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Build Your Skills Catalog

Goal: Maintain a list of the skills volunteers can hold so you can match the right people to the right slots and confirm — or contradict — claimed expertise where it matters.

Why a catalog matters​

A skill is a qualification a volunteer either claims on their profile or doesn't. Staff can confirm or contradict that claim, but the claim itself is what drives eligibility. Skills serve two purposes in Ayuna:

  1. Matching — coordinators can search for volunteers with a skill when filling a hard-to-staff event.
  2. Slot eligibility — an event slot can require a skill (e.g., "licensed electrician"). Volunteers who haven't claimed the skill — or whose claim has been contradicted by staff — won't be able to register for that slot.

What belongs in the catalog​

Add skills that materially affect what a volunteer can be assigned to:

  • Trades and certifications (electrical, plumbing, HVAC, OSHA-10)
  • Equipment qualifications (forklift, scissor lift, power tools)
  • Soft skills you actually staff to (Spanish-language, ASL, food handling)
  • Roles that imply training (crew leader, safety officer)

Skip generic descriptors ("hard worker", "team player") — they don't drive matching or eligibility.

Claimed, verified, and contradicted​

A volunteer self-reports skills on their profile. A claimed skill is enough to register for a slot that requires it — verification is not a prerequisite. Staff can take two actions on a claim:

  • Verify — an authorized coordinator confirms the volunteer holds the skill. This is recorded with the verifier's identity and date and is visible on the profile, but it does not change what the volunteer is allowed to register for.
  • Contradict — staff records that the volunteer does not hold the skill. A contradiction blocks the volunteer from registering for any slot that requires it. The volunteer sees a generic "you don't meet the requirements" message, not the contradiction itself.

In short: a claim opens the door, a contradiction closes it, and a verification is recordkeeping. See Verify Skills for the staff workflow.

Maintenance​

  • Periodically review which skills have never been used. They're noise on the volunteer signup experience.