Sending a one-to-one message

A one-to-one message is a private conversation between you and another volunteer — like a small private email thread.

Step 1 — Open their profile

Click the other person's name anywhere you see it — on a post, in a member list, in a search result.

Step 2 — Click Send Message

Near the top of their profile is a Send Message button. Click it. A small "Message {their name}" window pops open on top of their profile.

Step 3 — Type your message

Type what you want to say in the text box. You have up to 2,000 characters. The pop-up is a plain text box — no formatting, attachments, or @-mentions here. (For those, open the full conversation from your inbox after sending.)

Step 4 — Press Send

Click the Send button at the bottom of the pop-up. You'll see "Message sent successfully!" and the window closes itself after a couple of seconds. The conversation is now in both of your inboxes.

We also email the other person so they don't miss it (unless they've turned off new-message emails in their notification settings).

You don't need to be connected first

The Send Message button is shown on everyone's profile, even if you haven't connected. Connect is a separate chip next to it for sending a connection request, but you can message without ever connecting.

Keeping it friendly

A short, friendly first message goes a long way. "Hi — I noticed we're both in the Halifax group, looking forward to meeting you" works well.