When you post an opportunity on Goodsted, the first thing you'll choose is the type of opportunity. The type tells volunteers and members of the community what kind of involvement you're looking for, and it shapes the fields you'll fill in next. This article walks through the types available and how to decide which one fits.
Requests and Offers
Every opportunity on the platform is either a Request or an Offer:
Request - you're asking the community for support, time, skills or resources.
Offer - you're offering something to the community, such as a learning session or a chance to grow skills.
The opportunity types
Depending on your app's configuration, you'll see some or all of the following types when you open the Post Opportunity form:
Volunteering - get support from the community to complete specific tasks or activities. This is a Request: you're asking volunteers to lend their time and skills.
Learning - grow knowledge, skills or confidence, or help others do the same. This is an Offer: you're sharing a learning experience with the community.
Funding - seek funding or resources to support your initiative, and track what's pledged and donated against a target. (Funding was previously called "Sponsorship" - you may still see references to the old name in some places.)
In-kind donation (coming soon) - request physical items, equipment, services or space from your stakeholder network, rather than money or volunteer time. Like Volunteering and Funding, it's a Request, and it will have four sub-types: Materials, Equipment, Space and Service.
📝 Note: Not every app shows every type. The types you see depend on your app's settings, so if a type isn't available to you it has simply been switched off for your community. In-kind donation is coming soon and will be off by default until your team enables it.
Which type should I choose?
Choose Volunteering when you need people to help deliver a piece of work - for example, mentoring, an event, or a one-off task.
Choose Learning when you're running a workshop, training session or talk that others can take part in to build skills.
Choose Funding when you need money or resources and want to track contributions toward a goal.
Choose In-kind donation (coming soon) when you need goods, equipment, a service or use of a space - for example laptops for a digital skills programme, repairs, or venue hire.
What's next
👉 Ready to post? See How to post a volunteering opportunity, How to post a learning opportunity, or How to post and track a funding opportunity for step-by-step guides for each type.
💬 Need more help? Contact us anytime at support@goodsted.com - we're happy to assist!