, click “View Opportunity”

MAP SEARCH
  • Go to www.sarniagives.com 
  • Click on the “Opportunities” heading on the menu and select “Map Search” 
  • Input your address and the distance you are willing to travel 
  • Once you have finished, click “Submit Query” 
  • Your results will appear as pins on a map. If you hover over a pin it will show you the number of opportunities available at that location. Clicking on a pin will give you a preview of the opportunities. 
  • To view the details of an opportunity, click “View Opportunity”

Tips for Organizations

We want all of our Sarnia Gives members to have the best expereicne possible each and every time that they use the website so, we’ve put together some helpful tips for you.

PROFILE INFORMATION

Your profile is your first impression.
  • Highlight the work your organization does and the causes that you support
  • Give complete information.
  • Keep your information up-to-date

VOLUNTEER POSTINGS

When a community member completes a criteria search they are matched with organizations that are looking for someone with those same criteria.
  • Don’t forget to provide a title, this is the first thing people will see in the search results
  • Use the description to give details about the opportunity rather than the organization
  • Always make sure you review the Skills, Interests & Location categories and check that the criteria you’ve selected relates to the opportunity

NAVIGATION
  • You can login or access your profile from anywhere on the site using the options at the top right of the screen
  • Links to tools, resources or other websites will open in a new tab or window for you
  • The scrolling menu you see on the home page is on the bottom of all other pages 

If there’s something we’ve missed or you have a tip you would like to share, leave it in the comments section or email us at info@sarniagives.com.

The New Recruiter Tools

We held our very first Professional Development Session on Monday, November 14, 2011 at the Imperial Theatre - NOVA Room. We discussed Social media and how it can be used as a means of not only promoting your organization, but to help recruit volunteers.

If you missed the session, you can still view the Social Media and Volunteer Recruitment Presentation from MindBridge Strategies.

We look forward to seeing you at our next session….

Why Register as a Volunteer

It makes sense that organizations logging on to Sarnia Gives would register so that they can post their volunteer opportunities, but why should you register as a volunteer if you’re a member of the community?
When you register with SarniaGives.com, your search criteria are saved for each time you log in to the site. Your profile will always display the opportunities that match your search criteria under the “My Opportunities” heading, saving you the time of completing a search each time you want to view volunteer opportunities.

As the website grows, registering will also mean that you can sign up for our quarterly newsletter or sign-up for the emergency volunteer list and be contacted when an organization has a volunteer shortage and there is not enough to post the opportunity.

HOW TO REGISTER WITH SARNIA GIVES
  • Go to www.sarniagives.com 
  • Click on the “Register” link next to the Sarnia Gives logo in the upper right hand corner of the page
  • Click on the “Volunteer” option
  • Complete the registration form with your information and click the “Submit” button
  • Once you have registered, use the instructions below to login to your profile and update your information

HOW TO LOGIN TO YOUR PROFILE
  • Go to www.sarniagives.com
  • Click on the “Login” link next to the Sarnia Gives logo in the upper right hand corner of the page
  • Enter your Username (email address) and Password
  • You have the option of checking off the “Remember Me” box so you will not be required to enter your Username and Password each time you visit the site. If you use a shared computer, we do not suggest this option.
  • Click the “Login” button 
  •  
THE FIRST TIME YOU LOGIN

The first time that you login in to the site you will set your search criteria.

To Edit your profile:
  • Click the “Edit Profile” link next to your name
  • Select the Interests, Skills and Locations that you are interested in
  • Once you have finished, click “Save”

HOW TO EDIT YOUR PROFILE
  • Login to the Sarnia Gives site following the steps above
  • Click the “Edit Profile” link next to your name
  • Select the Interests, Skills and Locations that you are interested in
  • Once you have finished, click “Save”

If you have questions or need assistance you can always email us at info@sarniagives.com

Welcome to Sarnia Gives!


Welcome to Sarnia Gives! We are your volunteer centre for Sarnia-Lambton, dedicated to helping community members learn about volunteer opportunities that best suit their lifestyle and providing a place for not-for-profit and charitable organizations to promote their current volunteer opportunities.
SarniaGives.com is the THE place for community members to find volunteer opportunities in Sarnia-Lambton and learn about volunteering.  We also aim to have the most up-to-date resources for our member organizations and post information about upcoming Professional Development session.  The Sarnia Gives blog is the place to find out what’s new.  We’ll always keep you informed about what we’re working on, what’s happening in the not-for-profit sector locally and around the world and we’ll look for your input on what we can do to serve you better.
We have a great team at Sarnia Gives and we all look forward to sharing our work and our passion with you.
Samantha Scimmi
Coordinator, Sarnia Gives