Help and FAQ's

Volunteer Hub is a volunteer platform that brings together Laramie nonprofits and potential volunteers. To get started, University of Wyoming users should click on “University of Wyoming Login” and go through the Single Sign-On steps to authenticate their accounts. Anyone without University of Wyoming login credentials can create an account or sign up using an existing Facebook account.  Users will then be directed through registration steps to complete their accounts.  Opportunities will not be visible until you log in and complete your account. 

What exactly is Volunteer Hub?

  • One-stop shop for one-time or ongoing volunteer opportunities.
  • Platform to track your volunteer hours and activities – the website collects this information into a volunteer resume you can view/download anytime
  • A great way to get involved with the campus, get to know your fellow Pokes, and to work together to serve our community!

What are some of the benefits?

  • All students, faculty and staff have an account through the University of Wyoming single sign-on, setup is simple and easy.
  • The Volunteer Hub account creation process guides you to community partners who are looking for volunteers.
  • As you track your volunteer activities, Volunteer Hub will add your service hours to a volunteer resume.

If you are a 501c3 nonprofit organization in the Laramie area, email slce@uwyo.edu to start a conversation about joining Volunteer Hub. More information is available on SLCE's website.


Account Setup

University of Wyoming users (students, faculty, and staff) can log in using their single sign-on credentials. The first time you sign in you will be guided through setting up your profile and preferences.

Anyone without University of Wyoming login credentials can create an account using a valid email address or sign up using an existing Facebook account. Once your account set up is complete, you can edit any of your information by clicking on your initials on the top right of any page at uwyo.galaxydigital.com.

 

Finding/Responding to Volunteer Opportunities

After logging in, click “opportunities” on the left side of the page to view upcoming and ongoing volunteer opportunities. You can also select “Agencies” to learn about each nonprofit organization and see their volunteer opportunities.

Once you find an opportunity, click “view details” to go to that opportunity. Click “respond,” enter the required information, and then click “submit opportunity response” to notify the agency that you have responded. You will receive an email confirmation when your opportunity response is successfully submitted. Agencies will receive your name, email address, and phone number when you respond to a volunteer opportunity.

While you will continue to receive automatic website reminders, please contact the agency directly with questions about the volunteer opportunity.


Tracking volunteer hours

There are two types of volunteer hours you can track through Volunteer Hub. No matter how you found the opportunity, start by clicking on “Add Hours” on the top menu of any page, or by selecting the same option in your profile. You can also view a step-by-step instruction video on recording volunteer activity on Volunteer Hub. 

  • If you are tracking hours through an opportunity listed on this website select the opportunity from a dropdown list of all the opportunity responses you have submitted on the website. You will be required to enter the date of your volunteer activity and total number of hours worked, along with indicating if this activity is part of a requirement. Use decimal points for parts of an hour (e.g. 3.25 hours equals 3 hours and 15 minutes). The agency hosting the opportunity will need to approve your time entry but all approved or pending hours entries will show up on your volunteer resume. 
  • If you are tracking hours for your volunteer resume but you did not find the opportunity on this website, select “No” under the question “Are these hours in reference to an opportunity you responded to on this site?” You will be asked to provide the name of the nonprofit organization that hosted your activity, as well as the name and contact information for someone who can verify these hours. Someone from the SLCE Office will verify your time entry but all approved and pending time entries will show up on your volunteer resume. How to enter independent hours (video). 

All volunteer hour entries on Volunteer Hub are associated with individual users. Groups cannot create a "bulk" entry for their volunteer hours. 

If any of your volunteer hour entries are declined or denied, you will receive an email documenting the denial but these entries will not appear on your Volunteer Resume. 

 

Accessing your Volunteer Resume

To view a PDF of your volunteer resume, click on your initials in the top of the screen and select “view profile.” Click on “Volunteer Resume” under your name and select the date parameters for the activity you wish to show. Click “Go” to download the file. Your volunteer resume will include the dates you selected, a total of volunteer hours, time entry log including the agency and opportunity, and a diagram of your activity by interest and skill.


Volunteer Hub User Groups

User Groups are a subset of volunteers on Volunteer Hub. Agency managers can create User Groups to display opportunities only to volunteers with specific skills or experience. Clubs, organizations, or other groups can also create User Groups to track their members' volunteer hours on a User Group Dashboard.

Users can only see User Groups they have joined. In order to join a User Group, users will need to follow a link provided by the User Group Leader, or be added to the group by the User Group Leader. Users can belong to multiple User Groups. In order for volunteer hours to be displayed in a User Group's Dashboard, users will need to "tag" the User Group when they track their volunteer hours. 

Reach out to slce@uwyo.edu to learn more, start a User Group, or be added as a User Group Leader.


What “counts” as volunteer service?

While many organizations and groups have different criteria for volunteer service (or what might count as volunteer hours), this is the guidance used on Volunteer Hub.
Volunteer service is unpaid service benefiting others.

Volunteer service can be:

  • Direct or indirect
    • Examples of direct service include mentoring, tutoring, distributing food at a food bank, refereeing for a nonprofit sports league, cleaning kennels at an animal shelter, leading activities at a senior center, etc.
    • Examples of indirect service include administrative tasks, maintenance for a facility, creating outreach materials for an organization, putting on a fundraiser, organizing a volunteer project, volunteering as part of a drive, etc.
  • Beneficial in non-financial ways to the volunteer.
    • Receiving training, meals, parking passes, or other nominal volunteer support would not disqualify your volunteer hours.
    • Unpaid internships, practicums, or service-learning projects that benefit the community may also count as volunteer hours.
    • Training that directly connects to an ongoing volunteer service activity can be counted towards volunteer hours. Examples include volunteer orientations, safety certifications required by an organization as part of volunteer onboarding, ongoing volunteer training, etc.

Volunteer service is not:

  • Philanthropy
    • Donating funds
    • Participating in charity or fundraising events (fundraisers, 5Ks, tournaments, bake sales, etc.)

  • Technical career training or academic programs (although some activities in these programs may be considered volunteer service if they meet other criteria.)

  • Giving unpaid labor to a business or other for-profit organization

  • Serving only family members

  • Proselytizing

  • Political lobbying