The Volunteering element in Beacon provides you with a ready-made framework to manage your organization's volunteer pipeline. From processing new applications to tracking availability and storing important documentation, this element gives you the tools you need to build and maintain a thriving volunteer base.
This article explains exactly what changes in your Beacon database when you enable the Volunteering element.
What does the Volunteering element add?
When you enable the Volunteering element, a set of customised features, fields, and a new record type are automatically added to your account.
1. Record Types
The element creates one new record type:
Volunteer application: Enabling the element creates this type and places it conveniently in your sidebar for easy access.
Details are at the bottom for each of the fields in the Record Type.
2. Person Fields and Blocks
The element turns on several specialised fields to track volunteer engagement on the Person record:
Volunteer status
Volunteer start date
Availability
Volunteer roles
Volunteer notes
Volunteer documents
These fields are grouped into two new blocks on the Person record: Volunteer status and Volunteer details.
Note: The Volunteer details block also includes standard fields for Emergency contact name, Emergency contact phone, and Emergency contact relationship. While these are ordinary Person fields, they exclusively sit in this specific block, meaning they will only show up on the record once the element is enabled.
3. Dashboards
To help you oversee your volunteering operations at a glance, a brand new Volunteering dashboard is automatically created. It includes handy metrics to track your pipeline:
Applications this year
New applicants
Active volunteers
Volunteers starting soon
What the element doesn't do
To keep your database clean and avoid clutter, there are a few things this element does not include:
Forms and demo data: It does not add a default portal form or any demo records to your account.
"Volunteer" Person type: The "Volunteer" option is already included by default in the core Person record type, so the element does not add a duplicate.
The Volunteer Application Record
The core of the Volunteering element is the Volunteer application record. This is where you track a potential volunteer's journey and gather their details.
Here is a full breakdown of the fields included on a Volunteer application:
Field | Type | Notes |
Summary | Smart text | Read-only. Built as |
Applicant | Reference | Links to a Person. |
Stage | Select | Options: New, Interview, Reference check, Approved, Declined. Defaults to New. |
Application date | Date |
|
Notes | Text |
|
Interests | Multi-select | Options: Front of house, Fundraising, Gardening, Office administration, Race marshal. |
Previous experience | Text |
|
Application reason | Text | "Why is this person interested in volunteering for us?" |
Possible start date | Date | "When could this person begin volunteering?" |
Supporting documentation | File | Multiple files supported. Help text covers ID photo, DBS checks, and reference letters. |
Reference name | Text |
|
Reference email | Multiple emails supported. | |
Reference phone | Phone | Multiple phone numbers supported. |
Campaign | Reference | Links to a Campaign. |
Previous database ID | Text | Shown only when it has a value. |