Helper HelperClient Support

Implementation Guide

Everything you need to get your program live — five setup steps that apply to every client, plus the advanced features, day-to-day tasks, and reference material behind them.

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Use this alongside your onboarding call

Review it before, during, or after your training session. Book a time that suits you and a Client Success Manager will walk through setup with you — nothing here replaces that conversation.

eventBook your training

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Before anything else

Sign in to your admin account

Administrators work in the web admin panel, not the volunteer app. Go to admin.helperhelper.com — or visit helperhelper.com and click Sign In — then sign in with the temporary password we emailed you. Your username is your email address. You will be asked to set your own password the first time you sign in.

Step 1 of your rollout

Getting Started

Once you are signed in, these five steps come next, in order. Every client does them — a small nonprofit and a 40-school district follow the same path.

1

Add an Organization

An Organization is the community partner you volunteer with — the food bank, the animal shelter, the elementary school hosting your tutors. Opportunities are always attached to one.

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This is not your own internal structure. Your schools, departments, grade levels, and clubs are set up as Branches & Teams instead.

The Add Organization dialog in the Helper Helper admin panel, filled in for Habitat for Humanity with a coordinator name, email, and phone number.
Organizations → Add an Organization. Organization Name and Category are required. Filling in the Coordinator Email is what lets you send that contact a two-click attendance confirmation later, so add it now if you have it. Tap the image to view it full size.
2

Create an Opportunity

Post the event volunteers sign up for: date, time slots, capacity, location, and category. Add a featured image or a waiver PDF so volunteers know what to expect before they commit.

The Add Opportunity screen showing a House Build event for Habitat for Humanity with three one-hour time slots, alongside live app previews of the opportunity listing and details screens.
The app previews on the right update as you type — you can see exactly what volunteers will see before you save. Add time slots one at a time, or use Add Multiple Recurring Dates for a weekly commitment. Tap the image to view it full size.
3

Upload Volunteer Roster

Four columns is all we need: Email, First Name, Last Name, Team. Start from the template below so there is no guessing about format.

table_viewDownload the roster templateExcel workbook with the four required columns: Email, First Name, Last Name, Teamdownload

Email First Name Last Name Team (optional)
jane.doe@yourschool.org Jane Doe Class of 2027
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Leave Team blank if you are not using Teams yet — you can add them later. Nonprofits who let volunteers register themselves can skip the roster entirely and use Volunteer Profiles instead.

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Next year, upload the full roster again. Uploading your complete current roster adds every new volunteer and inactivates anyone who has left, in one pass — you do not need to remove people by hand.

4

Customize Mobile App

Add your logo, set your colors, and choose what volunteers see when they open the app. Your program should look like your program on day one.

The Customize Mobile Apps screen in the admin panel, showing Branding controls for institution color, logo, sidebar background image, error color and focus color, a reorderable Home Screen item list, and a live phone preview of the volunteer app.
Institution Settings → Customize Mobile Apps. Set your institution color and logo, plus a sidebar background image at 640 × 1600 px, under 500 kb. Reorder or delete Home Screen items to control what volunteers land on. The App Preview on the right updates as you go — no need to publish to see your changes. Tap the image to view it full size.
5

Invite Volunteers to Participate

This is the step people worry about, and it is the simplest one. Once your opportunities exist, you invite volunteers by email straight from the roster you uploaded. Helper Helper does the rest.

What every volunteer receives

The Invite Volunteers to Helper Helper dialog, showing the editable from-name, subject line, and message body with mail-merge tags for first name, email, and temporary password.
The invitation comes pre-written — edit the from-name, subject, and body if you want it in your own voice. The tags [First Name], [Email], and [Password] fill in per volunteer. Invitations cannot be revoked once sent, so proofread before you confirm. Tap the image to view it full size.
devicesThree ways to use itiOS, Android, or any browser — download links are in the email
keyCredentials includedEmail address and a temporary password, merged in automatically
sendSent for youOne click from your roster — no mail merge on your end
timerSend limitsOne invite per volunteer every four hours, two per 48 hours
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Using single sign-on? Volunteers skip the username and password entirely and log in with the school or work credentials they already have. See SSO integration

Also set your verification settings here

Decide how attendance gets confirmed — QR check-in, coordinator check-in links, or a signature at the event. High schools: this is also where you enable students to self-report outside events, which are then sent to the nonprofit’s email for approval before the hours count.

Some clients, not all

Advanced Setup

These four features depend on how your program is shaped. They are documented here so you know what exists — your Client Success Manager configures them with you.

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Branches & Teams

Who uses it: multi-site clients — school districts, athletic departments, universities with many colleges.

A Branch is one school or site. Each branch can have its own timezone and its own Branch Admin, who manages everything underneath it. Teams are sub-groups inside a branch — grade levels, clubs, sports, cohorts.

The Team Ranking screen in the Helper Helper app, listing teams such as NHS, Animal Shelter, Lead, RTA, Key Club and several athletic teams ranked by impact score since January 1, 2026.
Once Teams exist, volunteers see a Team Ranking in the app — sortable by hours or impact. This is what turns grade levels, clubs, and sports into friendly competition.
support_agentBest set up with a Client Success Manager — book a training session.
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Volunteer Profiles

Who uses it: primarily nonprofits, and anyone who isn’t uploading a pre-built roster.

Collect the information you need at the moment a volunteer registers themselves — birthday, signed waiver, skills, shirt size, or any custom question you want to ask.

The Volunteer Profile screen in the Helper Helper app, showing a participation waiver with an electronic signature field, today's date, background check completed, and concussion training fields.
Waivers, electronic signatures, and clearance dates, collected in the app.
support_agentBest set up with a Client Success Manager — book a training session.
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Surveys

Who uses it: service-learning programs and anyone who needs reflections or pre-event information.

Attach custom questions to a specific event or opportunity. You control whether they appear before the event, after it, or both.

A reflection survey on the Commitment Details screen in the app, asking what the volunteer learned, a standout moment, how many people they assisted, a recommendation rating, and a photo attachment.
A post-event reflection attached to a commitment — your questions, your wording.
support_agentBest set up with a Client Success Manager — book a training session.
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Goals

Who uses it: programs with a requirement — NHS chapters, Silver Cord, athletic service targets.

Set hour or participation targets for a group or an individual. Progress updates the moment service is approved, on the admin side and in every volunteer’s app.

The Goal Requirements screen in the app showing a Service Goal with Bronze at 10 hours, Silver at 20 hours, and Gold requiring 40 hours of service plus attendance at two meetings, with live progress.
Tiered goals as a volunteer sees them — Gold can require hours and attendance.
support_agentBest set up with a Client Success Manager — book a training session.
After you are live

Ongoing Management

Short walkthroughs for the tasks that come up once your program is running.

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Read your Reports

Your dashboard updates as hours are validated — check it before board meetings, annual reports, and budget season.

The Reports Overview dashboard showing total hours validated, economic impact, a completion gauge, commitments attended, hours and volunteers by month, quick links, top organizations, an opportunities versus volunteer-added commitments comparison, and a categories-by-hours donut chart with a full category breakdown.
Reports → Overview. Tabs across the top break the same data down by Teams, Volunteers, Opportunities, and Organizations. Economic Impact converts validated hours into a dollar figure — the number most often quoted to boards and funders. Use Saved Reports to re-download a report you built earlier, or the Volunteer Champions and Outside Volunteering reports for recognition and self-reported service. Tap the image to view it full size.
Reference

Resources

Every tutorial, PDF, poster, and feature page in one place.

Still have a question?

Our Client Success team answers the same day — no chatbots, no ticket queues. Bring your setup questions to your training session, or email us any time.

kristaImplementation Guide