Plus Edition MSP users can create custom fields to track any volunteer information that does not fit into MSP’s preformatted fields. Once you create custom fields using the “Edit Custom Fields…” button in any volunteer’s profile, you can add the fields to enrollment forms that prospective volunteers fill out, allow volunteers to update them through their profiles online, use them to filter volunteer lists, send emails to volunteers that meet certain custom field criteria, and more.

A video tutorial for this topic is also available.

Follow these steps to configure custom fields:

  1. Click on “Create a new field… “.
  2. In the new dialog that opens, name the field you are creating and give the field a Label (which is the name volunteers will see when filling out the field online).
  3. You can then select the type of field you are creating. Available field types include:
  • Text: This field type is a free-form text box into which volunteers can type. You can specify a maximum length of their input, size of the text box, and more.
  • Number: This field type is a text box that accepts number inputs from volunteers. You can control which values are accepted and what should be the default value.
  • Date: This field type allows volunteers to select a date from a calendar. You can limit which values are accepted and specify a default value
  • Checkbox: This field type is a simple checkbox. You can choose whether or not it is checked by default.
  • List of options: This field is a list of options created by the administrator. Volunteers can choose one or multiple options.

Once your field is added, you will see it in the Fields palette on the right hand side of the window, and in the main custom fields section of each volunteers’ profile.

To edit the settings of an existing field, click the gear icon in the upper right corner of the “Edit Custom Fields” dialog, select the field you wish to edit, and click “Edit…”.