Learning how to read a profile will help you understand more about volunteers and organizations on Volunteer Alliance. Be familiar with all the different parts (tabs) on a profile.

Profile

The profile tab contains the basic information of a profile including the mission, description, biography, location etc.

This should give you an idea of who the volunteer or organization is ‘at a glance’.

Volunteer Opportunities

This is where the organization lists all the different volunteering opportunities or placements that they have. Read each volunteering opportunity carefully to learn if this is the type of volunteering opportunity you are looking for!

Reviews

Reviews are ratings of one member by other members against the most important criteria for a volunteer or organization. Reviews also include feedback provided by members on their experience with other members. A member cannot delete or change any reviews left for them. Reviews give you an insight into the member’s actions within the Volunteer Alliance community.

We encourage all members to write reviews for one another to build trust within the community.

Reviews are face to face references so you can be confident that they are accurate.

You should read all the reviews. Each review has unique and valuable information.

Look for specific information on the member. This will give you more insight into who the volunteer or organization ‘really is’. If you don’t see any detail, you can always write to the members who have left reviews to ask them for more information.

Take negative reviews seriously. If there are common incidents in the reviews of a member you should seriously consider if and how this could affect you.

Journal/Blog

The blog is an opportunity for volunteers and organizations to write about their volunteering experiences. Some volunteers use the blog to keep family and friends up to date. Other organizations use the blog to notify past volunteers of progress on projects that they have worked on.

However it is used, the blog can give you an insight into the member, their personality and perspectives. Note that you must be an approved 'friend' of a volunteer to read the volunteer's journal. 

Photos

Photo albums aren’t just for fun – they can show you a lot about a members personality or organization.

Browse through all the photos to get a complete ‘picture’ (no pun intended) of the member.

Affiliations

Affiliations listed on each members profile are people and organizations that they really know! For volunteers, affiliations show the volunteers friends and the organizations where they have volunteered. For organizations, affiliations show which volunteers they have hosted and which organizations they are partnered with. Affiliations should be thought of as personal and professional references for members.

We encourage all members to contact affiliations to learn more about their experiences with other members.

If you have a common affiliation, consider contacting that member to find out more information.