Keywords: Group Settings; Groups; Group Profile; Manage Group Hours; Group Scheduling
📌 Tip for administrators: Use the Table of Contents on the right to quickly jump to the section you need.
Overview
Group management in Better Impact allows organisations to manage volunteers who participate together as a single unit by using one volunteer profile to represent an entire group. This approach makes it possible to schedule groups for activities, record attendance, and track volunteer hours when individual group members do not require separate profiles.
When group scheduling is enabled, group profiles can sign up for activities (where allowed), specify a group size for each assignment, and be scheduled or assigned in the same way as individual volunteers. Administrators retain control over which activities allow group participation and can adjust group size as needed.
Because hours are logged against a single profile, organisations must also decide how group hours are recorded and reported. Group size is not automatically applied to logged hours, so additional steps may be required to ensure accurate tracking and reporting of group participation.
Tracking hours and volunteers with groups can be done in one of two ways:
Each volunteer has their own account, and the hours are associated with them as an individual. A custom field could be used to capture a group name and help search/report all group members.
One volunteer account represents the group, and all hours are associated with that one account.
The remainder of this article will address strategies that align with the second option, where one volunteer profile represents the group.
Step 1 - Enable Group Scheduling
Setting up Group Scheduling enables identified profiles to represent an entire group. Group profiles can sign up for Activities in MyImpactPage.com and specify the number of group members associated with that signup. Administrators can also decide whether or not to allow groups to sign up for specific activities.
Go to Configuration > Activities > Schedule Settings
Check the box beside “Enable group scheduling”
Click the [Save] button
Step 2 - Enable/Disable Group Scheduling for Activities
Note
This option is only available if group scheduling is enabled at the organisation level.
Go to Configuration > Activities > Manage Activities
Optional: If your list of Activities is long, choose any of the filters in the top panel and click the green [Filter Activities] button.
Mouse over the Options icon beside the Activity you want to change
Click on “Edit”
In “Basic Info”, check the “Allow Group Signup” box to enable groups to sign up for this Activity (removing the check from this box will prevent groups from signing up for this Activity).
Click the [Save] button
Enable/Disable Group Scheduling for Multiple Activities
Enable/Disable Group Scheduling for Multiple Activities
Go to Configuration > Activities > Manage Activities
Set the filters to retrieve a list of Activities
Click the [Filter Activities] button
Check the boxes to select the Activities you wish to change
Scroll down to the bottom and select “Update Group Signup Setting” from the dropdown menu
Select “Allowed” or “Not Allowed” from the Group Signup dropdown menu
Check the box to confirm the change
Click the [Update Group Signup Setting] button
Now that you have Group Scheduling enabled in your account, you can move on to the next sections.
Add a Group Profile
Group profiles allow one volunteer profile to represent an entire group when group scheduling is enabled. A group profile can be created either through an online application designed for groups or directly by an administrator. Once identified as a group, the profile can be scheduled for activities and assigned a group size.
Option 1: Group Applies Online
Option 1: Group Applies Online
Ideally, new volunteers, including groups, will join your organization using one of the online applications for your organization. If one of your online applications is designed for groups, it should be used by the group leader.
Generate a link to the appropriate application
Share the link with the group leader or website administrator
Once the application is submitted, search for the profile using the Quick Search
Open the profile
Go to Main > Miscellaneous
In Volunteer > Group Settings:
Check Group
Enter the Group Name
Click Save
Option 2: Add Group Profile as an Administrator
Option 2: Add Group Profile as an Administrator
Go to: People > Volunteers > Add a Volunteer
Complete the required Contact Information
Select a Volunteer Status
Check Group
Enter a Group Name (for future use)
Click Save
Add any additional profile information if needed
Note
The profile’s first and last name will continue to appear in reports, schedules, and searches.
Login details must be shared manually when a profile is created by an administrator.
Option 3: Converting an Existing Profile into a Group
Option 3: Converting an Existing Profile into a Group
Edit the volunteer profile
Go to Main > Miscellaneous
Scroll to Volunteer > Group Settings
Check Group and enter a group name
Save the changes
Tip
The group name is determined by the first and last names on the profile.
Scheduling Groups
Scheduling groups allows a group profile to be assigned to activities in the same way as individual volunteers. Administrators can assign groups to scheduled or unscheduled activities and specify or update the group size for each assignment as needed.
Assign a Group to an Activity
Assign a Group to an Activity
Open the user's profile
Click on the “Assign” tab
Click on the name of the Activity.
Assign the volunteer (group):
Scheduled activities: Check the box in the “As” column for each applicable shift. You can also click the “As” box at the top of the list to assign the volunteer to all shifts. Update the Group Size (GS) if needed.
Unscheduled/Seasonal activities: Check the “Assigned” box and update the Group Size (GS)
Click the [Save] button
Change Group Size for an Assignment
Change Group Size for an Assignment
From Volunteer Profile:
Edit the volunteer’s profile
Go to the “Schedule” tab
Mouse over the Options icon beside the assignment, select “Update Group Size”
To update the group size for multiple assignments, check the boxes to the left of the assignments and choose “Update Group Size” from the dropdown menu at the bottom.
Enter the new group size value
Click the [Update Group Size] button
From Assigned List:
Go to the desired Assign menu option (from Unscheduled List, from Scheduled List)
Click the [+] button to display the names of people assigned
Mouse over the Options icon beside the person, select “Update Group Size”
To update the group size for multiple assignments, check the boxes to the left of the assignments and choose “Update Group Size” from the dropdown menu at the bottom.
Enter the new group size value
Click the [Update Group Size] button
Tracking Group Volunteer Hours
When one profile represents a group, all volunteer hours are logged against that single profile. Group size is not automatically applied to logged hours, so organisations must take additional steps to ensure group hours and participation are tracked accurately.
If you have chosen to have one profile represent a group, then you will need to consider how to track the group's hours accurately and take into account the group size.
While it is possible for the group lead or administrator to enter the group size at the time a sign up is created, this information is not applied to any hours that are logged.
For example, if a group of 5 is scheduled to come in and work for 5 hours, and the group lead logs 5 hours through their profile, only 5 hours will be attributed to that profile. The system will NOT multiply the hours logged by the group size entered as part of the sign up process.
Here are some options for managing this
Option 1: Create a Feedback Field that asks for group size at the time that hours are logged. When an administrator or group lead logs hours to this profile, they would be prompted to fill in this feedback field.
After these hours are logged, an administrator can take this into account and edit the hours entry from 5 hours to 25 hours.
This also allows you to more accurately report on the total number of volunteers who have contributed hours
Option 2: Instruct your group leads or administrators to take into account the group size at the time that hours are logged.
Important
Accurately reporting group participation can be complex. For example, if 10 people volunteer together once a month for a year, it’s unclear whether that should count as:
10 volunteers
120 volunteer instances
Or something in between
Because of this ambiguity, group size is not automatically built into hours collection.
Tips for Managing Groups Effectively
Be consistent with how group hours are logged to avoid reporting discrepancies.
Clearly communicate to group leads how hours should be entered.
Use feedback fields if group size may vary between visits.
Enable group signup only for activities that are suitable for group participation.
Wrapping Up
Group management in Better Impact provides a way to schedule, manage, and track volunteers who participate together using a single volunteer profile. By enabling group scheduling, creating and identifying group profiles, allowing group signup on relevant activities, and carefully managing group size and hours entry, organisations can support group participation while maintaining accurate schedules and records.
Because hours are logged against one profile and group size is not automatically applied, consistency in how group information is entered and reviewed is key to ensuring reliable reporting.