volunteer software Archives - Page 14 of 19

By now we should have a volunteer on their first opportunity… but now what? You can now start to manage opportunities, completing tasks such as logging hours for completed sessions, using the chat room to send information to the volunteers on the opportunity, and processing applicants.

To log hours, the volunteer first leaves feedback (if this is mandated by your settings) for the provider/opportunity. Next, they enter how many hours they spent on the opportunity session. The provider/admin then leaves their own feedback for the volunteer and inputs the hours spent volunteering (they should match!).

Note: you’ll only be able to log hours for session-based opportunities if they have already happened and have a volunteer signed up. To log hours now for this task, you’ll need to create a flexible opportunity as hours for flexible opportunities can be logged at any time.

Task

Complete and log hours for an opportunity from both the provider and volunteer side.

The Process

There are a few different ways to complete this one but first we’ll look at how to do it from the admin/provider side.

Step One
Go to the ‘Opportunities & Providers’ tab.

Step Two
Click ‘Opportunities’.

Step Three
Find the opportunity you want to log hours for

Step Four
Click ‘Log Hours’ in the left-hand-side menu.

Step Five
Leave feedback for the volunteer and log hours.

It’s also important to familiarise yourself with the volunteer’s point of view when learning to manage opportunities in case they have any questions or issues with the process. You can see a video of this process below.

Step One
From the volunteer homepage, go to the ‘Opportunities With Hours To Log’ box OR the ‘ Opportunities’ tab on the left-hand-side menu.

Step Two
Click ‘Log’ / ‘Log Hours’

Step Three
Leave feedback for the provider and input the hours spent volunteering.

Lesson Four

Lesson Six

Getting Started with TeamKinetic: Lesson Four – Invite Volunteers

In Getting Started Workbook

So now you have an opportunity but where are all the volunteers?! Don’t worry, it’s easy to invite volunteers to your new system, especially if you have an existing database. This involves sending volunteers a unique link which not only lets them register, but also adds them to your volunteer list. You will then be able to see their details and manually add them to the opportunities on your system.

Once a volunteer has been registered on your system, you may wish for them to upload a picture or some identification before they get started with any voluntary work. These things can be made a requirement on your system through the admin settings and is outlined through the optional task in this lesson below.

Task

Invite or create at least one volunteer and then view their profile on your system.

The Process

Inviting Volunteers

Step One
Go to the ‘Volunteer Management’ tab.

Step Two
Click ‘Invite Volunteers’.

Step Three
Type in the email addresses/upload a CSV file of the volunteers you wish to invite.

Creating Your Own Volunteer

Step One
Go to the ‘Volunteer Management’ tab.

Step Two
Click ‘Create Volunteer’.

Step Three
Fill in all the registration information.

Advanced Task (Optional)

Alter your system settings so that new volunteers must upload a picture and/or a piece of ID before volunteering.

The Process

Step One
Go to the Admin Settings Cog.

Step Two
Click ‘TeamKinetic Options’.

Optional Next Steps (depending on what you want for your system)

– To require volunteers to be cleared first: Click ‘Registration’, then ensure that ‘No’ is checked on ‘Enable Access to New Volunteers’.

– To require all volunteers to have a profile photo: Click ‘Everything Else’ on the left-hand-side menu and make sure ‘Yes’ is checked on ‘Require Volunteer Photo’.

Under ‘TeamKinetic Options’ you’ll find a wide range of setup options to play around with. This can either be done now, or once the workbook is completed. We suggest you cover the basics first, but it’s entirely up to you!

Lesson Three

Lesson Five

Getting Started with TeamKinetic: Lesson Three – Creating Your First Opportunity

In Getting Started Workbook

Now your site is properly set up and looks like your site instead of a generic TeamKinetic system, it’s time to get to work and create your first opportunity. All the different fields to fill in on an opportunity may seem complicated at first but you’ll quickly get the hang of it!

It’s important to get to grips with all these different options so you can go on to create opportunities quickly in the future and save yourself some time. Right now, the basic thing you need to know is the difference between session-based and flexible opportunities.

We covered this in the introductory page of the workbook but it can’t hurt to go over it again!

Session-based Opportunities
Sessions can either be recurring (daily, weekly, monthly, etc) or individual. They’re used for activities that have a specific time/date they need to be completed on.

Flexible opportunities
In contrast, flexible opportunities can be completed at any time. This is great for opportunities that can be done online, such as language translations, or over the phone, such as befriending.

Task

Create an opportunity.

The Process

Step One
Go to ‘Opportunities and Providers’.

Step Two
Click ‘Create Opportunity’.

Step Three
Fill in all fields with details relevant to your opportunity.

Step Four
Click ‘Add’.

Lesson Two

Lesson Four

Getting Started with TeamKinetic: Lesson Two – Site Customisation

In Getting Started Workbook

We’ve got the system set up, what next? Site customisation can help turn a good looking TeamKinetic system into a great branded system. Just take a look MCRVIP’s site to see what we mean!
To start with, we’ll create a custom front page and footer, adjust colours to match your branding and edit some CSS properties.

Task

Complete all relevant site customisation options.

The Process

Step One
Click the admin cog in the top right corner.

Step Two
Click ‘Look & Feel’

Step Three
Go through the following tabs to make your website more personalised:
– Logo (if not completed during registration)
– Colours and Text
– Front Page
– Footer
– CSS

Lesson One

Lesson Three

New COVID-19 Task System Webinar

Twitter Facebook LinkedIn YouTube Instagram Podcast

On 6th May 2020

In Application Features and Tutorials, COVID-19

Delivered by Steven Hall

TeamKinetic have been recognised by TechForce 19 as a technology provider that can help in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The following webinar is showcasing our new COVID-19 Task System, called the Community Task app – designed and made for COVID-19.

You can find TeamKinetic on social media and listen to our podcast:

Have you enjoyed using TeamKinetic? If you could leave us a review on Capterra, we’d really appreciate it! We’ll even send you a little thank you.

Stronger Together CIMSPA

On 29th April 2020

In News & Views

TeamKinetic is proud to announce that we are working together with CIMSPA- the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity.

Like many working sectors across the UK, the sports and physical activity sector has also been hugely affected by COVID-19. With all gyms, sports and leisure centres being closed due to the pandemic. This has created many uphill challenges for the 500,000 workers in the sports and physical activity sector.

The Challenge

The task of keeping the UK physically active and healthy has never been more crucial. Although we are faced with self-isolating, social distancing and many other sanctions in our daily lives, doesn’t mean we can’t all stay healthy.

We share the same ambition as CIMSPA of being versatile in these difficult times to aid the sector to keep the UK active. Therefore we have offered CIMSPA our support in the form of our Advanced volunteer management software – built for COVID-19. We hope by becoming a CIMSPA supporter we will be able to help some of the 500,000 workers affected by this pandemic and help those stay active and healthy along the way.

TeamKinetic wins TechForce19 Award COVID-19

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/digital-innovations-tested-to-support-vulnerable-people-during-covid-19-outbreak

On 24th April 2020

In Awards and Prizes, News & Views

TechForce19 was developed as a call to action for all innovators who have the technological ability to be able to supply the elderly, vulnerable and those self-isolating during COVID-19.

The competition saw over 1600 entries who felt their technology could help to combat this pandemic challenge. We are very proud to announce that TeamKinetic has been shortlisted as one of the 20 companies who will receive the £25,000 to test their technology to help with the response to COVID-19.

TeamKinetic aim to use their volunteer management software and their new COVID-19 related volunteer management features to optimise staffing in care and volunteer sectors. This will be achieved by deploying TeamKinetic with 3 of our new customers, The Royal Brough of Greenwich, Halton & St Helens VCA and Groundwork working in partnership with Barnet Council. The application will be used in the recruitment and training of volunteers into non-clinical roles at a local level and providing essential services that people in isolation need.

TeamKinetic is already used across the UK with over 145,000 volunteers using the system and is used to power the national system Volunteering-wales.net on behalf of Wales Council for Voluntary Action (WCVA). So this award feels like a nice acknowledgement of the hard work that has gone into developing TeamKinetic into the simple to use platform it is today, over the last 10 years.

In preparation for taking on the TechForce19 challenge, TeamKinetic has been working with their existing partners to look at the specific requirements that have been created due to the pandemic. Partners like Manchester City Council and Glasgow Life have all played a key role in helping TeamKinetic respond to the crisis and to push our engineering teams to do some amazing work in response.

Read all about TeamKinetic and the other winners here

TechForce19 is an initiative being run on behalf of:

NHSX is one of the largest health and social care transformation programmes in the world, created to deliver technology that staff and people need. With the aim to utilise technology in the most efficient way possible in order to reduce stress on our NHS workforce.

AHSN connects the NHS and academic organisations, local authorities, the third sector and industry. They focus on improving outcomes for patients through innovation and technology.

PUBLIC is an organisation which aims to breach the gap that smaller start-up technological companies struggle to overcome themselves. Many small start-up organisations have made progressive headway in innovative technologies which have the potential of helping many people. However, they struggle with the initial start-up when connecting to the right people, like the governments and local authorities.

For more information on how TeamKinetic can help your orgainsation.

Start your FREE Trial : TeamKinetic

Call us on: 0161 914 5757

Email: info@teamkinetic.co.uk

Why You Should Be Customising Your Volunteer Registration Emails

In Application Features and Tutorials, TeamKinetic Features, Volunteer Management

On 24th April 2020

Did you know that you can customise your TeamKinetic system’s volunteer registration emails? Changing the first email your volunteers receive can be a big step in improving your volunteer management.

How do I change the registration email?

Go to the Admin Settings Cog → Customise Emails

Find the ‘volunteer registration’ email and click ‘Edit’.

You can now edit the default text and style it accordingly. When you click on the blue buttons on the right, a placeholder will be added to your text, and when sent, that placeholder will be replaced with the appropriate text; in this case you can use placeholders for your organisation name, organisation contact number, the volunteers email address, and a login link for the volunteer to follow.

What changes should I make?

That first email after registration should layout the next steps you want the volunteer to take. For example, this might be to upload a photo and a piece of ID. You could also direct them to the Resources & Help, where all the documents in your document hub are available, if your volunteers require extra information after registering.

You can alter options regarding volunteer photo/ID uploads via the Admin Settings Cog → TeamKinetic Options → Everything Else.

Volunteers can easily access these things through the left-hand-side menu on their dashboard.

They should go to the underlined tabs to upload a picture, ID, and view the document hub (in that order).

You can also add links to various areas of the system for easy access and attach files to the email. For example, you could share the link to take them straight to a search for COVID-19 related opportunities. This will help highlight ways volunteers can help their local communities.
You can find your shareable link to all COVID-19 opportunities on your admin homepage:

If necessary, make sure to tell new volunteer about inductions, DBS and ID checks when they first join to allow them to get started with you as soon as possible. As an admin, you can keep track of DBS checks via Volunteer Management → Criminal Checks as well as visiting a volunteer’s profile directly via Volunteer Management → Search Volunteers.
You could also customise the ‘joined opp’ email that is sent when a volunteer joins their first opportunity to let them know what you want them to do next. Perhaps explaining the keywords used on the site, such as sessions, the different opportunity types, and how to log hours.

What else can I do to get volunteers started?

Switching on text messages is another great way to keep in contact with your volunteers. Text messaging can be switched on by going to the Admin Settings Cog → TeamKinetic Options → Notifications → Switch on Text Messaging.

Building your Document Hub can also be highly beneficial to your volunteers. You can add documents, links and text for your volunteers and providers, e.g. a code of conduct or training manual for new volunteers.
To access the document hub, go to the Admin Settings Cog → Document Hub

Want more TeamKinetic tips?

Subscribe to our blog for more like this as well as other pieces relevant to volunteering and volunteer management. You can also follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

You can visit our YouTube channel to find further help navigating your system or call us on 0161 914 5757, we’re always happy to help you out!

How to Stay Safe Online During COVID-19

On 20th April 2020

In News & Views

During this pandemic our governments have told us to stay safe and stay inside, but what about staying safe online? It’s fair to say we’re probably spending a lot more time online recently. I mean, what else is there to do if you can’t leave the house? Whether you’re video chatting with friends, mindlessly scrolling through social media, or managing your volunteers from home, it’s important to stay vigilant online.

So what does this mean generally?

In short: be careful what new programmes/applications you use.
Do a little bit of research before you download and give personal details to a new app. Ask friends and family if they use it, consult trusted online sources and decide whether it can be trusted.

Remember: even apps that seem to be trustworthy can fall victim to security breaches themselves.
House Party seemed to be taking the online video chatting market by storm until rumours of data surfaced. Although these rumours turned out to be false, their reputation as a safe app was ruined. Furthermore, Zoom, an application used for video chatting/conferencing was actually subjected to a data breach. The CEO of Zoom held his hands up in apology but it doesn’t reverse the damage done.

If the phrase ‘too good to be true’ comes to mind, it probably is.
A growing number of people are falling victims to social media scams. Fraudsters posing as good Samaritans hosting giveaways on Twitter are some of the the people most likely to trick you. A few examples can be seen in this article from Refinery.

The ultimate way to stay safe

Passwords. Passwords are key. Having a variety of passwords for everything you use may seem tough – who has the memory capacity for that?! – but it could save you a lot of trouble. Besides, there are ways to keep track of all your passwords, whether it be a password-protected note on your phone, an app that keeps track of all your passwords, or going old school and writing them down somewhere.

So what does it mean for volunteer management?

Here at TeamKinetic we work hard to make sure all data is secure and we adhere to GDPR regulations. You may have seen our new COVID-19 community task dashboard for volunteering. With this, a new set of challenges arose: how could we give the personal data (like contact details and addresses) of people in need of help to volunteers without breaching their privacy?

Measures were taken to ensure that personal data was only given to volunteers after they’d been assigned a volunteering role, such as shopping for someone else or a simple phone conversation. If someone is not assigned to a task, they do not see the data and therefore ensuring the security of all involved.

First of all, ‘Private Data’ can only be seen by site admins. This can be used to easily sort tasks in your own way.

‘Data Shown to Assigned Volunteers’ does exactly what it says in the title! However, it is important to note that this data is only shown to volunteers after they’ve been accepted on a task. This ensures that no private data is given to the public unnecessarily.

Finally, ‘Public Data’ is shown to all registered volunteers looking at the community task dashboard. It shows everything prospective volunteers will need to know, e.g. the time, date, and task. Furthermore, you can add boosted security measures here too, such as requiring criminal checks and approved ID.

How TeamKinetic Can Help

We will always try and provide you with relevant news through our social media channels, especially in situations like this. You can find us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

If you want to help your community and require a safe, online method of volunteer management, you can use our system completely free of charge for the duration of the pandemic by going to our website and starting a free trial.

If you have any questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to contact us via phone: 0161 914 5757 or email: info@teamkinetic.co.uk

We also have a few other blogs about volunteer management during COVID-19, you can read them by clicking the titles below.

Managing Volunteers During The COVID-19 Epidemic
How organisations are adapting to the COVID-19 outbreak
How to effectively promote COVID-19 volunteering
Overcoming COVID-19 as a Community

Parklife… More Like Quarantined Life!