This glossary is for all site users, including Site Managers, Program Facilitators, and Volunteers.
✏️ Quick tip: You can quickly search for terms by clicking CTRL + F on your keyboard and entering the term in the search field.
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
A | |
| Active (Status) | Programs, Opportunities, User Groups, etc., have an Active status when they're currently live on your site. Users can also have an Active status, which means they have access to your site—it doesn't indicate that they use your site. |
| Alias Domain | An alias domain was created for your site after your organization purchased it. All Get Connected site alias domains end with .galaxydigital.com (e.g., volunteercenter.galaxydigital.com). The alias domain continues to function as a URL for your site, even if your organization opts to purchase a custom domain or use a subdomain. |
| Anonymous Hours | A way of submitting hours on behalf of volunteers who don't have an account. Click here to learn more about different types of hours on your site. |
| Approval | A section in your Main Settings where you can set up automated approval for the hours submitted to your site. |
| Approved (Status) | This status is assigned to volunteer hours once they're approved. This status is automatically assigned to submitted hours if you've enabled automatic approval in your site settings. |
| Automated Notifications | Messages triggered by a particular event, like an individual responding to an Opportunity. Automated notifications can be edited or disabled as needed. |
| Availability | Volunteers can indicate their availability in their user profile. You can use this information to find available people to fill volunteer slots for an upcoming Opportunity. |
B | |
| Banner | The banner does not change from page to page within a site. You can upload two banners in Main Settings:
|
| Background Check | You can enable background checks on your site through one of our trusted third-party providers. |
| Badge | A visual indicator that a volunteer has reached an established benchmark for volunteer hours. Your site comes with 15 badges that can't be edited. Please note custom badges can't be uploaded to your site. Click here to learn more about badges on your site. |
| Benchmark | A benchmark is a set number of volunteer hours that must be achieved within a certain time frame. You, or another Site Manager, can set up benchmarks and attach them to badges awarded to volunteers when they reach them. |
| Blog | The use of a blog is optional on Get Connected sites. |
C | |
| Canonical Name Record (CNAME) | This is necessary for sites that opt not to use the alias domain originally assigned upon purchase of a Get Connected site. |
| Causer App | The Causer App puts access to your site and Opportunities in the hands (well, devices) of your volunteers! With the app, volunteers can find, check in for, and respond to volunteer Opportunities through the app, and receive important notifications and updates. |
| Checkbox (Question Type) | An answer option for custom questions that allows a person to select multiple answers as needed. |
| Check-in Kiosk | A tool that enables volunteers to check in to volunteer Opportunities. When the kiosk is used, a volunteer's hours are automatically logged. Click here to learn more. |
| Click-wrap waiver | A Clickwrap Waiver is a waiver you attach to a volunteer Opportunity. When a volunteer responds to that volunteer Opportunity, they're asked to review the Clickwrap Waiver and then check a box to confirm that they reviewed it and agree to its outlined terms. |
| Clone | Copying a volunteer Opportunity or other item by clicking the Clone button. Note: When an item is cloned, the word "copy" and the original title are copied over. |
| Closed Opportunity | When posting an Opportunity, you can specify a "registration closed date". When the registration closed date passes, the Opportunity is still displayed with the Active Opportunities, but it has a red Closed button on it. This means volunteers won't be able to interact with it after it's closed. Click here to learn more. |
| Cluster | A feature that allows you to "self-tag" Opportunities by choosing clusters, or tags. |
| Comma-Separated Value (CSV) | A file in which data can be stored as a structured table. CSVs have a .csv extension and are typically text files where the information is separated by commas. |
| Content | These are the Initiatives, volunteer Opportunities, and Programs a Sender site shares with a Host site through the Galaxy Link. |
| Custom Code | Header or footer code for using tracking pixels on a Get Connected site. Custom codes are established in your Main Settings area. |
| Custom Domain | Get Connected clients who do not wish to use the alias domain (which ends in .galaxydigital.com) have the option of purchasing a custom domain from a web hosting company of their choice. Additional fees for site security may be required. |
| Custom Form | A feature for building and sharing forms on a Get Connected site. Forms can be added to custom pages. Answers to submitted forms are emailed to the recipient specified by the one who created them. |
| Custom Page | A feature that lets you or another Site Manager create, edit, and publish web pages on a Get Connected site. Click here to learn more. |
| Custom Questions | Questions that can created and added to certain forms on a Get Connected site. You can word the question as you wish, select the answer type, and decide if a question should be required. Answers to custom questions are typically available in data exports. |
| Custom Shifts (Duration Type) | A volunteer Opportunity duration type where the person posting the Opportunity can set up specific shift times that are not recurring. |
| Customer Support | Your dedicated support staff. Click here to contact us. |
D | |
| Dashboard | The "landing page" for a logged-in user of a Get Connected site. |
| Deactivate | To assign an item—e.g., a volunteer Opportunity, Program, or user account—an "Inactive" status. A deactivated item can be reactivated as needed. |
| Declined (Status) | Typically applies to submitted volunteer hours; if the agency manager or site manager rejects the hours, they will assign them a status of "Declined." Declined hours are not displayed on the volunteer resume, and they are not included in the total shown on the volunteer dashboard. |
| Default Manager Account | The primary contact for your site. The default manager is set up in Main Settings. |
| Domain Name | A Connect platform's active URL. A site may use the alias domain, a subdomain, or a custom domain. Your Connect platform's domain name is shown in Main Settings. |
| Domain Name System (DNS) | This system controls your Get Connected URL's site and email settings. You can find your Connect platform's DNS information by going to Settings > DNS Information. |
| Donation | Money that's given to a charity or nonprofit. A Get Connected site can be set up to accept monetary donations via Stripe. Stripe charges a flat rate of 2.9% plus 30¢ per successful charge. Galaxy Digital does not receive a percentage of donations made through your site. |
| Dropdown (Question Type) | An answer option for custom questions. This gives individuals the option to select one answer from a dropdown list created for the custom question. |
| Duration Type | Duration types are a setting for a volunteer Opportunity that indicates when it occurs, how often it occurs, and when it expires. (e.g., Flexible, Happens On, Multi-Date, Custom Shifts, Recurring Shifts) |
E | |
| Email Blast | Email blasts allow you to send emails to a group of selected users. |
| Email Digest | A weekly email that includes important activity details or updates from the previous week. Your site has two digest emails available: The Volunteer Weekly Digest, which tells volunteers about new opportunities that match their skills and causes, and the Agency Manager's Weekly Digest, which provides anyone listed in the additional notifications recipient field of a Program with useful information regarding pending hours and volunteer Opportunities that may expire soon. Digest emails are automatically sent once a week and can be edited or disabled as needed. |
| Email "From" Name | The sender name that appears in the From (return address) field of an email message. The default for all sites is "No Reply," but this name can be overridden. |
| Email "From" Address" | The sender address that appears in the From (return address) field of an email message. The default for all sites is no-reply@galaxydigital.com, but this address can be overridden. |
| Email Suffix | The part of an email that appears to the right of the @ symbol. For example, the email suffix of anne.m.rogers@galaxydigital.com is galaxydigital.com. |
| Entered (Status) | A rarely used status for volunteer hours. This status indicates that a volunteer has entered hours but has not yet verified them. This status only appears if your site requires that volunteers take a two-step process (entering hours and then verifying them) to submit them for approval. |
| eSign Waiver | An eSign waiver is signed by typing one's name into a field. Click here for more information about waivers on your site. |
| Expired (Opportunity) | Volunteer Opportunities are no longer displayed publicly after they expire. You can still view expired Opportunities. |
| Export | Transfer of data to a CSV spreadsheet. Export buttons are available throughout your site, including in the various management areas and reports |
F | |
| Family Friendly | This option can be checked when creating a new volunteer Opportunity. Checking this generally indicates that children are welcome to attend and even participate in the volunteer Opportunity with their parents or primary caregivers. Volunteers can narrow their search to only include family-friendly marked Opportunities. |
| Favicon | An icon associated with a URL. Favicons are displayed in various places, including a browser's address bar, a browser tab, or a bookmark list. You can manage your site's favicon from your Main Settings. |
| File | A feature that allows you to save PDFs and other file types to the site or on a user's profile. A unique URL is provided for each uploaded file. |
| File Upload (Question Type) | A type of question that volunteers must answer by uploading a file in response. This question type is available for Prerequisites and hours custom questions. |
| First Advantage | One of the trusted third-party background check providers that you can integrate your site with. Click here to learn more. |
| Flexible (Duration Type) | This duration type is used for volunteer Opportunities that are ongoing with an expiration date set in the future. |
| Full Opportunity | When a volunteer Opportunity has met its set capacity—or the number of needed volunteers—then it's considered full. You have the option to show or hide full Opportunities from site visitors. |
G | |
| Galaxy Link | A setup that enables two or more Get Connected sites to share data. Sites can share content, response information, and reporting data. Click here to learn more. |
| Google Analytics | Google's web analytics service for tracking and reporting website traffic. Click here to see how you can track your site's data with Google Analytics. |
| Grid View | The default view for looking at Programs and Opportunities. This view displays "cards" that contain relevant information and a button to learn more. |
H | |
| Happens On (Duration Type) | A duration type for volunteer Opportunities that occur on a specific date. Once the date for that Opportunity passes, it expires and is no longer available in the volunteer view. |
| Host | A "Host" receives content from another site through the Galaxy Link. |
| Hours | Volunteers can submit hours for the Opportunities they participate in. Team leaders can also submit hours on behalf of volunteers. Click here to learn more about the different hours types on your site. Click here to learn more about managing hours on your site. |
| Hours Question | Custom questions that you or another Site Manager can add to the hours-submission form to collect additional data from volunteers. |
I | |
| Image Rotator | Tool for displaying photos and other images in slideshow format on the volunteer dashboard. Click here to learn more. |
| Impact Value | The monetary value of a volunteer hour. A volunteer's impact value is shown on both the volunteer's dashboard and resume. Value is determined based on state rates provided at independentsector.org/volunteer_time. You or another Site Manager can override the state rate in Main Settings. |
| Import | Transfer of data from a spreadsheet or CSV file to your site. |
| Imported (Status) | Status applied to items—e.g., Programs, Opportunities, users, etc.—imported to your site that haven't been activated. |
| Inactive (Status) | A status applied to any Program, user, or Opportunity manually deactivated. Note: An expired volunteer Opportunity is not necessarily inactive. If an Opportunity expired but wasn't manually deactivated, it's still classified as active. |
| Incomplete Program | An “incomplete Program” is one whose profile does not include a logo, complete contact information, and/or complete address/location information. |
| Individual Hours | Volunteer hours that are not associated with an Opportunity response—i.e., they aren't in response to a posted Opportunity on your site. Note: You can enable and disable this from your Main Settings. |
| Initiative | A tool for grouping Opportunities under a single heading—e.g., Opportunities that take place in a particular season. Initiatives can use a banner, custom questions, and custom messaging. Note: Not all sites have Initiatives enabled. This feature can be purchased and enabled. |
J | |
| Join Link | A link that volunteers can use to join a team or user group. |
K | |
L | |
| Language Override | You can request to change the language on your site. For example, you can change Opportunities to Needs or Programs to Agencies. Click here for more information. |
| Learning Management System (LMS) | A self-paced series of training videos and accompanying articles. |
| List View | An optional view for looking at Programs and Opportunities. Items are displayed in a table that lists relevant information with a button to learn more. |
M | |
| Map View | An optional view for looking at Programs, and Opportunities. This view includes a map with clickable "pins" that take users to the applicable Program or Opportunity. |
| Multi-Date (Duration Type) | A duration type for Opportunities that occur over a specified number of days. This duration type is most often used for mission trips and other volunteer Opportunities that involve travel. |
N | |
| Navigation Bar (Navigation Menu) | A tool for moving from one page to another. The navigation menu is vertical and is located in the left-hand area of the screen. In the volunteer view, the navigation menu has a white background. The Site Manager navigation menu has a black background. |
| Notification Template | Your site includes several automated notifications that are triggered by different actions. For example, when a user responds to an Opportunity on your site, they receive a thank you message for responding. You can manage these notifications from the Communication area of your Site Manager dashboard. Click here to learn more. |
O | |
| Opportunity | These are the posted volunteer Opportunities on your site that volunteers can respond to and participate in. You can create and manage Opportunities on your site. |
| Opportunity Response | Volunteer registration to an Opportunity. When a volunteer responds to an Opportunity, they are agreeing to show up and take part in that Opportunity. |
| Opportunity Response Form | A form that appears when a volunteer clicks one of the respond buttons for an Opportunity. This form lets volunteers enter additional information and answer any custom response questions. The volunteer must submit the form to complete the response. |
| Opportunity View | In your reports, an "Opportunity view” refers to the number of views an Opportunity page has received. Note: If a user is viewing an Opportunity and refreshes the page, the system counts that as two views. |
| Opt-Out | A user can select to opt out of notifications and other emails by going to their user profile and changing the opt-out setting. Once a user opts out, they no longer receive emails and notifications. The only exception is the "Reset Password" email, which is triggered when an individual uses the "Forgot Password" link on the login page. |
P | |
| Pending (Status) | This status is assigned to items that are waiting for your approval. Items that can be "Pending" include volunteer hours, Programs, Opportunities, teams, user accounts, and Prerequisites. |
| Pendo | These are a series of informative and guided pop-ups that help you navigate your site and its features |
| Plus-one Hours | A type of hour entry where a volunteer can log hours on behalf of a friend or colleague who doesn't have an account on your site. Note: You can opt to allow or not allow plus-one hours from your Main Settings. |
| Prerequisite | A Prerequisite is a way for you to ensure volunteers meet specific requirements when responding to Opportunities. Click here to learn more about Prerequisites. |
| Program | A Program is an area on your site where you'll create volunteer opportunities specific to your organization. Click here to learn more. Note: You must have at least one Program on your site to start posting volunteer Opportunities. |
| Program View | In your reports, a "Program view” refers to the number of views a Program page has received. Note: If a user is viewing a Program and refreshes the page, the system counts that as two views. |
Q | |
| Question Type | This is an answer type you select from for the custom questions you create. This includes small and large text fields, dropdown, checkbox, radio button, and file upload. e.g., when creating a new custom Hours Question, you can opt to have dropdown answers a volunteer must select from when responding to that question. |
R | |
| Radio Button (Question Type) | An answer option for custom questions; with the radio-button option, an individual can only select one of the available answers. |
| Recurring Shifts (Duration Type) | A volunteer Opportunity duration type where the person posting the Opportunity can set up recurring shifts. |
| Registration Steps | These are the steps you or another Site Manager create for volunteers to complete when registering on the site. By default, a volunteer must provide their name and email address. There are several options for allowing users to skip one or more of the default registration steps. Click here to learn more. |
| Respondent | Someone who has responded to a volunteer Opportunity on your site. |
| Response Content | These are the responses to content (e.g., Opportunity responses, etc.) on a Host site that flows back to the originating site, or the Sender site through the Galaxy Link. |
| Response Question | This is a custom question that can be added to the Opportunity response form volunteers complete when responding to an Opportunity. You or another Site Manager can create these in Settings > Response Questions. |
| Runs Until (Duration Type) | A volunteer Opportunity duration type for Opportunities that are active until a certain date. Once that date has occurred, the Opportunity expires and is removed from the volunteer view. |
S | |
| Schedule | In the Scheduling area of your site, a calendar view shows scheduled volunteer Opportunities. Click here to learn more. |
| Sender | A "Sender" is a site that shares its Programs and Opportunities with another site through the Galaxy Link. |
| Shift Opportunity | These are volunteer Opportunities with scheduled shifts—e.g., Custom or Recurring Shifts. |
| Single Sign On (SSO) | A user-authentication service that permits a user to use one set of credentials (such as a company or college username and password) to log in to another application (such as a Get Connected site). SSO options with Galaxy Digital include SAML, Shibboleth, and JWT. |
| Site Manager | Site Managers oversee the entire site. They are the ones who set up the site's main settings and have control over all available features from the Site Manager dashboard. |
| Site Manager Dashboard | The default page of the Site Manager panel; includes shortcut buttons for managing various areas of the platform and a link to the Help Center. The dashboard can be customized to feature charts and graphs that display site activity. |
| Site Settings | Area of the Site Manager panel; accessible from the top right-hand corner of the screen |
| Short Messaging Service (SMS) | The formal name for text messaging. |
| Spotlight | Tool for drawing attention to certain areas of a site. You or another Site Manager can create unlimited spotlights, but only the first three are displayed as colored banners or boxes on the volunteer dashboard. You also have the option to add more spotlights to the volunteer's navigation menu. |
| Sterling Volunteers | A background-check platform geared toward nonprofits. Click here to learn more. |
| Stripe | An online payment system that's used for donations on your site. Click here to learn more. |
| Subdomain | An internet domain that is part of a primary domain. If you don't want to use the alias domain (which ends in .galaxydigital.com), then you have the option to use a subdomain. Note: Some fees and additional work may be required. |
T | |
| Tag | A designation that you can apply to users, Opportunities, and Programs. Tags are useful for grouping like items. Some tags are applied automatically—e.g., a unique tag is applied to all Programs that are part of a single import. |
| Team | A group of volunteers who are part of a single Opportunity response. A team response is initiated by a team creator. The team creator can reserve slots for team members, add the team members using their email addresses, or send out an invitation to join the team link. A team can only be formed in response to an Opportunity. |
| Team Response | If a user selects Respond as Team for an Opportunity, it creates a Team Response. This button is only available on Opportunities that allow for team registration. |
| Team Creator | The volunteer who initially signs up a team. A team creator has team-management capabilities in the My Teams area of their user profile. |
| Team Leader | The assigned leader of the team. Like the team creator, the team leader has team-management capabilities in the My Teams area of their user profile. Note: The team creator selects the team leader when creating the team. |
| Team Member | A person who is included in a team response but is not the team leader or team creator. |
| Template Key | These are used in automated notifications and email blasts. When inserted into a notification or email, the template key that's used pulls information from the site and inserts it into that field of the message. For example—if your template key says First Name—it automatically replaces it with the recipient's first name. Template keys are recognizable by the double curly brackets on either side. Note: The text within the brackets of a template key should not be edited by anyone other than a Galaxy Digital programmer. |
| Text Editor | Opportunities and Programs have description fields that include a text editor for customizing the content you create. Click here for information about using the text editor on your site. |
| Text Field (Question Type) | A question type, or answer option, for custom questions. This allows the person answering the question to type text into a box. A small text field shows up as a small rectangular box with the instructional text inside it; a large text field shows up as a larger box with the instructional text to the left of it. |
U | |
| User | Individuals who have an account on a Get Connected site. Users include volunteers and Program Facilitators. Note: Users only have access to the front end of the site—i.e., where they can respond to Opportunities, manage their user account, submit hours, view Programs, etc. They can't access the Site Manager dashboard. |
| User Group | A user group is a tool for grouping volunteers under a single "umbrella" so that volunteers and organizations can (1) measure engagement for multiple people who are volunteering on behalf of their larger group, and (2) engage in community initiatives as a group. You or another Site Manager creates and manages user groups, and can also designate a user group leader. |
| User Profile | An area on your site where a user can store and update their profile information, including their name, address, photo, availability, etc. |
| User Registration | A user registers on a site by entering, at minimum, their first name, last name, and email address. You can add additional registration questions and also set up which registration steps show up in the registration process. |
| Utility Bar | The black bar at the top of a Get Connected site page. This bar can include options to add hours, check in-app messages, view a calendar of upcoming Opportunities, and view or update the user profile. |
V | |
| Volunteer Dashboard | This is where the volunteer is taken when they log in. This page includes a volunteer snapshot, suggested Opportunities (based on user skills), Programs, spotlights, and other useful items. |
| Volunteer Resume | A PDF showing a volunteer's past volunteer activity for a specified date range. |
| Volunteer Self Check-in | A feature that allows a volunteer to check in for an Opportunity and have their hours logged automatically. With self-check-in, the volunteer checks in on their device. The hours follow the approval rules of the site. |
W | |
| Waiver | You or another Site Manager can create waiver Prerequisites on your site. Users must review and sign a waiver to move forward with an Opportunity response. You can set up the waiver to be automatically approved or manually reviewed and approved. Click here for more information. |
| Waitlist | A waitlist is a list of volunteers who have shown interest in an Opportunity that's full. If a spot opens up, a waitlisted volunteer can fill that spot. |
| "What We Do" | This is a field on the Create Program form where you can share the Program's mission and services. It's also where you can share how the Program and volunteers contribute to the organization and community. |
| "Who We Are" | This is a field on the Create Program form where you can share the history and backstory of the Program. |
X | |
Y | |
Z | |