This article is geared toward site managers whose sites use the Galaxy Link.

What is the Galaxy Link?

Galaxy Link is a new technology that enables two or more Connect platforms to share data with each other. Platforms can choose to share (or not share) the following types of data:

  • Content: agencies, needs, initiatives, events, advanced-event needs, and users
  • Response Content: agency fans, event RSVPS, and need responses
  • Reporting Data: information that shows up only in the Reports area

The Galaxy Link can be used for a variety of sharing relationships, including:

  • A state site and local sites with in the state
  • A volunteer center and various local nonprofits
  • A United Way and local corporations
  • A volunteer center and local campuses

As long as both parties have Connect software, and as long as both parties agree about the nature of the sharing relationship, they can share information so that volunteers have a variety of opportunities and events that are catered to their needs and preferred causes.

This article focuses on the agency managers' perspective of a site that uses the Galaxy Link.

Data Sharing: The Agency Manager Perspective

An agency's needs, events, and profile can "flow" from the originating site to other sites, so long as:

  • a Galaxy Link is in place, and
  • a site manager does not opt to block the data from being displayed on a remote site.

Once an agency, need, or event publicly displayed on a remote site, any remote user can respond to it. Below are the things an agency manager can and cannot do regarding remote responses and hours submitted for their agency's needs.

Viewing and Editing Need Responses from Another Site

As an agency manager, you can view and edit need responses from another site, as long as they are responses to a need that your agency has posted. All remote responses appear with a blue background. The example below is from the Needs section of the agency management areas, where the agency manager has clicked Responses under the need title:

In this example, Analisa Loo and Steve Johnson responded from the agency's home site, while Jacob Whitener and Andrea Allen responded from a different site. Note that, as an agency manger, you can delete any response (including remote responses), and you can add hours for any volunteer who has responded to a need that your agency has posted. Both of these options are available under the Options column header.

Agency managers can also view remote need responses in their Stats area, also with a blue background.

Volunteer Hours

An agency manager can delete, approve, or decline any hours submitted for their agency’s needs, regardless of where the need response originated. An agency manager can also add hours on behalf of any volunteer who has responded to a need, regardless of where the response originated. In other words, if a remote user responds to a local need, that local agency manager can add hours on behalf of the remote user.

Viewing and Approving Submitted Volunteer Hours

Your Time Tracking area lists all pending volunteer hours. This area does not specify whether the user responded from your home site or another site. Approve or deny hours by selecting the applicable action from the Status dropdown.

Approved hours appear in your Stats table, but the source of the hours (your main site or the remote site) is not shown.

Adding Needs to Initiatives

If another site has shared its initiatives with your site and you have permission, you can add your agency's needs to another site's initiative. In the Initiative dropdown for your need, you will be able to see which listed initiatives are from your site, and which have been shared by another site.

In this example, you can see that some initiatives originate on the CC Volunteer Network while others originate on The Community Hub. The agency manager is able to select an initiative from either list.