Create events and projects

• Events allow you to set specific dates for employees to sign up.

• Projects are longer-term opportunities that allow you to set goals and milestones.

Create: Only users with the appropriate permission will be able to create events within the Community.

Manage: Once a user has created an event, that user has permission to manage it. Any additional Employees who have been added as an 'Organizer' for that event can also manage it.

1. From the top menu, select Volunteer, then Create.

2. Select Get Started, then choose Create an Event (if applicable).

   

   This will take you to a blank event draft.

   Note: Some attributes are dependent on Community-level settings. Fields with a red asterisk beside them are required.

   

3. Under General Details, enter an Event Name and Event Description.

4. Under Upload Event Photo, either drag and drop a photo into the upload space or select Upload File to browse your device for images. The file types JPG, PNG, and GIF are accepted.

5. Select which of the following options you would like to enable for the event:

   • Show in Search Opportunities

   • Allow Guests to Attend

   • Allow users to add past participation

6. Add a Location, select Virtual if this will be a virtual event, and (optionally) add meeting instructions.

7. Select a Benefiting Organization by using the Organization Search. If you cannot find the benefiting organization via the search tool, select the option enter your own outside organization.

1. Under Event Schedule, fill in the fields for the date(s) and time(s), select the time zone, and indicate the event frequency. Ongoing events run continuously during the set date range. Recurring events have multiple discrete occurrences.

   If this is a recurring event, choose from the following options: 

   • If you want to end the series after a certain number of recurrences, select End after a number of recurrences. Enter the number of times you want to repeat this event. In I want this to happen ___ times, enter a count for all event instances.

   • If you want to end the series on or before a certain date, select End by a specific date. Select the applicable date from Recurrence end by date.

   Tip: Ongoing events have a maximum duration of 25 years. Recurring events can only recur over the span of one year. Occurrences cannot overlap.

2. If you would like to limit the time period in which participants can sign up, select Setup Registration Dates and fill in the fields.

3. Under Main Shift Settings, create shifts for volunteers to sign up.

   Every event has at least one shift. The first shift created will span the full event length set above in the schedule.

   If Set default shift hours is selected:

   • The Hours field auto-populates for events that are scheduled up to 12 hours long.

   • The Hours field displays 0 for events that span more than 12 continuous hours. Manually enter the number of hours for this event.

   After creating the initial draft, modify the main shift or add additional shifts as needed.

4. To limit the number of participants attending the event, under Shift Capacity, select Set Capacity. Enter the maximum number of participants in the Participants field.

1. If participation in this event is eligible for the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA), select CRA eligible.

2. If participation applies to a volunteer campaign, select the applicable campaign from the drop-down menu. Otherwise, select None.

If applicable, enter skills, type(s), category (or categories), and tag(s) that apply to this event.

1. Enter Skills needed for the event.

2. Select an Event Type. If your organization has a lot of events, this can help employees filter their search.

3. Select an Event Category.

4. In Event Tags, select applicable event tag(s).

Note: To add or change skills, event types, event categories, and/or tags for your community, contact your CSM.

1. Enter Event Contacts that will display on the event page.

2. If applicable, select Answer to respond to any required questions.

3. If applicable, select Answer to respond to any required surveys.

1. Select Save Draft.

2. Review and adjust details on the draft.

   • Edit details.

   • Add shifts.

   • Create signup questions.

   • Upload documents and disclaimers.

   • Add or organize event photos.

3. If your organization requires approval, select Submit for Approval. If your community has event start date and event end date approvals set, an alert appears requiring confirmation of accuracy. You will receive an email advising that the event is under review.

4. When you are ready to publish your event, select Publish Event. The Manage Event page appears. For more information, see Manage events and projects.

1. From the top menu, select Volunteer, then Create.

2. Select Get Started, then Create a Project.

   

   This will take you to a blank project draft.

   Note: Some attributes are dependent on Community-level settings. Fields with a red asterisk beside them are required.

   

3. Under General Details, enter a Project Name and Project Description.

4. Under Upload Project Photo, either drag and drop a photo into the upload space or select Upload File to browse your device for images. The file types JPG, PNG, and GIF are accepted.

5. Select whether you would like this project to Show in Search Opportunities.

6. Add a Location. Select Virtual if this will be a virtual project.

7. Select a Benefiting Organization by using the Organization Search. If you cannot find the benefiting organization via the search tool, select the option enter your own outside organization.

1. Under Project Dates, select one of the following:

   • Standard: You have very defined start and end dates. Your volunteers will work together to achieve a goal or complete milestones.

   • Flexible: You have a flexible date range to recruit volunteers and to participate at their convenience during this span of time.
     Note: To use the Participant Invited to Project email to recruit participants, select Flexible.

2. Under Registration Options, identify whether participants can express interest in or join the project.

3. Under Final Date to Register, indicate whether the registration date is open until the project ends or closed by a specific date.

4. Under Default Role, enter a Role Name and optional Role Description. This is the default role that volunteers can fill when they sign up for the project.

5. Set the number of Participants Needed. If you do not want to set a limit, select Set as Unlimited.

6. Select Add Skills to this Role if you would like to indicate what skills are needed. This can help employees search for roles they can fulfill based on their skill sets.
   Note: To use the Participant Invited to Project email to recruit participants, add applicable skills to the project.

7. If applicable, select the campaign that this project applies to.

If applicable, enter type(s), category (or categories), and tag(s) that apply to this event.

1. Select a Project Type. If your organization has a lot of projects, this can help employees filter their search.

2. Select a Project Category.

3. In General Tags, select applicable project tag(s).

1. If applicable, select Answer to respond to any required questions.

2. If applicable, select Answer to respond to any required surveys.

1. Select Save Draft.

2. Review and adjust details on the draft.

   • Edit details

   • Upload documents and disclaimers.

   • Add or organize event photos.

   • Set goals.

3. If your organization requires approval, select Submit for Approval. You will receive an email advising that the project is under review.

4. When you are ready to publish the project, select Publish Project. The Manage Project page appears. For more information, see the help topic Manage events and projects.

To find and recruit participants to your project, you can send a Participant Invited to Project email through CSRconnect.

Note: To receive these email messages, employee must have skills listed on their profiles.

Before you begin:

1. Verify with your Customer Success Manager (CSM) that your community has the Projects feature and the Participant Invited to Project project email setting activated.

2. Check the project settings. It must:

   • Have Project Dates set to Flexible.

   • Have skills identified under Add Skills to this Role.

   • Be submitted for approval or published.

To send a Participant Invited to Project email:

1. From the top menu, select Volunteer.

2. From Manage, under Scheduled and Active, locate the project name and select Edit Project.

3. Select Add Participants.

4. Select Recruit.

5. Under Search by Project Role, select the role you want to recruit for. If employees have matching skills included on their profiles, their names are listed.
   

6. Select the check box next to the name for the employee you want to recruit.

7. Select Invite (envelope icon).

8. Optional: Include a message to the user about the project and why they would be a good fit for the role.

9. Select Invite.

10. On the Success screen, select Close. Participant Invited to Project email messages are sent to the recipients immediately.