Volunteer

What are your interests? Do you have class requirements to fulfill?

1. Go to UGetConnected
2. Click "Student/Employee Login"
3. Sign in with your UWL NetID and password.
   1. Enter your username (do not include @uwlax.edu) and corresponding password.
4. Create a profile.
   1. After logging in, you will be asked to select at least three causes and three interests. These are used to match volunteers to agencies.
   2. Based on the causes and interests that you have chosen, agencies will be suggested for you to “Fan.”
5. Search for and respond to volunteer needs.
6. Track your hours and build your resume! Checkout the Track Hours tab for more information. 

Excited about volunteerism? Require service in your courses?

We encourage you to send students to this site anytime the subject of service and volunteerism comes up within your conversations with students. If you require service hours as part of your class requirements, you will find value in being able to send students to this one-stop shop.

Create your own personal profile:

1. Go to UGetConnected.
2. Click "Student/Employee Login"
3. Sign in with your UWL NetID and password.
4. Create a profile.
5. Search for and respond to volunteer needs.
6. Track your hours and give back to your community!

Volunteering with a Student Organization

UGetConnected is a great way for Student Organizations to find volunteer opportunities and connect with non-profit agencies. 

• Individuals are encouraged to log their hours on UGetConnected.
• Individuals can log volunteer hours if completed as part of a student organization community service project. For example, participating in Operation RiverWatch (where the organization receives financial compensation for the organization). 

If your Student Organization is interested in having a User Group to track members' volunteer hours, please complete the form on MyOrgs or contact the Leadership and Involvement Center at LIC@uwlax.edu 

If your Student Organization is interested in volunteering for Operation RiverWatch, please contact The COVE, thecove@uwlax.edu 

Tracking Hours on UGetConnected

Starting August 30, 2024

Volunteering encompasses a diverse array of activities that individuals choose to participate in willingly, with the primary goal of benefiting the community at large. Monetary compensation is not the primary incentive for engaging in these activities.  

At UWL, students, faculty, and staff use UGetConnected to find volunteer opportunities and track hours. Belows are guidelines for tracking hours outside of needs posted on UGetConnected.  

Community Service Hours Guidelines: 

• As a volunteer, you help the community beyond UWL. We ask volunteers to not track hours on UGetConnected that focus on promoting a student organization and/or department/office, tutoring UWL students or serving as a TA, or assisting with UWL events that do not benefit the larger La Crosse Community.  

• Volunteers do not get paid for their work. Volunteerism means giving your time and effort for free to help in the community or assist a nonprofit organization. Sometimes, volunteers may receive a small stipend, like $100 for being on a nonprofit board for 2 years, but this stipend should not be the same as getting a regular wage or salary.  

• If you receive a stipend or are volunteering for a class requirement, please check those boxes when submitting your hours on UGetConnected.  

How to Track Volunteer Hours

• From the user dropdown menu, select track hours.
• At the top of this webpage, you can view hours
  that have been tracked by date and export the
  hours in an Excel spreadsheet.
• At the bottom of the webpage, you can log hours.
• Specify whether the hours are from a need you
  responded to- if so, specify the need.
• Record the date of the volunteer work, hours
  worked, and miles traveled. (There is also a space
  for notes if needed.)
• Logged hours from needs will be submitted to be
  verified by respective agencies

Searching for needs, events, and agencies

• To search for volunteer opportunities (“needs”), events, and agencies, refer to the corresponding tab on the left side of the dashboard screen.
• Filtering tools are used to filter the results of needs, events, and agencies

Responding to needs

• Once a need is found, click the “RESPOND” button at the top right corner of the need webpage.
• The “Need Response” webpage will open. From here, you can specify the hours you are available and provide additional information such as company affiliation and address.

Access Volunteer Resume

• Volunteer resumes provide you with a summary of hours worked, number of responses, interests responded to and impact value.
• To access the volunteer resume, go to “View Profile” in the user dropdown menu.
• On the left side of the webpage, click “VOLUNTEER RESUME.” The resume will begin downloading as a PDF file.

Contact the Ugetconnected Team

• If you have any questions regarding the Ugetconnected site, contact the site manager at volunteer@uwlax.edu.