Charity Republic FAQs

Scheduling

Q: How do I schedule a shift?

A: Visit the Scheduling section

Create a new shift by selecting thebutton (top right)
Enter a Shift name (e.g. Front Desk Volunteers (Morning))
Select the main Contact for this shift NOTE: These contacts represent Administrators and Supervisors that were previously added.
Enter the Start Date (DD/MM/YYYY) and Time of the shift
Enter the End Date (DD/MM/YYYY) and Time of the shift
Select Department / Program that the shift is affiliated with
Select the Site for the shift NOTE: This information was added via the main Organization section
Select Positions to be filled for the shift (e.g. enter 5 beside the Front Desk Volunteer position to indicate that 5 volunteers are required for the shift) and click Done when complete. NOTE: By selecting “Done”, this does not save the information entered. The button must be selected to save the entire shift. NOTE: You can select more than one Position for a shift.
NOTE: When all positions have been filled (e.g. 5 Front Desk volunteers), volunteers can no longer sign up for the shift.
Select the Volunteers field to schedule specific volunteers and click Done when complete. NOTE: You can filter and search for volunteers by Department and Site NOTE: You are not required to invite specific volunteers to a shift. By selecting a position and leaving the Volunteers field blank, any volunteer (assigned to the selected Department, Site or Position) can sign up for a shift. For example, if you indicated that you need 5 Front Desk volunteers for a particular day, then simply add 5 positions and do not invite specific volunteers for the shift.
Enter a Description for the shift (e.g. specific duties required for the shift)
Select the button

Q:How do I schedule a recurring shift?

See our FAQ post here on scheduling recurring shifts.

Q: Once a shift has been saved, how do I know when volunteers have accepted the shift?

A: After Saving a shift, two new tabs will appear when you select the saved shift: Available Positionsand Scheduled Volunteers

Scheduled Volunteers
By selecting this tab, you can view which volunteers have accepted or declined a shift. You can Accept or Decline a shift on a volunteer’s behalf and Resend reminders prior to a shift.
Volunteers accepted shifts

Available Positions
By selecting this tab, you can view how many volunteers are needed, how many volunteers have been scheduled, and how many volunteers are confirmed for the shift, organized by position.
Position and volunteers needed in scheduling

Q: What happens when a volunteer declines a scheduled shift?

A. When a volunteer declines a shift they were scheduled for, their status will say “Volunteer Declined” in the Scheduled Volunteers tab. Volunteers accepted shifts

By clicking Resend, volunteers will once again be given the opportunity to Accept or Decline the shift.

Q: Can volunteers decline shifts once they have accepted them?

A. Without an administrator or supervisor, volunteers cannot decline a shift once they have signed up for an open shift or accepted a scheduled shift. A supervisor or administrator can allow them to Decline or Accept a shift again by going into the Scheduled Volunteers tab and clicking Resend.

Q: Can I edit or modify an existing shift once it’s been saved?

A. Yes, simply select the shift and edit the desired fields. Select when done.

Q: Can volunteers sign up for a shift if they haven’t been invited to a specific shift?

Yes, you are not required to invite specific volunteers to a shift. By selecting a position and leaving the Volunteers field blank, any volunteer (assigned to the selected Department, Site or Position) can sign up for a shift. For example, if you indicated that you need 5 Front Desk volunteers for a particular day, then simply add 5 positions and do not invite specific volunteers for the shift.

NOTE: When all positions have been filled (e.g. 5 Front Desk volunteers), volunteers can no longer sign up for the shift.

Q: How do I filter the events on my schedule?

A: To find a specific shift or event, use the search bar or drop down menus at the top of the scheduling page. Choose to filter by Department or Site.

Q: What’s the difference between scheduling in Charity Republic versus Excel?

A: Overall, the scheduling features in Charity Republic are much more powerful compared to Excel. For instance:

Excel is a spreadsheet that is not intended for scheduling;
A coordinator can’t send email invitations via Excel, but you can via Charity Republic;
Volunteers can access the schedule any time in real time in Charity Republic whereas they can’t in Excel;
Volunteers can sign up or decline shifts in real time via Charity Republic
Coordinators can set up recurring shifts in Charity Republic which is not possible in Excel;
Coordinators can link positions to the schedule, with all of the position requirements captured in Charity Republic (that’s not possible in Excel);
Availability for each volunteer is automatically integrated into scheduling (that’s not possible in Excel);
Coordinators and volunteers are able to view multiple schedules in one place (e.g. by site, by department, by day, by week) in real time (again, not possible in Excel).

Hours

Q: How does an organization or volunteer record hours?

A: An organization and volunteer can record hours via the Hours section (in a volunteer’s profile).

1. Select Hours icon(along top of volunteer’s profile)
2. Select symbol (top right) to add hours
3. Select Position field
– This is the position the hours are affiliated with. Note: volunteers can have multiple positions within an organization.
4. Select the Type of hours to be recorded, either a Shift or Block of hours
– If a Shift, then record the date and specific times volunteered (Duration will be autocalculated)
– If a Block, then record the date range and number of hours volunteered (in the Duration field)
5. Enter a Description of the volunteer experience (unlimited space)
6. Record skills learned while volunteering in the Skills section (left-side)
7. Save or Save and Submit hours and activities for approval. Note, when hours are submitted for approval, they are shared with the Supervisor of the position for approval via the Notifications section.

Q: What is the difference between a Shift and Block of hours?

A Shift represents hours volunteered on a particular day (e.g. 9am to 5pm on Monday).

A Block of hours represents hours volunteered over a period of days, weeks or months (e.g. 20 hours volunteered from May 1 to May 31).

Q: Is there a feature where a supervisor gets a notification to accept or decline hours?

A: Yes, volunteers can submit hours to Supervisors or Administrators for verification. Updates will appear in the Notifications section (top right) where hours and activities can be accepted or declined.

Published and Private Opportunities

Q: What’s the difference between a Published, Public and Private volunteer opportunity

A: Public postings can be viewed by your volunteers and the public.

There are social sharing links for Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram sharing

Also, there is a web link that you can share via social media and email, and it will take existing or potential volunteers to a public web page.

All of the social sharing links are available when you view available opportunities via the or when you select the button to view the opportunity.

If Published is checked, that means that the opportunity is no longer in draft and that the posting is available for your volunteers to view. The date range is used to indicate when an opportunity is published and expires. If the date field is left blank, and Published is checked off, then the opportunity is indefinitely posted for your volunteers with no expiry date.

If Published is unchecked, this means that no one can view the opportunity, just you (and supervisors, depending on assigned access). If neither Published or Public are checked, then the opportunity remains in draft.

When Published, existing and potential volunteers can input their contact information to express interest in a volunteer opportunity. All entries will appear in the Applications tab of the Opportunities section. opportunity apply

Q: When coordinators post volunteer opportunities, is there a web link?

A: Yes, there is a web link that you can share via social media and email, and it will take existing or potential volunteers to a public web page.

There are also social sharing links for Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram sharing

Q: Is the map of volunteer opportunities regional?

A: The map will show all volunteer opportunities based on the site address associated with the opportunity.

General Questions

Q: How does an organization register for an account?

A: Visit www.charityrepublic.com, select or to Register your organization. Enter the following details:

Organization: The formal name of your organization.
Name: First and Last Name of the main account administrator (e.g. person registering, Volunteer Manager’s name)
Email: The email address of the person registering.
Username: The username that will be used to access the account via the Login page.
Password: The password for the account.
Referral: How did you hear about us? Select referral source that applies.

TIP:

Remember that you only need one organization account. You can invite volunteers and supervisors to join your organization from this main account.

Q: By registering, am I committing to using the software?

A: There is no commitment to using Charity Republic. We offer 2 month free trials and organizations can choose to continue and pay month-to-month or on an annual basis after their trial is complete. Otherwise, organizations can discontinue use of the software after their trial. Note: We do not require credit card information in order for organizations to register for a free trial.

Q: What privacy and security measures does Charity Republic have in place

A: Charity Republic does not sell user data or advertise to users. We have an SSL certificate and our data is stored on a secure server. Note, we work with over 35 school boards and universities and we’ve been through multiple security reviews to ensure we meet privacy and security requirements.

Here are our User and Privacy agreements.

Q: Who qualifies as a grassroots organization?

A: Grassroots organizations receive our software for free for one year (after which the organization may qualify again). There are several types of grassroots organizations and the qualifications include:

Organizations that are completely volunteer driven
Organizations that have limited financial resources (less than $100K annually)
Organizations that are just starting out, like a “startup” charity

Note: We determine eligibility on a case-by-case basis.

Q: What is PREB-Ontario and how is it integrated with Charity Republic

A: Charities and non-profits can recognize volunteers for the skills they demonstrated while volunteering by creating PREB-Ontario certificates. These certificates outline tasks and activities in detail, based upon the National Occupation Classification, and also detail key aspects of a volunteer’s experience, such as hours of volunteering completed, activities performed, special achievements, training obtained and special comments by supervisors. PREB-Ontario is administered by the Ontario Volunteer Centre Network part of the Volunteer Legacy initiative from the Pan/Parapan Am Games and has been made possible through funding support from the Government of Ontario.