Version 2.18.2

Public release date: Apr 6, 2020

Intro to the Enhancements

In this release, we focused on teams and user groups, which are widely used by all segments of our clients. Our focus was on making teams work the way site managers want them to work so that they could be even more effective at their jobs when using our software.

Additionally, we have added some helpful elements to the Calendar view for both volunteers and Site Managers.

The Team feature has been reorganized

The infrastructure for teams has been reorganized. Here are a few of the highlights you need to know about.

Volunteers have a new workflow for team creation

We created a new workflow for volunteers and managers to follow to create teams. This process is a more obvious user experience than the previous workflow, which had questions that didn’t immediately make sense and features that were out of place on the page. We have more of a step by step process now that more closely follows peoples’ intuitive expectations. The workflow also includes a number of improvements such as a way to see if your team will fit the available shifts.

Volunteers can reuse their teams

Volunteers can keep a roster for teams they have created, and track the responses and hours for those teams over time. Previously, the feature for cloning teams was challenging. So we dropped the clone feature and replaced it with a way to "reuse" a previous team. Now team leaders and members can grab a roster of people they volunteered with previously and easily volunteer together again. We'll track that team as an entity over time with reports and resumes, as well as allow team leaders to manage certain aspects of the team and the team’s responses.

New teams features on the back end for Site Managers

Because teams can persist over time, site managers need new tools for working with teams. From the site manager view, a team will exist as a single entity with a roster and a history of team responses. Site managers are now able to

  • See details about the team overall
  • See details about the individual responses submitted by a team
  • Perform maintenance on teams
  • Review and edit responses and hours
  • Drill down to details about specific shifts

Site managers will also have the ability to create teams using the same improved workflow that volunteers use.

Site Managers can create anonymous teams

Site managers can create anonymous teams more easily. The feature is baked into the new workflow, so managers only have to learn one mechanism. It will significantly improve use of the software when a corporate partner tells the site manager that they are bringing a number of people but are unable or unwilling to say who those individual volunteers may be. Site Managers will be able to simply create a team and add reserved slots.

Volunteer “My Teams” page changes

There are a few things in this build that don't quite rise to the level of the other items listed above, but they smooth the edges of what used to be a tough process to navigate. 

  • The volunteers' "My Teams" area has been updated to show teams over time and responses to shifts
  • Team resumes have been updated to show specific and historical information.

All sites now have user group leaders

This is a significant change to the power site managers can delegate to others. By giving leadership status to a user group member, site managers can allow the UG leader to 

  • report on the UG, 
  • add and remove members, and 
  • quickly add members from their UG to teams they create. 

Our clients with SLM user groups are affected by this, too. Now they can designate leaders of the SLM user groups and the regular user groups on their site.

Calendar view for volunteers

Volunteers (and site managers) can now view needs and events in a calendar format in addition to a card, list, and map format. The calendar view will help volunteers clearly see when shifts take place, so they can better line up their availability. 

The filters available for needs can now be applied to that calendar view, making it even more powerful. And we added the need filters to the site managers' calendar view as well, so scheduling will be even easier.

A few other details have been added to the calendar view. Now a counter shows how many volunteer spots are available for a shift. And tabs at the top enable volunteers to quickly focus on the information they want.

Miscellaneous

Response tracked better on hours

We are tracking a response ID when users add hours, so that we can better track who showed up to shifts, and so that we can track team hours over time. It's not a splashy feature change, but it will pay dividends for reporting down the line.

Capacity search

Volunteers and site managers can now search by capacity. This means that a user with a team of 5 people can quickly find needs and shifts that will accommodate them. This also has implications for Get Connected Community clients who handle their users scheduling and frequently work with corporate partners.

Response and Initiatives Questions on Teams Form

A volunteer who is creating a team will be able to provide answers for all team members for Response Questions and Initiative Questions. This is especially helpful when a question is required for a team member to be part of a response.