Category: TeamKinetic Features Page 5 of 10

Steering Group Recap: 22/06/2021

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On 8th July 2021

In TeamKinetic Features

We’d like to thank everyone who joined the steering group session- it’s been really helpful to us to hear your comments and feedback on the areas we discussed. 

The group was able to talk through the main areas of our system answering polls we’d set up to get a basic feel of how you, as users, felt using our system and its features. We also got to listen to any ideas you had, which we could explore deeper into for the future. This process has been really insightful for us, and something we aim to complete multiple times a year: we’re here to help, so any and all feedback is welcome.

Based on some of the feedback, we’re starting the process of creating helpful ‘how to’ videos/blog posts on our features and how you can use them effectively, so keep an eye out for those, coming soon!

We’ll be recapping the poll questions and the responses from the Steering Group held on 22/06/2021 below. If you find that you’d like to make any comments regarding changes or new features to add- feel free to open up a support ticket on the system.

To start the session off we delved into the system regarding ‘Setup.’ We wanted to know if our system suited your needs for configuration and whether the training provided was everything you needed to be!

Poll 1: How did you find configuring your system to suit your needs?  We wanted to understand if there were any areas in particular that you struggled with, or that the settings were clear enough for you.  During the session, we found that sometimes our system updates or some things change slightly and you aren’t aware. This is something we should be letting you all know about, no matter how small it might be. We’ll be making sure everyone receives updates so you never miss a change. 

Poll 2: How did you find the training? The second question focused on the training we provide, and whether or not you felt that you could move forward using the system once training was completed. A number of those on the call gave feedback about having to give extra training themselves to their providers; we pride ourselves on giving you the best quality training, so incorporating more training aimed at providers is something we’ll be having discussions about.  

After setup we looked at ‘General.’ This was about the general use of the system and the type of language we use there.

Poll 3: How did you find the user interface? This poll focused on the running of the system, do you find that everything is where you thought it should be? We received feedback that some found the process hard and would like some more guidance, we have videos that can help you out with our system on our YouTube channel which you can have a look at over here. We are in the early stages of getting more of these videos out to all to explain some of the features that you may not know about so watch this space! 

Poll 4: Do you understand the language used on the system? Focusing on the way aspects of the system might be labelled, do you think that we’re being clear enough, or is there anything do you think we could change to be clearer? After discussions we found that the term ‘Flexible’ was confusing for some. We were given some suggestions such as ‘Long-Term’ or ‘On-going’ opportunities which we’ve taken onboard to talk about whether a change like this is needed. 

Poll 5: How did you find setting up your onboarding process? This single poll regarded whether or not you were able to understand how to use the setup settings to replicate your requirements for your onboarding process for your volunteers. Some have expressed that they have had recruitment processes with providers outside of us here at Team Kinetic: this again may link to our training sessions we currently hold, and focusing in on a more clearer way to show what providers can do is something we’re now looking to include. 

Next up we spoke about communications within the system.

Poll 6: How do you find communication with volunteers and providers? We wanted to grasp how you felt using the emailing system, and how easy and effectively you could email recipients. On the session, more customisation was an idea floated through- which makes sense, allowing you access to a wider range of fonts/colours/branding. It’s something that we’ll be looking into and seeing what the best routes are for getting these types of features into the system. 

Poll 7: Do you use notifications?  It is interesting for us to know whether you use the notifications and the news features. We have had talks about combining together news and notifications so this Steering Group was useful to know if that was something you might want. The terms news and notifications are similar but they do have differences, we found that some might not know these differences. In response, we’re getting a blog post written to show the differences and let you know how to use these features efficiently and effectively. 

Polls 8 & 9 were on the subject of ‘Users.’ We wanted to know:

 Poll 8: Should we allow admins to alter privilege of what a provider can do? This could mean that you can customise the elements that providers can and can’t do on the system. There was a suggestion of a possible phasing in of providers, so that they may be restricted at the beginning and grow into the system- this is something we’ll definitely explore in the future and other customisation options on privileging providers. 

Poll 9: Should we differentiate internal and external providers? Internal providers are those who work for you, so we would be differentiating between providers that work for you and providers who have come from other organisations. While on the discussion of providers, there was a suggestion of letting providers know when their opportunities are about to end, so that they can promote them if there are still available spaces for volunteers. It will be something we’ll spend time looking into if there is an effective way to do this! 

We followed this up with a question surrounding searching.

Poll 10: Is there any group of volunteers which you find it hard to identify? We wanted to understand whether or not our filters work, are they in the right place for you? and whether or not we were missing any filters that you feel are important. There were some mixed reactions to moving all of the filters into one list, with some in favour and others not. Despite the mix we will still have a look around, just to see if the system will be cleaner to navigate if filters are all on one list. 

We then moved onto ‘Logging Hours and Feedback.’

Poll 11: How do you find logging hours and feedback? We found that clients were struggling at times to get volunteers to log their hours; we suggest giving them an incentive to get them logging hours, this could be through our achievement badges or adding your own customisable ones! We currently have a blog post being written that goes into more detail about how you can get your volunteers logging hours. 

Poll 12: Should users be able to update or add new feedback on an opportunity? It was a nice discussion to have on whether this would be a beneficial feature, it’s something we have thought of before, so it was interesting to see how you would feel about it. We did get some suggestions for bulk feedback to become a feature. This sounds like something that would be beneficial to those who have a lot of volunteers that need hours and feedback logging, so we’ll have a talk with our developers to see if this is a feature we can add in future updates! 

From logging hours to Criminal Record Checks (CRC), we wanted to gather some more feedback when it comes to our system and CRCs.

 Poll 13: Would it be useful to allow admins to submit a DBS/PVG directly through the system? When we were discussing this on the group we concluded that this would be a way to save time and duplication for all parties, we’ll be looking more into this over the next few updates. 

Poll 14: Should we allow providers to add criminal checks to volunteers? How would this work? For this poll we wanted to understand whether or not allowing providers to do this was a feature that was wanted and if we would have to look at implementing something in order for that to work smoothly. As you can see by the poll the answers were a little mixed!  If this is something that you think might be beneficial- let us know. 

Carrying on with features, Polls 15&16 spoke about Creating/Managing Opportunities.

Poll 15: How do you find creating opportunities? We want to make it as clear and simple as possible for you to create an opportunity for your volunteers, so this question was to see if there was anything we could possibly add to aid that experience. Again the concept of ‘Flexible’ opportunities came up. To make sure that everyone can understand flexible and session based opportunities, and the differences between them, we’ll write up a blog post or explain on one of our YouTube videos so you can better understand them. 

Poll 16 broke this down a little further by asking: How do you find managing opportunities using the controls? From the polls you can see that those on the session found that managing opportunities easy. If you do find that there is anything that could be made clearer, then you can send us a support ticket on our system or get in touch through our email! 

We also wanted some feedback on Events and setting those up.

 Poll 17 asked: How do you find setting up an Event? We found that when we spoke in a little more detail,  some of you needed reminding on exactly how to do this, in response, we’re currently in the process of setting up some videos and blog posts on how to use our features effectively.  

Poll 18 & 19 focused on CSVs (Comma-Separated Values.) 

Poll 18: Does the use of CSV confuse anyone? We found during the session some weren’t aware of what CSV is or stands for, simply, CSVs are where you can download a spreadsheet text file of information from our system.

Poll 19 simply asks: Is there anything which you can’t currently download which you would like to? If you believe there’s something, please raise it on a support ticket and we’ll get onto exploring that for you. 

Poll 20 focused on our courses feature. Currently the course feature is just to promote any courses you may want to introduce your volunteers to. 

Poll 20: How do you find promoting courses? In the session an idea was to allow them to book onto those courses through the system and whether this was possible: It’ll be something we’ll have a look into for future updates.

Poll 21 homed in on the help here at TeamKinetic and how do you find accessing help on TeamKinetic? If you ever find yourself stuck somewhere on our system there are a number of ways to get help, you can open up a support ticket, click the help option along the top in the right corner.

Our polls then moved onto the super admin settings.

Poll 22: Do you understand the wording used in the super admin settings? The group found that it does take some time to remember where everything is, and under what heading, but it does become routine once they’ve been using the system frequently. We are on hand to support you, so if you do find you need some helping finding out where certain features are, and how to use them, have a look on our YouTube and blog pages, we should have the answers over there. 

Poll 23 expanded on this, asking: Do you find the way options are grouped together to be logical? This is essentially asking if you think everything is where it’s supposed to be. We found by the poll that most people thought our system was logical, which is good! We’d like to think everyone can move around the system easily and freely. 

Our final 2 polls were questions on referencing and references.

Poll 24: How do you find adding referencing? With this poll, we did get some feedback expressing the need for a preview option. This is something we will be having a look at and exploring as an option for the system. This would mean you would be able to see the referencing form beforehand to check everything is how you want it. 

The final poll of the session centred around providers setting up their own reference forms. Poll 25: Should providers be able to set up reference forms for themselves? Again this poll had a range of answers, so it may be something that we try and get some more wider opinions and information on before we take a look at getting this into the system. 

The Steering Group has helped us understand more about how you use our system and where we can start to build a clearer path towards the future. 

We once again want to thank everyone who attended and took part in the session. We’ve received some really good feedback and ideas about our system and its features which we can explore further.

TeamKinetic v2 – Roles

By

On 29th June 2021

In Application Features and Tutorials, TeamKinetic Features, Technical Updates

Roles are a brand new feature for version 2, they sit above opportunities and enable a prescribed on-boarding process for volunteers. Roles are a great feature for organisations that have regular opportunities that are undertaken under the same set of compliance, training, or on-boarding rules.

An opportunity can belong to one or no role and once a volunteer has successfully completed the steps for a role, they can subsequently join any opportunity that belongs to that role; the role authorisation is valid across any opportunity in that role.

Creating Roles

Creating role is only possible for super admins and is accessible via the super admin menu in the SETUP section.

Click the add button to create a new role. You’ll be presented with a split screen form with the role name and description on the left, and the default four stages on the right.

Start by filling in the role name and its description to help volunteers decide if they want to apply for the role.

When you are ready to start adding tasks to your stages click the add button. This will open up a sheet with the task name and notes for that task. Additionally you will see a checkbox labelled ‘Volunteer can complete’. If this box is checked then the applying volunteer will be able to mark this task as complete without any admin oversight. This is great if you just want to check a volunteer has read a document or get an auditable confirmation that some step has been carried out.

You do not have to add tasks to every stage, the tasks do not need to be completed in order, and a stage can have no tasks at all if you prefer to put all the tasks in one stage.

Once created you can edit, archive or restore a role and the setup page shows you a brief summary of the role and its current status. When editing a role you can add or remove tasks and update the role name and description. Be aware that adding tasks will not affect those volunteers that have already been accepted on the role.

Managing Role Applications

All admins can manage volunteer role applications and outstanding role applications will appear on the admin dashboard for attention.

Just hit the manage button and the full status and history of the application will be shown. This is a pretty comprehensive screen but super easy to use.

You can move the status of any task forwards or backwards, from pending to started and finally complete. You can add notes that other administrators can read and update the overall status of the role application to approve or deny.

We have the intermediate status of STARTED for a task so that if a task takes time to process for an admin, another admin doesn’t repeat any work whilst the first admin is completing the task.

Importantly all steps taken are logged and viewable in the application log window. You can see here when tasks were started, completed or reverted back a stage, when people left notes, or when a volunteer has completed a task.

A volunteer will see their role applications on their dashboard. By clicking the more details link they will get a full breakdown of the current role and from here will be able to complete any suitable tasks.

 

Adding a Role to an Opportunity

It’s a simple task to add a role to an opportunity. If any active roles exist, they will appear in a drop down when creating a new opportunity.

If you update an existing opportunity and add a role requirement it will only affect volunteers that join after that point; existing volunteers will not be affected.

TeamKinetic 2 Release Notes

By

On 27th May 2021

In Press Releases, TeamKinetic Features, Technical Updates

The 2021 Q2 major release for TeamKinetic is now approaching our beta test phase where we invite and encourage all our users to have a poke around!

It’s a full jump to Version 2 as we have totally updated the volunteer application with the latest .NET platform (admin and provider to come), have introduced some new features and done some major work to align the design and feel across the whole application. We’ve also got some brand new native apps for android and iOS that will be out a few weeks after the desktop release.

Here are some of the highlights for this major release milestone.

Volunteer Roles

Many of our larger customers, and those with greater governance requirements will get alot from this new feature. It’s a bit like super charged APPLY FIRST feature!

A role is a set of steps that must be completed before a volunteer is approved on an opportunity.  Super admins define the role, which is organised around four steps, each with as many (or no) tasks as you require. Each role has its own name, description, and a spot to add some information that is emailed to the volunteer when they first apply for a role.

Roles are applied to one or more opportunities, and once a volunteer has completed all steps on a role they can join any opportunity which requires that matching role, once they have satisfied any other pre-requisites to joining.

For example; if a volunteer joins a litter picking opportunity which has a role called ‘basic role’ then they will be required to jump through a number of onboarding steps as defined by the ROLE.  But once they have done this they can go onto join any other opportunity which is also linked to the ‘basic role steps’ and it will not require them to go through the steps again (as they have already completed those role steps).

Each task can be flagged as actionable by the volunteer or administrator, they can complete that task from their dashboard when they have satisfied the requirements.

Administrators are alerted when a volunteer joins an opportunity requiring a ROLE, they are alerted via the actions tab on their main landing page. 

The administrator can then monitor and record the volunteers progress through each of the steps within the ROLE, through to completion. 

Each role task can be started by an admin, then completed and a full history log is maintained and visible at all times.

An application can be approved once all the tasks have been completed, but there is no enforced order to task completion.

When a volunteer is approved on the ROLE they are emailed (custom emails available of course) and shown a list of corresponding opportunities that they are now eligible to join.

Additionally, if a opportunity has its own APPLY FIRST status and a role requirement, then once the volunteer is approved for the role they are automatically placed in the applicants queue for that opportunity, they wont have to do anything else.

New Scheduling Features

We’ve added a brand new feature for adding volunteers to sessions. You can now select any number of volunteers and add or remove them from any number of sessions in one hit!

You can select from the current joined volunteer list, or search for new volunteers.

It’s super simple but much quicker than moving them individually (still available).

We’ve also re-designed our day schedule report so it’s much easier to see what is going on day by day.

You can still view any period and restrict it to certain opportunities or events, but now you’ll see every day in that period in a calendar like display.

You get the day, all the opps that have sessions on that day, how full the session is (full sessions are highlighted) and can click  through to view a list of volunteers on that session.

You’ll be able to see empty days and poorly subscribed sessions really easily, then click through and start adding volunteers using the new multi-add feature we just introduced!

Re-Designed Applicants Dashboard

Applicants are now clearly divided into new, successful, and denied. You can instantly approve or deny a new applicant and then revert that decision and mark them as newly approved. This was something that proved popular in the roadmap voting.

The on-screen messaging and alerts have been improved and standardised so you’ll always know what’s happening.

Modern Front Page

Although our existing front page allows for a lot of customisation, many of our customers have been asking for a simpler cleaner look to their front page.

So we’ve have added a new modern layout that will be the default for all new customers. It’s got much simpler settings, just a single image and a message box, to worry about, looks great on all screen sizes, and gets right to the point so volunteers can login and register quickly.

Multiple Provider Accounts

This is a useful little feature for when there are multiple individuals at an organisation that all need to login as providers as manage their opportunities, but dont want to share login details.

Providers can now create and manage their own user list without any intervention required from the admins or super admins. Just add a name, email address and password and they can go ahead and login.

Multiple Meetings and New Meeting Features

Previously a volunteer could only have one active meeting at a time, now you can book and manage as many meetings as you like for volunteers.

 

Additionally we have added the ability to specify if the meeting is to be virtual, and if so, to add the link to the virtual meeting, or if not the location of a face to face meeting. You can also add a custom message which gets sent along with the normal custom email for new meetings, so you can let them know any extra information they need.

We’ve also tidied up the induction section of a volunteer manage dashboard and added the meeting details there. From here you get a link back to manage meetings and can also add a new meeting for the volunteer right from their dashboard.

Opportunity Badges

These are linked to opportunities showing that the opportunity is linked to a specific award scheme.

Example:  If logged hours on the opportunity can go towards a volunteers Duke of Edinburgh Award, then they might attach it to the ‘DofE Opportunity Badge’. 

Just add a name, description, and a badge image to create your opportunity badges. These can then be added to your opportunities, filtered on in the search and are displayed to the volunteers.

Great for quickly indicating to your volunteers what sort of opportunity its likely to be.

Gender List Editable in Alt Language

For those of you that take advantage of our alt language feature and translations (and if you don’t..why not?!) you can now view and edit your gender lists in your chosen alt language.

These are instantly reflected on the registration pages..which brings us to…

New Volunteer Registration

Volunteers begin their registration either by providing an email address, or by registering with Google or Facebook.

If they use and email address they will receive an email with a special link to confirm their email address and continue with their registration.

This will cut down drastically the number of bogus registrations and also reduces the initial inertia for registration. This first step of registration is recorded and we’ll be able to get some great insight into what is preventing volunteers from completing their registration.

We have also worked on the registration page itself; made it shorter, improved the location section, and added more on-screen help.

 

We think it’s a definite improvement and will hopefully lead to a higher rate of successful registrations.

New Search Page

The public search page is now more compact and the events have been moved to the right so they don’t obscure the results.

When viewed on smaller screens the layout adjusts accordingly so events are still visible.

Opportunity Images

You might have noticed in the screenshot for the search page that we now support adding images to opportunities!

We know from our experience that this has to be quick and painless or providers just don’t bother. So we’ve put in place a number of features to try to make this easy for providers.

  1. Images are mandatory for opportunities, you cant add your first opportunity without uploading at least one image
  2. You can select from your previous images, so once you have one you don’t have to keep uploading
  3. When creating an opp, it will default to your last used image

 

ABOVE: Admin/Providers view when creating opportunity
ABOVE: Volunteer view of opportunity with image

It really couldn’t be easier! These images are responsive and will adjust in height and width to cope with any sized screen.

Everything Else

  • Multiple groups are selectable from the bulk email screens
  • Can add files to the private notes section
  • Course management improved
  • More admin options available
  • More opportunity sharing data available along with suggestions of other organisations you might want to join forces with
  • Volunteers can see how many slots are available in each session before they join
  • Induction questions are now sortable
  • New report showing the ethnicity breakdown of active volunteers
  • New opportunity search filters
  • The usual 100’s of small fixes and improvements

Becoming a TeamKinetic Enterprise Customer

By

On 7th April 2021

In TeamKinetic Features, Volunteer Management

Welcome to the family!  Its great that you are about to join hundreds of other organisations that use TeamKinetic to manage their volunteers.  We have put together this short blog that tells you what happens next and how to get ready to launch your site.

Once we have your contract signed we can have you up and running in no time, this blog outlines the steps to get your site ready and the pit falls to avoid.

Trial Site

If you already have a trial site up and running, you can get started playing around and getting to know the TeamKinetic service right away.  We have a simple to follow “Getting Started” lesson program for you to follow.  Just click here and follow the 10 quick and easy lessons.  If you get stuck just drop us a support ticket or a chat message direct from your help menu.

If you don’t have a trial or demo site set up yet, just let your TeamKinetic contact know and they will have that sorted out for you in no time.  This will help you get acclimatised to the product and give you a good idea of how you might like to use the service.

We’d love your feedback on our Getting Started lessons, so if there is something we can do to make it easier for you please let us know.

Getting set up on our implementation management system.

To help make your implementation go super smooth we use a service that ensures you know what you have to do and what we have to do.  This system provides you with detailed information on how you undertake each task and lets you record what you have done, when you are ready to pass things back to us and if yo have any questions you can ask them really easily.

As soon as the contract is signed we will invite the key members of your project team to join us on the task list and you can get going right away with your tasks, getting your site ready to go live.

Choosing A URL

As an enterprise customer, you get to choose where your TeamKinetic powered website will live or what URL you want to use.  There are a few options available to you.  It has a tendancy to get a little technical here so my apologies in advance.  The options are:

  1. You can set up your TeamKinetic powered site as a “Sub-Domain” of your existing website.  That means you can have something like https://volunteer.YourOrgNamehere.org
  2. You can have a new domain that no one else has yet.  To choose a new domain use a service such as NameCheap.com and see what’s available.  

What ever you choose, your TeamKinetic implementation advisor will help you with the technical aspects of getting your trail site moved onto your new URL.  You wont lose anything you have done up to this point if you don’t want to, or we can always delete the data and let you start again, its completely up to you.

Setting up the ‘Look and Feel’ of your TeamKinetic site

You can start this process as soon as you have your trail or demo site set up, it is actually part of the 10 steps mentioned above in the ‘trial site’ section of this blog. 

All settings and changes to the look and feel of your site will be copied over when your site is moved to its final website address.

To make changes to the look and feel of your site, first click on the cog in the top right of your screen which will display the super admin menu.  

(NB. If you can’t see it, you may not be a Super Admin, don’t worry drop us a quick message and we will get you sorted!)

This menu is where you find all the settings for your site and its where you go if you want to change the colours, fonts, messages and images on your site.   

From here you can change all aspects of the site as you require.  Some of the more advanced options can require a little technical ability, but we are here to support you through the process.  There is lots of detailed help to support you and we are always at the end of the phone or available on live chat if you get stuck.  

You can read the help documents for customising your website at the top right of the screen as shown below.

All this is covered in your training and implementation support but if you want to get started there is nothing stopping you.

Getting your site working the way you want it!

TeamKinetic offers so many options and choices to make sure you can manage your volunteers in the way that works for you and them.  Many of these options you only really need to think about once.  

Again, in the Super Admin menu you have choices that cover Profile, Set Up and Options.  If you want to start to have a play around with these then feel free. 

We have this (really long, sorry!) video that walks you through each option and what impact they might have on how you choose to use TeamKinetic.  Break it into manageable chunks and start to make your way through the menus until you have the setting you think will work for you.  Again, we will go through all this with you in your training, but there is nothing to stop you having a play around as you get to know what TeamKinetic can do.

The default settings are fine for a lot of our customers so don’t worry too much about investigating them all straight away.

Training

As soon as your contract is signed we will be looking to get your training booked.  This is normally delivered online over two half day sessions, though there is lots of flexibility and all this can be adjusted to meet your needs. 

We want you to get the most out of these sessions, so if you have followed the instruction in this blog and had a play around you will come to that first session with lots of questions that we can help you with. 

If you are a little nervous, please don’t worry.  No matter what your technical ability we will have you up and running in no time. 

Go Live!

Once you have got your site set up as you want, and you have started the process of adding your opportunities to the site, you are almost ready to tell the world about your new system.

Our implementation team will work with you on a plan to make all this happen and will provide advice on how to link up your TeamKinetic powered portal with your existing web site.

We are often asked how long this takes, and its a tricky one to answer, as it really depends upon how quickly you are able to get through the set up tasks and how many providers and opportunities you need to add.  We have had customers up and running in less than a week and others who have taken 3 or 4 months.  The key consideration is that you are comfortable with the system and how it works and that it has lot of interesting opportunities for your volunteers to look at.  

Remember, we are with you every step of the way, its really difficult to break TeamKinetic so don’t be worried or sacred about having a play around and good luck on your first step in taking your volunteer management to the next level. We look forward to working with you.

Before we go

Keep up to date with everything TeamKinetic by following us on the following social media channels where you will find useful content, support and access to offers and discounts you will not want to miss.

YouTube for great interviews and how to videos.

https://www.youtube.com/TeamKinetic

LinkedIn to read our latest blogs and thoughts (TeamKinetic) https://www.linkedin.com/company/15082852/admin/

Twitter for the inspirational quotes and funnies (@TeamKineticUK) https://twitter.com/TeamKineticUK

Facebook to talk with our other volunteer managers and to join our master class sessions. (TeamKinetic) https://www.facebook.com/TeamKineticUK/

We want you to help us grow this community.

See you all soon

Chris and the Team

3 Reasons Why You Don’t Use SMS Text Messages

By

On 18th March 2021

In TeamKinetic Features, Volunteer Management

If you are reading this, you might not be using SMS text messages to manage your volunteers. And you will have your reasons as to why you feel that SMS text messages would not benefit you, your organisation, or your volunteers. This is where we come in. We’re here to debunk some of the common reasons why organisations think they don’t need text messages to manage their volunteers.

1) You don’t know how to use them

If you have never bought them before, then of course you’re not going to know how to use them. But, it is very easy to pick up. In fact, we have created a video that shows you exactly how to turn text messages on, how to set up automatic messages, how to send texts to specific volunteers, and how to send texts to the volunteers on a specific opportunity. Sending text messages to volunteers has never been so easy!

2) You don’t know the Impact

So, you think your organisation doesn’t need SMS text messages. But, do you know about the impact?

It will make you wonder why you didn’t use them earlier. Here are just a few ways it can ompact your volunteers:

  • You can automatically alert your volunteers by text when they have a session coming up, if their criminal check is due for renewal, or even when one of the providers they follow adds a new opportunity. Not only does this help engagement and encourage volunteers to attend sessions, it also makes your life a lot easier. 
  • Our SMS text messages function has been proved to be a more effective way to reach people and ensure they read your message over email. No longer will you have to worry about people not receiving your email because it either got lost in their inbox, they rarely check their emails, or it just went to spam; sending texts gives a higher chance of volunteers seeing your message.
  • You can easily text groups of volunteers, individual volunteers, or all volunteers on a particular opportunity, and give them the information they need. Alternatively, if you enter a valid mobile number as the reply-to number, volunteers will be able to text you back and continue the conversation. Or you can provide a short name that will let volunteers know where the message has come from, but they will not be able to reply directly. This makes communication a lot easier for both the volunteer and the volunteer manager.

Let’s look at some scenarios for example:

3) It costs too much money

You may worry that using text messages is just another ongoing expense for your organisation, and it is, but, it’s all the brilliant benefits, like the ones mentioned above, that makes it worth the expense.

We also have an offer available for a short time, which may help your organisation if one of your reasons for not buying SMS messages is money. Currently, for every 2 messages you buy, we give you one for free. So when you buy 500 texts, you get 750 and when you buy 1000 texts, you get 1,500. Meaning, the more you buy the more money you save! Perfect for communicating with volunteers, both when in a lockdown and when out of a lockdown. 

So, should I use them?

After reading all through the reasons why you thought you didn’t need SMS text messages, you might be thinking there could be benefits after all. So why not check out our SMS text offer? After all, it is saving you money in the long term. Take a look at our video below which explains how to do this:

Should I Be Using SMS Text Messages?

By

On 18th March 2021

In TeamKinetic Features, Volunteer Management

Yes, yes and yes. That is the first thing you see when you Google ‘Should I be using SMS text messages when managing volunteers?’. And the research isn’t wrong, using texts as a form of communication to your volunteers is incredibly beneficial. Not only does it improve communication, but it can also increase engagement and volunteer return rates. And let’s not forget the speedy responses that come from sending text messages, perfect for those time-sensitive situations.
However, the one thing you don’t really see when you Google this question is how beneficial SMS texts are from someone who is currently using them.

This is where we come in. If you are considering using SMS text messages but are still a bit unsure, hear from Claire at Halton and St Helens Volunteer Centre about her personal experiences using them.

Halton and St Helen’s Volunteer Centre

First, a little bit of background. Halton and St Helens is an organisation that provides advice, information and development support to voluntary, community, non-for-profit, faith organisations and volunteers in the Boroughs of St Helens and Halton. Here, Claire spoke to us about her experiences using SMS text messages in her TeamKinetic system.

1) When did you start using the SMS text message feature?

So, we started to use the text message feature fairly early on into the first lockdown of the pandemic. It was also around the same time that we first launched our TeamKinetic portal. 

In addition to this, it was around March/April that we had quite a substantial funding grant come through, which allowed us to buy a great big text bundle. And I already knew of the texts and how they worked from the work we have done with TeamKinetic before.

2) How do you use your text messages?

Initially, we used text messages for our volunteers who were supporting local residents during the pandemic with the community tasks. We would use the function to send a text to show they are a verified volunteer for us, this was pre the ID cards. It was a quick and easy way for us to give them something that was mobile that they could show the person they were working for that they were a verified volunteer. 

When the ID cards came into play on the community task dashboard, we started to use the texts to message our ‘Street Champions’ about ongoing tasks that hadn’t been picked up that needed to be done. I’d say that is the main way we used them now.

3) Do you find the SMS text messaging feature helpful in communicating to and engaging volunteers?

Yes, definitely. Between that and emails, we can have more of an impact in terms of communicating straight away with volunteers. And it’s that instant impact that is important for us particularly when there is an urgency in terms of volunteer support.

Recently we have also used them with our vaccination volunteers. For example,  when volunteers have dropped shifts and we have then asked other volunteers to quickly log in and see if they can pick up a shift. So, that’s been really helpful as we’ve now had full commitment and maximum volunteers throughout our vaccination programme which is great.

4) How have you benefited from the SMS text message feature compared to a time when you didn’t use them?

For me, it’s just an added bonus in terms of being able to communicate quite directly with that we’re not always in connection with and we don’t see physically. It wouldn’t even matter that much when we’re back into the ‘new normal’ after COVID-19 and we do see people on a regular basis. This is because the text messages would still be a massive benefit in terms of that quick turn around and communication with volunteer around shift patterns etc.

For example, we have worked with the TeamKinetic portal for years at Warrington Hospital, and we have never used the text message feature with them. This is mainly because we have never had the funding to be able to do that. But, again with some added funds, we have been able to out a little bit of a bundle on there too. So, we have now used it for when we have needed to contact our away finders, when there’s been an urgent need for people to support the vaccination centre, or when we’ve needed a quick turnaround on support. I think we could probably do that again going forwards, even when we start to bring our volunteers back, it will be a great tool.

We also use them differently in the Hospital in terms of the communication that we do in Halton and St Helens through the Volunteer Centre. So, with the Hospital it’s linked directly to a phone number which helps that two-way communication. With the Volunteer Centre, we actually just link it to a name so they understand it’s just from us and there’s no response from that.

5) What would you say to another organisation that is considering using the SMS text message feature but is still unsure?

For me, it’s a great way of quickly communicating and getting action from volunteers very quickly too. Particularly if you have got an event on for example or you are providing urgent response support;  it’s a great way of supporting that quick action of volunteers to get engaged, get involved, and get moving.

Thinking About Buying SMS Texts

If after reading this, you realise SMS texts would benefit your organisation and your volunteers, then check out this video explaining how to take up the offer!

Training Module: Using TeamKinetic to Manage Your Volunteer Programme

By

On 11th March 2021

In TeamKinetic Features, Training

An exciting in-depth look at how to use TeamKinetic on a day-to-day basis to run your volunteer programme.  Partly hands-on, your tutor will talk you through setting up opportunities and allow you to see the system from different users perspectives. At the end of this training session, you will have a good understanding of how each user interacts with the system and how to communicate and manage your volunteers and service providers.

Who Should Attend?

Either new employees who have taken over the role of administrator OR existing administrators who would like a refresher of all the main functionality.

What Does It Cover?

A practical session where attendees will experience the system from each users perspective covering the following:

  • Registering as a provider
  • [As a provider/admin] Creating an opportunity
  • Registering as a volunteer
  • [As a volunteer] Joining the opportunity
  • [As a provider/admin] Managing and communicating with volunteers on the opportunity
  • Searching for volunteer/s
  • Search filters explained
  • Sending volunteers an email/sms text
  • Volunteer/Provider bulk emails
  • Adding volunteers without an email address
  • Inviting volunteers onto the system
  • Achievement badges
  • Criminal checks
  • Volunteer groups
  • Meetings
  • References
  • HourTrades
  • Events
  • Standardising activity tags
  • Accreditation badges
  • Shared opportunities
  • Adding Courses
  • Reporting library explained
  • Exporting information
  • Notifications
  • Volunteer news
  • System support

How Do I Sign Up?

You can access this training from your HELP > EXTRA TRAINING menu. Purchase the number of credits you need and then click on the BOOK button and select your dates.

You can check the latest training dates from within your system. Just go to ‘Help & Support’ → ‘Extra Training’

Training Module: Setup and Configuration

By

On 5th February 2021

In TeamKinetic Features, Training

TeamKinetic is a powerful volunteer management tool with a huge amount of functionality to suit every type of organisation. The key to maximising its impact on your volunteer programme is the configuration options. This training session covers a basic introduction to the different types of users and how to set up your TeamKinetic system to work specifically with your organisation. Do you want external organisations to be inducted before they can create opportunities? Do you want external organisations to be able to register at all? All these types of settings will be explained in detail during this extensive configuration training session.

Who Should Attend?

Either new administrators OR existing administrators who would like a full refresher on the configuration options available within TeamKinetic.

What does it cover?

Introduction

  • Key benefits
  • User types explained

First Steps

  • Organisation profile page
  • Changing the About Us page and T&Cs
  • Linking to social media accounts
  • Customising the look and feel of your site
  • Customising registration & volunteer profile fields
  • Configuring opportunities
  • Setting up electronic reference Forms

Users and Administrators

  • Configuring user access to your system
  • About trusted providers
  • Creating admin accounts

Communication and Information

  • Auto SMS & email communications
  • Customising emails
  • Document hub (Adding files for access by other users)

Reporting and Data

  • Setting up custom geographical areas for reporting
  • APIs and Widgets
  • Customising achievement badges & award badges

Other general settings

All the other settings that are available and what they mean for your organisation and programme.

Questions and Workshops

Any questions will be answered and workshopped in the final segment, helping you to apply what you have learnt to your own unique programme.

How do I sign up?

You can access this training from your HELP > EXTRA TRAINING menu. Purchase the number of credits you need and then click on the BOOK button and select your dates.

You can check the latest training dates from within your system. Just go to ‘Help & Support’ → ‘Extra Training’

4 Ways TeamKinetic Can Help YOU Incentivise Volunteers

By

On 7th December 2020

In TeamKinetic Features

Retaining and recruiting volunteers can be a difficult task. With volunteering in high demand incentivising your volunteers may be the way forward to ensure retainment. Now, you may ask… “Incentivising volunteers! How can I do that?” Keep reading, TeamKinetic may just have the answer you are looking for…

1. Logging Hours/Leaving Feedback

Your volunteers give up their own time to help your organisation. So giving them some feedback even after they have volunteered will show how much you value them and will mean more to them than you may think! 

TeamKinetic allows you to leave feedback when logging a volunteer’s hours. If you forget or don’t have time to personally thank your volunteer at the end of their session, this section gives you the chance to do so. It also let’s the volunteer log their own hours and leave feedback about the opportunity they joined. As someone who has volunteered in the past, receiving feedback from anyone at the organisation is such a great feeling and has pushed me to come and volunteer again. This could be your volunteers.

2. Achievement Badges

This incentive is a great way to push your volunteers to log more hours. Once a volunteer logs their hours, they will add together to create their total volunteer hours. A small way to help increase volunteer hours is to have achievement badges when they reach certain hour milestones.

TeamKinetic has achievement badges automatically on their system. So, for example, if volunteers were to reach 10 hours combined they would get the badge ‘Super Member’, at 50 hours  they could get the badge ‘Dedicated’ and so on. 

The achievement badge’s pictures and names can be customised by yourself. These badges are a great way to incentivise volunteers and get them to keep on volunteering so they can reach the next milestone.

3. Hour Trades

Wouldn’t it be great for volunteers to trade all of their logged hours for real life items!

Well, TeamKinetic has just the thing. Hour Trades. Your volunteers can use their logged hours to trade them in for things such as vouchers, T-shirts, hats, entry to museum/art galleries, sporting activities… Whatever items you feel fit. This type of reward recognises a volunteers contributions and can push them to want to volunteer more.

4. Custom Award Badges

Have you ever thought about starting a ‘volunteer of the month’ award? To give your volunteers an extra incentive to volunteer more or make them feel appreciated? Yes? Keep reading, you may like what you see…

TeamKinetic allows you to create custom award badges for your volunteers. These could be ‘volunteer of the month’ or ‘volunteer of the year’. They can be absolutely anything you want and look however you want, with the fully customisable option! Once you have assigned the award to a volunteer, they will receive an email with the award in it to congratulate them. Again, this recognises the efforts your volunteers put in, helping you to retain more volunteers and hopefully gain more.

Start Incentivising Today

If these incentives have drawn you in and you want to find out more, you can watch the video below where we go through the system to show you each incentive.

Even more intrigued, head over to our website and start your FREE 30 day trial today to explore the whole of TeamKinetic! Be sure to also visit our social media pages to find out more information about TeamKinetic Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin and YouTube. 

You can also give us a call on 0161 9145757 and we would be happy to talk with you about our system. 

We hope to speak to you soon, Stay Safe!

Training Module: Using TeamKinetic to manage your volunteer programme.

By

On 20th November 2020

In TeamKinetic Features, Training

An exciting, in-depth look at how to use TeamKinetic on a day-to-day basis to run your volunteer programme. Partly hands-on, your tutor will talk you through setting up opportunities and allow you to see the system from different users perspectives. At the end of this training session, you will have a good understanding of how each user interacts with the system and how to communicate and manage your volunteers and service providers.

Who Should Attend?

Either new employees who have taken over the role of administrator OR existing administrators who would like a refresher of all the main functionality.

What does it cover?

Volunteer Life Cycle

A practical session where attendees will experience the system from each users perspective covering the following:

  • Registering as a provider
  • [As a provider/admin] Creating an opportunity
  • Registering as a volunteer
  • [As a volunteer] Joining the opportunity
  • [As a provider/admin] Managing and communicating with volunteers on the opportunity

Managing Volunteers

  • Searching for volunteer/s
  • Search filters explained
  • Adding volunteers without an email address
  • Inviting volunteers onto the system
  • Criminal checks
  • Volunteer groups
  • Meetings and Inductions

Recognition and Rewards

  • Achievement badges
  • OpenBadges
  • HourTrades

Managing Opportunities

  • standardising activity tags
  • Shared opportunities
  • References
  • Events
  • Accreditation badges

Reporting and Insight

  • Reporting library explained
  • Exporting information

Effective Communication

  • Notifications
  • Volunteer news
  • Sending volunteers an email or text
  • Volunteer/Provider bulk emails

How to get Help

  • Support tickets
  • Contextual help

Questions and Workshops

Any questions will be answered and workshopped in the final segment, helping you to apply what you have learnt to your own unique programme.

How do I sign up?

You can access this training from your HELP > EXTRA TRAINING menu. Purchase the number of credits you need and then click on the BOOK button and select your course and dates.

You can check the latest training dates from within your system. Just go to ‘Help & Support’ → ‘Extra Training’

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