Frequently Asked Questions

Voolla connects volunteers who have a service to donate with Customers who need a service performed, with the proceeds benefiting charity. 

Volunteers create profiles to showcase the type of services they can offer. Their profiles contain categorized descriptions of the services offered by the Volunteer and the approximate price or value of the service. Customers can search Volunteer services using the categories or keywords supplied by the Volunteer. Customers may also post “Volunteer Wanted” ads describing the type of service they are interested in.

Voolla facilitates the transaction between the Customer and the Volunteer, called a “Service Request”, by allowing Customers to respond to Volunteer Profiles or Volunteers to reply to Help Wanted ads. We collect payment information from the Customer and distribute the funds to the selected charities. Once a transaction is complete, each party will have the opportunity to rate the other and provide feedback on their public profiles.

Anyone who is 18 years or older can be a Volunteer. Just think about what talents you have. Do you know how to skateboard? Do you know how to play piano? Are you a skilled plastic surgeon? Whether you are a highly trained professional or an amateur, you can donate your valuable expertise and time. When you create a profile, you will specify your level of experience and the rate you want to charge. 

Whether you are an individual who wants the money you spend for everyday services—like car repair, dry cleaning, haircuts, etc.-- to go to charity or you are a business that wants to hire a web firm and increase your charitable giving in the process – you can get the work done and make the world a better place.

The selection of what charity or charities receive a donation can be done in three different ways:

- All of the cost of the project goes to the charity of the Volunteer's choice 

- All of the cost of the project goes to the charity of the Customer's choice

- Half of the donation goes to the charity of the Volunteer's choice AND half goes to the charity of the Customer's choice

(Note: Voolla takes a 10% transaction fee to cover bank fees and our operational costs. Therefore, the amount that goes the the charities will be 90% if all to one or 45% each if the Volunteer and Customer decide to split the donation between two charities.) 

NOTHING! You can search profiles, set up a profile, search talent, etc. – for FREE! We do not charge any registration or membership fees. Our costs are covered by taking a percentage of the project fee which the Customer pays for the services provided by the Volunteer. This is the breakdown:

- 90% of the project fee goes to the charity or charities selected by the Volunteer/Customer

- 10% goes toward Voolla's operating expenses (we hope to decrease this as the site grows!)

The cost of using Voolla is already built in to the cost of any work you do on Voolla, so there are no hidden fees or extra overhead costs.

Yes. You register one main account and then you can post your skills to donate and hire people through your account. This way your time and your money are going to help charities!

Whether you want to be a Volunteer or a Customer, you must register a profile to communicate with others on the site. Once you have registered, you can communicate via our built in email tool.

Voolla will hold the project fee until both sides have confirmed that the work was completed successfully. Once we receive notice, we will send a donation to the designated charities within 30 days. You will receive confirmation that the funds were released for your records and the charity or charities will receive a donation on your behalf via Voolla.

The key to a great profile is utilizing all the available functionality – talk about your applicable experience, upload a picture, link to your web site or LinkedIn page, etc. Be sure to write an introductory paragraph and be honest about your experience. Also, be realistic in setting your price for your services. You want to be competitive!

People admire people who give back so be sure to brag about what you are doing! Promote your profile as much as you like; showcase it on your Facebook page, Tweet about it, send out emails -- let people know!

This is something you have to decide. For example, you may know how to snowboard but not be a professional. Wouldn’t it be cool to do what you love and raise money for a charity? You could post a profile stating your experience level and quote $15/hour for lessons. However, if you are Shawn White you could charge $10,000 for a day lesson. You decide what is fair and what people will be willing to pay. You can always go back into your Services and edit the pricing.

Absolutely! Customers post Volunteer Wanted Ads which you are welcome to search. In order to contact the Customer about the project, you must have an active profile.

You are not paid directly, but the charity of your choice will receive a donation on your behalf for the money you generate by donating your skills. 

There are two ways to get hired – you can post a profile for people/businesses to search and find you, and you can also search the Volunteer Wanted ads posted by Customers.

Once payment is received, you will receive a notice via email. If you are working on a larger project requiring multiple payments, you will receive notice each time a payment is received.

To make your decision, you can review various Volunteer profiles -- search our volunteer database using criteria like Category, Location, and review the feedback and ratings listed in the profiles. 

Hire a Volunteer by clicking "Request this Service" listed below the Service listed in the Volunteer's profile. 

If you are hiring Volunteers for projects requiring bids, of course you can! You can also ask multiple Volunteers to submit proposals. Do so by using our search or browse to find the right Volunteer or Volunteers and email them!

Once you have set up your account and profile, you can easily post a job on Voolla. Just select "Post a Volunteer Wanted Ad" from your dashboard view.

Pick the category that it most closely matches and be sure to mention the other category word/phrase in the job description as it will then come up in search results.

Definitely. We want you to feel comfortable working together, and we trust when you are ready to work together you will do so via Voolla.

Keeping your project on schedule and updating the other party is your responsibility. To ensure a successful project, we recommend discussing a timeline and completion date in advance of engaging in a project. Also, discuss upfront what you expect concerning communication and status updates. If you have concerns about progress or work quality, please contact Voolla immediately for assistance. 

Although we would love for you to do every project with clients through Voolla, we also want to help the community and bring people together. We appreciate whatever you can do to help charity and your career too!

If you are engaging in a project with sensitive content and proprietary information, it is your responsibility to ask the other party to sign the required documentation to protect yourself.

Voolla has a number of safeguards in place that put you in control, keep you safe and make sure you get great results:

- When you work through Voolla, all work is governed by the Engagement Agreement between Volunteer and Customer.

- Volunteer ratings and feedback are public records of client satisfaction. This allows you to review what other Customers have to say about a Volunteer you are considering before you hire them. Knowing that you will also have the opportunity to post your feedback publicly when the job is complete will likely inspire great performance.

- Voolla’s licensed escrow protects both parties by pre-funding the work and releasing payments only when milestones are met and results are approved by you. Voolla’s escrow is backed by Voolla Dispute Assistance in the event a job does not go as planned.

Once a project is initiated, you can stop the project by opening the proposal and selecting "Withdrawal." Voolla and the other party will be notified so any final details can be determined.

When you confirm a service request with a Volunteer, you will automatically receive a payment screen to pay for the project. A receipt will automatically be emailed to you.

If the engagment is less than $2500 it will need to be paid up front. However, Voolla keeps all funds in escrow until completion of any project. If you are dissatisfied for any reason, please contact us immediately to begin a dispute resolution.  

You can pay with Visa, MasterCard or American Express credit card through Voolla's secure system.

When your check arrives, it is deposited into Voolla's bank where it is placed on a three-day hold. After the three-day hold is lifted, the funds are credited to the intended account. If there is a delay, Voolla may not have received your check in the mail or the funds are still on hold. Please Contact Voolla for assistance.

The only cost associated with paying by check is a returned check fee. If your check does not clear, there is a fee of $35 that will be added to the amount due for the invoice or escrow. Voolla charges this fee to offset the fee charged by the bank.

Not yet! Currently Voolla only accepts payments in U.S. dollars (USD).

No. Only Voolla will maintain this information via secure systems.

You do not. The Volunteer is donating his/her time to Voolla.

We encourage Volunteers and Customers to leave feedback after each Engagement. Even though it's voluntary, leaving feedback builds trust and lets other members know about your experience. After you complete a project together you will be given the opporunity to leave feedback.

If you've received negative feedback, we recommend you contact your Volunteer/Customer and work together to resolve the issue. If you reach an agreement, you can Contact Voolla to have the feedback updated.

Certainly! We realize not all people want to use public channels to express their concerns. If you have a concern, please Contact Us.

We are here to help! Please complete this form specifying what you need help with, and we will reply to you within 48 hours. 

If you are not satisfied and your Volunteer cannot find a way to meet your expectations, your first step is to Contact Voolla with your concerns.

If you have a dispute with your project, contact Voolla immediately via the Contact Us form and select "Report Project Issue" in the form.

You can perform these account functions from your My Account page. 

• From the My Account page, select the "Change Username or Password" link.
• Follow the on-page instructions to update your information.

• From the My Account page, select the "Delete Account" link.        
• Confirm that you would like to delete your Voolla account. 

• From the My Account page, select the "Modify Account" link.
• Make the desired changes.        
• Click the "Submit" button.