In last night's advisory group there was a lot of discussion on the confusion between what a Volunteer is and what a Coach is. This has always been a little confusing, but we've never come up with a better way to describe the two. We want the site to be as safe as possible due to the sensitive and personal information we have on the neighbors seeking assistance. We like having another step, even if it's confusing, in order to gain access to those projects. However, there are improvements that we'll be looking at in the future to improve that process. The NeighborLink website is in constant development and we'll consider any reasonable suggestions for improvement. 

One thing that we did decide could happen immediately, was a quick post on how to transition from being a Volunteer to becoming a Coach within the website. Maybe you've asked that question yourself and not known how to make that happen. The only requirement we ask of our coaches is to leave the project in a better state than you found it. That could mean completing the project, or simply updating the project details if you learned you couldn't help but someone else could. 

If you are already registered as a Volunteer on the website, go ahead and login. Once logged in, look for the "Upgrade Account to Coach" button just under your name and click that. 

Once you click that, a popup will show up and give you the details of what the next steps are. You'll be contact by one of our administrators to follow up on this request and ask you a few questions and answer any questions you may have. 

Once you hear back from one of our administrators, you'll then be approved to become a Coach. The next time you login, you will be able to see all the projects and the contact information of the neighbor in need so you can contact them directly and work out the details with them. 

It's that simple!

However, if you're still confused, go ahead and click the Contact Us button in the blue toolbar and send us a note. We'll be happy to help.