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Event Prompts Tab

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In the New Event Wizard and on the Prompts tab under Event Details & Actions, you can add custom prompts to request additional information from volunteers. You also can control the visibility of the information that volunteers enter. Depending on your settings, participants will be able to update these values in their My Commitments portal. (See Info tab > Signup Schedule and Self Cancellation.)

Custom Prompts #

Custom prompts allow you to define extra prompts that will be requested when a participant signs up for a slot. To add a custom prompt:

Note: Custom prompts will appear after the required prompts Email, First Name and Last Name in the order that they appear on this tab. You can edit or remove custom prompts by clicking the Edit or Remove buttons.

  • Click the Add Prompt button.
  • Give the new prompt a label: e.g, “Nickname.”
  • Give the prompt a short description: e.g., “Enter another name you go by.”
  • If you want to make the prompt required, check the “Required” checkbox.
  • Pick the type of prompt you want to create. The ivolunteer.com system supports adding fields of the following types:
    • TEXT – free form text entry field.
    • NUMBER – Only allows numbers. You can define the format as well as the minimum and/or maximum values allowed.
    • DATE – Only allows dates.
    • DROPDOWN – A list of items from which to choose.
    • CHECKBOX – Checked or un-checked: e.g., “I certify that am over 21”
    • EMAIL – Only accepts valid email addresses.
    • PHONE – Only accepts valid phone numbers.
    • DATABASE_GROUP and DATABASE_GROUPS – Will assign participants to one or more selected database groups when they sign up. Prompt includes option to allow the participant to remove themselves from a group by editing their confirmed slot in My Commitments.
    • DATABASE_GROUP_DEFINED – Will automatically, invisibly assign participants to a database group of your choice.
    • PAYMENT – Collects a payment when the participant signs up (Premium). Collect a fixed amount or one that depends on selection from another prompt. See Event Payments.

Prompt Visibility #

Prompt Visibility settings control who will be able to see the entered values of Email, First Name and Last Name once a slot has been confirmed. See Slot Previews with Current Settings for examples of display with your current settings. You can fine-tune display for different groups of viewers under Event Settings > Display > Slot.

The visibility of each custom prompt is controlled with a Confirmed Visibility setting next to the prompt.

Note: The default visibility for all prompts is “Not Visible – Administrators and Confirmed Participant in Slot Only.”
Email and phone (custom prompts) fields cannot be visible to Everyone.

How to Sign Up a Group of People #

Normally, one signup counts as one participant in a slot. With Block of Slots, one signup may take up several, limited only by the slot’s Volunteers Needed value. For example, a participant may sign up for three guests to reserve all four slots or commit to bring two out of five casseroles to a potluck.

  1. On the Prompts tab, click Add Prompt.
  2. Choose the type NUMBER or DROPDOWN. Check the Block of Slots option.
  3. Check Block of Slots. The prompt becomes required.
  4. For NUMBER, optionally set a minimum and maximum. For DROPDOWN, the chosen number in a comma-separated list sets the number of slots.

How to Allow Participants to Self-Report Hours #

Here is how you can use a custom prompt combined with Task areas to let your participants self-report their volunteer hours.

  1. First, create a Task area for each period you want to track, usually a month. Set Task Date Option to “Task spans Task dates (no specific date)” and enter the Task Start Date and Task End Date. See Working with Tasks. This step will ensure that the time period for a volunteer’s hours is accurate when you run a Participation report.
  2. Click Add Prompt on the Prompts step of the New Event Wizard or on the Prompts tab of an existing signup opportunity.
    • In the Wizard, choose “Self-Report Hours,” give the prompt a label, and choose whether it is required.
    • On the classic Prompts tab, use a NUMBER prompt with the “Overwrite…” > Hours box checked.
  3. Participants can update their hours later from My Commitments. To see their own totals, they would click Reports in the footer bar, set a From and To date, and click Download PDF.