Emailing Volunteers

Use built-in email tools to easily email your volunteers to drive activation.

An essential part of a strong volunteer program is regular communication to volunteers. To facilitate this outreach, Administrators in GC Volunteer Management are able to use the "Email Volunteers" tab do do outreach to volunteers - both registered and unregistered.

This will allow you to create templates, filter volunteers based on things like registration status, role, class year, last activity, and then email volunteers right within GiveCampus -- making it easier than ever for you to motivate and activate your volunteers.

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Step 1: Creating Templates

Under the "Email Volunteers" tab in your GC Volunteer Management Administrator Dashboard there is an option for "Email Templates". These email templates are intended for administrator use and are not shared with volunteers. However, they are visible and able to be used by other Volunteer Management administrators at your school. 

To get started, click the "New Email Template" button.

Necessary Fields and Content: 

• Template Name
• Template Description
• Sender Name
• Reply-to Email Address
• Subject Line
• Content for the body of the email

Merge Tokens: 
Just as with email templates created for volunteers, you'll be able to include imagery, links, and merge tokens. There are some new merge tokens available to use when communicating with volunteers: 

• Volunteer Name
• Volunteer Class year 
• Volunteer Role
• # of Assignments
• # of Assignments who have given
• Last activity date

Once you've got your content in place, click "Save Email Template" to be able to use this when communicating with volunteers.

CC options and recipient list ordering (for volunteers emailing their assignments)

• Volunteers cannot add manual CC recipients when sending emails. The only available option is the Send me a copy checkbox, which appears only if their role permits it. There is no field for additional CC addresses.

How recipient order works in the volunteer email tool

• When volunteers use the email tool to message their assigned constituents, the recipient list is arranged alphabetically by last name.

Tip: If a volunteer expects to see the Send me a copy option but does not, confirm with your administrator that their role allows this feature.

 

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Step 2: Emailing Volunteers

From the "Email Volunteers" tab you'll see all volunteers for your school, pre-filtered to those that you manage. The page is automatically split into two sections  - those volunteers who are registered and those who are unregistered.

 

Use Filters: 
If you'd like to filter the list further , you can select the "Filters" button and refine the list to see only volunteers which meet those filter criteria, which include:

• Class Year
• Role
• Assignment Giving
• Volunteer Activity

Emailing Selected Volunteers: 

• Filter Your List
• Select all volunteers in that list or you can select only certain volunteers from that list. 
• Press "Email Selected Volunteers.
• Choose a template and make any adjustments to the email subject or body. 
• You can send yourself a test of the email or just send the email to your volunteers! 
• Celebrate and monitor email statistics in aggregate and for individual volunteers! 🎉

  Volunteer sent email history — what the system records and what it doesn't

  Key points

  • Volunteers cannot view sent email history through the GC Volunteer Management interface.
  • Sent emails are not stored or displayed in the volunteer dashboard.
  • There is no role setting or permission available to enable viewing of sent emails.
  • This limitation applies to all volunteer roles.

  What this means

  • The Volunteer Management dashboard does not include a mail-style "Sent" folder or conversation thread for outgoing messages.
  • Replies from constituents are sent to the volunteer's personal email and are not captured within VMS (see the existing Email Replies and Notifications section for details).

  Workarounds and best practices

  • If available, check the Send me a copy option when composing an email. This will send a copy to your personal inbox but does not create an in‑app sent history.
  • For a reliable record, add Notes to the constituent record in VMS. Notes remain visible to volunteers with the appropriate access and provide a record of key conversations.
  • For an audit of outreach, ask an Administrator. Administrators can review aggregate email statistics and per‑volunteer send metrics from the Email Volunteers tab.

  Why these steps help

  Since VMS does not retain sent messages as threads, using the Send me a copy option and adding Notes ensures that a record of communications is maintained outside of the core volunteer dashboard.

 

Troubleshooting Email Issues for Volunteers

Volunteer Getting Logged Out While Composing Emails

If a volunteer reports being logged out when trying to send an email through the VMS (getting a login prompt when clicking send), try these troubleshooting steps:

1. Check session timeout settings - Sessions may expire during long email composition periods

2. Verify volunteer registration status - Ensure the volunteer has fully completed account registration

3. Clear browser cache and cookies - Old session data can cause authentication issues

4. Try a different browser or incognito mode - Browser-specific issues can interfere with session management

5. Have the volunteer log out completely and log back in before composing emails

Common variations of this question

• "Volunteer can't send emails - system asks to log in again"
• "Email template disappears when volunteer clicks send"
• "Authentication error when sending volunteer emails"
• "Session expired error in email composer"

Email Replies and Notifications

"Send Test to Me" stops working due to a school-level notification toggle

If volunteers report the Send Test to Me button is not working, it is likely due to a school-level setting that disables system messages.

What to know

• The Send Test to Me feature is implemented as a system notification. When the Disable VMS System Notification Emails to Volunteers option is enabled, it prevents volunteers from using this feature. (This is also noted in the UI help text.)
• That same setting disables automated emails that volunteers receive when paired or unpaired from assignments. Re-enabling the setting restores these messages.
• Administrators may enable this setting temporarily during bulk role updates to avoid sending multiple notifications. Be sure to check if the setting was left enabled after such operations.

How to check and restore the Send Test capability

1. In your GC Volunteer Management Administrator Dashboard, click Settings in the left-hand navigation sidebar.
2. Expand the General section.
3. Locate the checkbox labeled Disable VMS System Notification Emails to Volunteers.
4. If the box is checked, uncheck it to restore system notifications. The help text reads: "This setting also disables the 'send test to me' capability for volunteers while checked. To re-enable volunteers to 'send test to me', uncheck this setting."
5. Scroll to the bottom of the General section and click Save Settings.

After saving

Volunteers will immediately be able to use Send Test to Me and receive automated notification emails (such as pairing and unpairing alerts).

Troubleshooting tips

• If the setting is already unchecked and volunteers still cannot use Send Test to Me, verify that the volunteer's role permits the Send me a copy option and follow the additional troubleshooting steps in this article (such as checking for session timeouts, clearing browser cache, or verifying registration status).
• If notifications were intentionally disabled during a bulk role update, consider re-enabling them during off-peak hours.

Volunteer email functionality and limitations

Volunteers using the GC Volunteer Management email tool cannot add arbitrary CC recipients. The only available option is the “Send me a copy” checkbox, which appears only if their role permits it.

There is no field for additional CC addresses, ensuring compliance with your institution’s communication policies.

Recipient list ordering and CC options

When sending emails through Volunteer Management, volunteers cannot add CC recipients manually. They can only request a copy of the email by selecting the Send me a copy checkbox—an option that appears only if their role is configured to allow it.

Additionally, the recipient list is displayed in alphabetical order by last name, ensuring a consistent and predictable order.

Q: When volunteers send emails through VMS and assignments reply, does the volunteer get notified in their dashboard?

A: No, replies to VMS emails are sent directly to the volunteer's personal email inbox. The VMS does not track or display email replies in the volunteer dashboard.

Best Practice: Ask volunteers to add Notes to the constituent record in VMS if important information is discussed in email exchanges.

Common variations of this question

• "Do email replies show up in VMS dashboard?"
• "How do volunteers see responses to their emails?"
• "Are email conversations tracked in the system?"
• "Where do assignment replies appear?"