❖ Heads up! This article is intended for site managers. If you're a volunteer, please click here.
Your volunteers can respond to Needs right from their phones or tablets with the Causer app! Please note that the app is a tool intended specifically for volunteers. This article is intended to help you and other site managers understand how the app works from the volunteer perspective.
You may have a volunteer ask for help with the app, so these instructions are written with the volunteer perspective in mind. You can always share this article with your agency managers so they understand how the app works from the volunteer perspective, or you can share this resource with volunteers too. Here we cover:
- How to download the app
- How do volunteers find Needs?
- How do volunteers check their schedules?
- How do volunteers enter hours?
How to download the app
Volunteers must first download the app from their phone or tablet's app store. Have them open the app store and search Causer.
- They can also scan these QR codes for their specific devices to download the app:
Existing volunteers
If a volunteer is already registered on your site, then they can use the email address they signed up with to log into the app.
- A list of possible sites appears for them to choose from.
- Once they select the site, they're asked to enter their password or they can select I've forgotten my password to reset it.
- After logging in, they're taken to the volunteer dashboard where they can see their volunteer impact or search for volunteer Needs!
ⓘ So you know: They may see some popups depending on what device they're using.
- These can include a Background Location Request popup. This helps the app find volunteer Needs near them.
- Another pop-up they might encounter is a Push Notification Request. Turning this on allows them to receive important notifications from the app about their scheduled volunteer Needs or other updates from the organization.
- When they have the Background Location and Push Notification enabled, a notification pops up for them to check into a Need when they're close to the listed address for it.
- Another notification pops up for them to check out when they leave that address.
New volunteers
If a volunteer hasn't registered on your site, then they can search for sites near them or search for a site by name.
- After they select the site they want to sign up on, they need to click Sign Up.
- They must fill out the registration form and click Create my account.
Sharing the app to boost volunteer engagement
Do you want to share the app with your volunteers to increase volunteer engagement with it? You can always share the QR codes in email blasts or as a spotlight on your site to try and boost volunteer engagement with the app!
How do volunteers find Needs?
They can click Find something to do from their dashboard to start finding volunteer Needs near them.
- To filter a search, they can click Filters and select Distance, Interest, or Agency.
- They can also go to the Search area in the app by clicking the hamburger button (☰) in the top left of the app to open their menu options.
How do volunteers respond to Needs?
After they filter their search and find the Need they want to respond to, they click Respond. 
- Clicking Respond opens the Need for them to view more details—then, they click Respond again to confirm their selection.
ⓘ So you know: Volunteers may encounter Needs that require additional steps when responding to them—it just depends on the requirements you've established for that Need.
How do volunteers unregister for a Need?
If they need to unregister for a Need, they can click on it and select Unregister. 
- If the Need has shifts then they must click the Need and select Manage responses.
- Then, they select the (X) beside the shift they want to unregister for.
How do volunteers check their schedules?
When they first enter the app, their dashboard shows any upcoming volunteer Needs they're scheduled for.
- If they want to see a calendar view of their schedule, they can click the hamburger button (☰) in the top left corner of the app and select Schedule from the menu.
- From here, they can click on a date in the calendar to review details about that specific Need.
How do volunteers check in or out for a Need?
To check-in or out for a Need, they can go to the Schedule area in the app and click Check in for the Need. Have them follow the same steps to check out for it when done. 
How do volunteers enter hours?
To add hours for a Need, they:
1. Click the hamburger button (☰) from the top left corner of the app and select Add Hours from the menu.
2. Next, they select the Hours type:
- For Needs they responded to on the site, they select Yes.
- For Needs they volunteered for without responding to on the site, they select No.
3. If they selected yes for the Hours type, then they must choose a Need from the dropdown menu.
4. If they completed the Need as a member in a User Group, they must select the User Group from the options.
- Have them select N/A if they weren't part of a User Group.
5. Next, they click Continue and then they click Submit hours at the bottom of the form to confirm. 
