Creating Tasks for Volunteers in the VMS

Tasks are a great way to remind Volunteers of their priorities and to make sure they stay -- on task -- during key solicitation periods. Administrators within the Volunteer Management System can assign Tasks -- either in bulk or on an individually-- to their Volunteers. Here's how! 

Note: This functionality is only available for VMS administrators who have Handler permissions for a given volunteer role. See the FAQ below on how to make an administrator a Handler.

Creating a Task for a single Volunteer

• Navigate to the "Tasks" page
• Select the Volunteer
• Create a title for the Task and quick description

Creating a Task for Multiple Volunteers

• From the "Tasks" page, scroll down to "Create Tasks for Multiple Volunteers"
• If you would like to assign a task to all of your volunteers, simply check the box at the top of the tab that reads “Assign this task to all volunteers that you manage”
• If you’d like to assign a task to a specific subsection of your volunteers, you can use the query builder to configure and fine-tune your list

• Click on the dropdown menu and select which option you'd like to use to filter your volunteer list (e.g. class year, role, affiliation)
• If necessary, you can select even more configurability options that open up (e.g. alumni from specific class years, as shown in the screenshot below)
• Once you’ve created your list, be sure to hit “Save Conditions” at the bottom of the tab
• To learn more about working with multiple conditions in the query builder, check out this GCU article!

Once you’ve filled out the text fields and set up your conditions, you’re ready to send the task out to your volunteers. Before doing so, you’ll have the option of checking a box that reads “Create a new task for each individual assignment,” which will create a distinct task for each of your volunteer’s assignments.

Once you’ve completed your customization, hit the “Preview Tasks” button at the very bottom of the page. This will take you to a list of all the volunteers your task will be sent to. Once you’ve ensured that the list is to your liking, hit the “Assign Task to Volunteers” button at the top right of the page, and confirm that you’d like to create your task. And you’re done!

FAQs

Q: Who can create tasks?

A: Only Administrators who have Handler permissions can create tasks for volunteers. Handlers can only create tasks for volunteers who they manage via their Handler permissions.

Note: The term “ Handler” may be customized for your school

Q: How do I give an administrator Handler permissions?

A: Select "Handlers" from the navigation menu, then the “Add Handler” button. Select an administrator from the dropdown menu and the either check the box that reads “This handler should manage all volunteers” or define the volunteers they manage. Click “Add Handler.” 

Q: Can my volunteers be notified when I create tasks for them?

A: Yes! You have the option of sending email notifications to your volunteers when you create tasks for them. If you’d like to use this feature, email us vms@givecampus.com, and we can enable it for you.

Q: Can tasks be deleted once they’ve been sent?

A: Currently, there is no way to delete or edit tasks once they have been sent out, so we recommend being sure to double check before hitting send!

What volunteers see on their dashboard when you assign task groups

When you assign a task group, it appears as a card on the volunteer's personal dashboard. If no groups are assigned, the tasks section shows a prompt informing the volunteer that tasks will appear once an admin assigns them. Volunteers do not need special permissions to view these groups.

Each task group card displays:

• The group name
• The number of constituents in the group
• A status badge that indicates the deadline (for example, "Due Jun 10"), progress (for example, "2/5 done"), "Overdue" if the deadline has passed with incomplete tasks, or "Completed" when all tasks are finished
• An action button labeled for the outreach type (for example, Email, Text, or Call)

Task groups are sorted by deadline, except that pinned groups appear at the top and completed groups are moved to the bottom. This arrangement lets volunteers focus on urgent and pinned assignments while pushing finished groups aside.

Only task groups assigned directly to a volunteer are visible on their dashboard. Inactive groups—such as drafts, archived groups, or those with future start dates—are excluded. Additionally, standalone tasks that aren’t part of a group are not shown.

Tasks completed tile

The Tasks completed tile shows a volunteer’s progress across visible task groups. It displays a completed and total task count and, when tasks are assigned, a badge showing the overall completion percentage. Clicking the tile scrolls down to the tasks list.

Quick action for email task groups

For task groups with an email outreach type, the card includes an Email button that opens the compose window directly, allowing the volunteer to start their outreach immediately.