This article applies to all Connect site administrators.
Spotlights are way of drawing attention to specific events, links, announcements, or any other elements that you'd like to have stand out for people visiting your Get Connected platform.
This article covers the following topics:
- how spotlights appear to your site visitors
- the parts of a spotlight
- how to access your spotlights management area
- how to create and edit spotlights, including how to change a spotlight's position on the page
- options for removing a spotlight
To view our video on spotlights, click here.
Appearance
How your site's spotlights look will vary depending on the user (logged in or not logged in?) and the medium (desktop or mobile?). This article focuses on the desktop views for both types of users.
While you can have as many spotlights as you want, only three can show up as "banners" on your site. You can select which three are displayed as banners. You can also specify which spotlights should be included in the side navigation menu. There is no limit to how many spotlights you can include in the side navigation menu.
User is Not Logged In
Here is an example of what your first three spotlights might look like for the volunteer who is not logged into your site:
User is Logged In: Dashboard
Here is what spotlights look to a volunteer who is logged in:
User is Logged In: Side Navigation
While only the top three spotlights can appear as banners, all of your spotlights can be displayed in the side navigation menu. Spotlights in this menu are accessible from any page of your Connect platform (and not just the Dashboard.)
Anatomy of a Spotlight
To understand the parts of a spotlight (parts that you, as an admin, will be able to control), let's begin by looking at a sample spotlight.
The spotlight includes the following elements:
- An icon - In this case, an image of an open book is displayed.
- A title ("Read to Succeed!") and a sub-title ("Make a difference in local schools!")
- The link text ("Click here to help") that, when clicked, takes the user to a selected URL.
- Unique background and text colors
As a Connect site manager, you have options regarding a spotlight's appearance and text:
- The number of spotlights to use
- The colors of each spotlight that is to be displayed
- The text each spotlight should include
- Whether the spotlight should link to another page or site
- Where the spotlight appears on the page--if it is to appear as a banner, a navigation menu item, or both
- If linked, which URL to use
Begin by accessing your spotlights management area.
Accessing Your Spotlights Management Area
Your spotlights management area is accessed by clicking Spotlights in the Settings dropdown of your site manager panel.
The Manage Spotlights table displays any spotlights that already exist on your site.
The table shows:
- The title of the spotlight
- Whether or not the spotlight is active (Inactive spotlights are not displayed on your site.)
- Whether or not the spotlight appears in the navigation menu
In addition, you can use the Options column of the table to change the order of the spotlights and delete spotlights.
Creating or Editing a Spotlight
To create a new spotlight, click the Add Spotlight button. To edit an existing spotlight, click on the spotlight title. Once you have completed the Edit Spotlight form, click Submit Spotlight to save your changes. Once you've added a new spotlight, it will appear in the bottom row of the Manage Spotlights table. To have it displayed as a banner on the volunteer dashboard, you may need to move it to one of the top three rows.
Note: To clear all the fields on a spotlight, click the Clear Spotlight button at the top of the page. Do not try to "hide" a spotlight by simply clearing all of the fields. See Removing a Spotlight for instructions on hiding a spotlight.
Listed below are the fields that appear on the Edit Spotlight page you'll use for creating and editing spotlights.
| Active | Turn the spotlight ON if it is current and can be displayed on your site. Note: Turning a spotlight ON will ensure that it's visible in the volunteer view only if it's one of the top three spotlights. If it is not one of the top three, you'll need to add it to the navigation menu. |
| Icon | Click Pick an icon to view the available spotlight icons, and select the one you want. If you don't select an icon, no icon will be displayed. |
| Color | Enter or select a color code for the spotlight banner. This selection will apply only for the top three spotlights. For more information on color codes, click here. |
| Text Color | Select a color (black or white) for the text and icon to be displayed. This selection will apply only for the top three spotlights. |
| Title | Type the spotlight title. |
| Sub-Title | Type the spotlight sub-title. |
| Target URL | If the spotlight is to link to a certain page or site, enter the URL for that page or site. |
| Link Text | Type an action word or term (such "Go," "Click," "Click here," or "Check it out" that shows the user where they should click to access the target URL. |
| Show in Navigation | Select Show in Navigation to have the link be available from the navigation menu. If a spotlight is not in the top three, you will need to select this option if it is to be visible to the volunteer. |
| Navigation Title | Type the text that should appear in the navigation menu for this spotlight. |
Changing a Spotlight's Position
To change a spotlight's position, click the up and down arrows in the Options column of the Manage Spotlights table.
In this example, the site manager is about to move "Youth Volunteer Corps" to the third row of the table. This will move "Frequently Asked Questions" to the fourth row.
Note: This change will cause "Youth Volunteer Corps" to be one of the top three spotlights. As a result, it will now be displayed as a banner on the volunteer dashboard. When moving a spotlight to one of the top three spots, make sure you've specified the banner and text colors.
Removing a Spotlight
If you no longer want a spotlight to be displayed, you have a couple of options for removing it:
- You can deactivate the spotlight. This is recommended if you plan on using the spotlight again--for example, you may have a "Summer Volunteer Opportunities" that you activate each June and deactivate each September.
- You can delete the spotlight. Once you've deleted a spotlight, it cannot be recovered.
Deactivating a Spotlight
To deactivate a spotlight:
- From your site manager panel, go to Settings > Spotlights.
- From the Manage Spotlights table, click on the spotlight to remove.
- Toggle the Active switch to OFF.
Once you've clicked the switched to OFF, the spotlight fields are hidden.
- Click Submit Spotlight.
The deactivated spotlight will show up as inactive in the Manage Spotlights table.
Note: The top three active spotlights in the table appear as banners on the volunteer dashboard. If you deactivate one of the top three, the next active spotlight in the table will be "bumped up" to appear as a banner.
You can reactivate a spotlight at any time by clicking on the title, toggling the Active switch back to ON, and clicking Submit Spotlight.
Deleting a Spotlight
To delete a spotlight:
- From your site manager panel, go to Settings > Spotlights. This opens the Manage Spotlights page.
- Click the X in the Options column for the spotlight you want to delete.
- Click Yes to confirm the deletion.
Once a spotlight has been deleted, it cannot be restored.