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Help/Frequently Asked Questions

 

Registration

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Searching For Projects


Court-Ordered Volunteers


Youth/Family Volunteering


Account Management

 

Registration


How do I become a Hands On Greater Portland volunteer?

Becoming a Hands On Greater Portland volunteer is easy! Simply register youself by creating an account. It does not cost anything and your information will be kept private and secure. Click here to read more about becoming a Hands On Greater Portland volunteer. 


How do I create and manage a volunteer team?

Visit our Team Volunteering page for a full description of how to create a team, sign up for projects, and manage your team's participation. 


I forgot my username. How do I retrieve that information?

Your username is your email address. If you can't remember which address you used, please e-mail us at handson@unitedway-pdx.org and a representive should be in contact with you within 3 to 5 business days.
 

I forgot my password. How do I retrieve that information?

Click the "LOGIN" button on the top right of the home page. Enter your username and click "Forgot password?" An e-mail with a temporary password will be sent to you.
 

Do I have to have an e-mail address to register?

Yes. Our website uses your e-mail address to identify you and send you important information about any opportuntiies you sign up for. If you do not have an e-mail account, you can get one free of charge from www.gmail.com. Free internet access is also available from most public libraries.

 

Searching For Projects


How do I search and sign up for volunteer opportunities?

Click on "Search Opportunities" - located in the menu above under For Volunteers - to search for opportunities or browse our Project Calendar. Once you find a project that you would like to participate in, click on "Sign Up" or "Express Interest" located at the bottom of the opportunity description.

If it is a Sign Up opportunity, then you can sign up directly for that opportunity and will receive a confirmation email containing all the information you will need to participate, including directions. If you have questions about the project, you can send an email to the Opportunity Leader listed at the bottom of the project description.

If it is an Express Interest opportunity, then our Nonprofit Partner will contact you directly with further information about the volunteer opportunity and tell you how to sign up. An automated email will also be sent to you with contact information for the organization so that you can follow up with them if you do not get a response.

 

I'm unsure how to navigate the Project Calendar. Are there any tips I can use to help me find a project?

Please visit our Project Calendar Tips and Tricks page to learn about browsing, filtering saving searches, and more!

 

What's the difference between a project that includes "Referral" in the title, and one that includes the words *Hands On*?

  • Look for "Referral" in the title to find volunteer projects managed directly by our many wonderful nonprofit partners. Once you express interest, someone from the partner organization should follow up with you shortly to discuss confirming you as a volunteer for this opportunity.

  • Look for *Hands On* in the title to find projects managed by us. You can sign up in two clicks to join a group of volunteers on a 2-4 hour project, led by a trained volunteer leader; no experience or ongoing commitment required! 

 

Court-Ordered Volunteers

 

I am a court-ordered volunteer. How do I get started? How do I find appropriate volunteer opportunities? How do I get a letter verifying my hours?

Please visit our Court-Ordered Volunteering resource page. The questions above are answered on this page as well as others you may have. 

We do not provide any documentation of hours volunteered with a Hands On letterhead. If this is a requirement for you, you will need to obtain it directly from the nonprofit where you fulfill your hours.

 

 
Youth/Family Volunteering

 

I am a youth volunteer. How do I get started? How old do I have to be to register on this website?

You must be 13 years old to register as a volunteer. If you are under 13, please visit our Volunteer With Your Kids page to learn more about volunteering with your family. Teenagers should visit our Teen Volunteering page to find age-appropriate volunteer information. 
 

I am a youth volunteer who meets the minimum age requirement for a particular project. Why do I receive an error message telling me I'm not old enough to sign up?

Many of our projects have a minimum age requirement with parent or guardian supervision, requiring you to signup with someone who is 18 or older. Please signup as a family for these projects using the instructions on our Team Volunteering page.
 

I want to volunteer with my family. How do we get started? How do we find appropriate volunteer opportunities?

Please visit our Volunteer With Your Kids page and our Team Volunteering pages for project ideas and team signup instructions. The questions above are answered on these pages as well as others you may have.

 

Account Management

How do I remove myself from a project so that others can take my place?

If you need to remove yourself from a project, please log in and click on the "My Account" tab along the top of the page. This will bring you to a summary of the upcoming projects for which you are registered. Find the project that you want to remove yourself from under the "Upcoming Opportunities" section at the top, and click "Remove Me" under the 'Action/Status' column.
 

I have been waitlisted for a project. Now what?

When (and if) a space opens up, you will be notified via e-mail. Open spaces will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. If you are still available and interested in the volunteer opportunity, make sure you login, return to the sign-in page and claim one of the open spaces.
 

My hours are not accurate. Why are my hours not showing up? 

If you volunteered at a Hands On managed project, please give your Volunteer Leader or Opportunity Coordinator one week to verify attendance. If you volunteered through a referral with one of our partner organizations, your hours will not be recorded in our system but the partner organization should be able to verify your hours. Please contact them directly for verification. 

Hands On Greater Portland's database can only track hours from opportunities that were managed by us.

 

I am concerned about the security of the website and the registration process that requires me to enter personal information. How do I know if the site is secure and my privacy is protected? 

Our site is powered by HandsOn Connect, using the popular Salesforce technology with advanced online security and a SSL certificate. If you want to know more about HandsOn Connect, you can read their privacy policy here.

 

I signed myself up for a project as an individual. However, I want to participate with a team I created. How do I change my volunteer record from an individual to a team registration?

When you sign up as an individual on a project and decide to change to a team signup, you'll need to login to your account, find the appropriate project in your list of Upcoming Opportunities, and select "Remove Me." Navigate to the project description page and instead of selecting the Sign Up button you'll want to click on "Or sign up with a team" option next to it. Then select the team members that will be joining you. 

 

I expressed interest in an ongoing opportunity but I haven't heard back from the nonprofit organization. What should I do?

It may take a few days for the nonprofit contact to get back to you. You can check in with the Opportunity Coordinator using the contact information you received in your email confirmation.
 

Need us to answer a question that is not included on this page?

If you have a question(s) not answered on this page, please e-mail us at handson@unitedway-pdx.org.

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