About this feature: The activities feature is used to post the available volunteer positions (roles, jobs, assignments, tasks, etc.). The creation of Activities is required to track volunteer engagement, including contributed hours. Any hours that are recorded for/by a volunteer must be associated with an activity.
Check out our training videos on Activities and Role Creation here: https://www.betterimpact.tv/vi-role-creation/
In Better Impact, activities can be unscheduled (no shifts) or scheduled (set shifts at specific days and times). Both options allow for hours to be tracked.
You can manage your Activities from Configuration >> Activities >> Manage Activities
Add a New Activity
Go to Configuration >> Activities >> Manage Activities
Mouse over the Options icon in the “Activities” header and click on “New Activity” (or click the [+ New Activity] button at the bottom of the page).
How to add an activity
How to add an activity
Tab 1: Basic Info
Activity - Enter name (maximum 200 characters)
Category - From the dropdown menu
Select the category you want the activity to be listed under. To learn more about categories, please see this article.
Activity Report Group - Enterprise Accounts only: from the dropdown menu
Select the activity report group this activity should belong to. To learn more about activity report groups, please see this article.
Application Form - From the dropdown menu
Select the application form to associate with this activity.
If this activity is made public, those who select the activity on your Public Volunteer Page will be directed to the application that is selected here.
Active Status - Checked by default
Active activities are available for volunteers to sign up for or for administrators to assign people to
Hours Logging - Check to enable
If enabled, volunteers can log hours for this activity
Auto Log Hours - Check to enable
Choose whether the system should auto-log hours for this activity. This is only available for Scheduled Activities
Group Sign Up - Check to enable
If enabled, group profiles will be able to sign up for more than one spot
Enable Backup List - Check to enable
Select whether volunteers can add themselves to the backup list.
Descriptions
Optional: Enter descriptions
Pre-assigned: Seen by those not yet assigned/scheduled
Post-assigned: Seen by assigned/scheduled volunteers
Internal: Visible only to Administrators
Note: If activities represent support for individual clients within your organization, please keep in mind that using the names of these clients or other client information in the name of the activity or the description will make this information visible to all volunteers who can see the activity.
Names of activities may also be sent by email if upcoming schedule data is requested by the volunteer. For privacy reasons, you may want to consider using a different naming convention.
Once your selections have been made, select [Next].
Tab 2: Schedule
Choose from five schedule option tabs at the top:
Recurring Pattern: Multiple shift times with a regular pattern
Disjointed: Multiple shift times with no set pattern
One Time: Single shift date and time
Seasonal: Unscheduled within a finite date range
No Schedule: Unscheduled (no set shift times)
For Scheduled Activities, add shifts as needed by selecting a template or creating a pattern:
Select an existing template
Select date range
Optional: Override Activity Defaults for Maximum and Minimum volunteer for this shift
Click the [Save] button
Enter the pattern of shifts you wish to add (along with the start/end dates)
Optional: Click [Save this as a template] to save for future use
Optional: Override Activity Defaults for Maximum and Minimum volunteer for this shift
Click the [Save] button.
Check out this article for more information on creating weekly or monthly shift templates.
Click [Next].
IMPORTANT:
Shifts cannot be added to an unscheduled or seasonal Activity.
All shifts cannot be removed from a scheduled Activity.
If you have saved the Activity but need to change the schedule type, mouse over the Options icon next to the activity and select “Update Activity Type”.
Tab 3: Visibility and Automation
The setting you select here will determine who is able to see and sign up for your activity. To learn more about the sign up process click here.
Visible To - Select which volunteers can see your Activity (Note: if they can see it, they can sign up for it):
Only volunteers who are signed up, assigned or on the backup list
Visible to all volunteers who are: check the status(es) and qualifications (optional) volunteers must have
When "if qualified" is selected here, a warning will pop up if no qualifications have been selected on the subsequent "Qualifications" tab of the activity settings
Public: All of your volunteers can see the Activity (it will also appear on your Activity List signup link to potential applicants)
Self-Scheduling - Automatically assign these volunteers when they sign up for the Activity/shift based on status(es) and qualifications (optional).
If not enabled or if the volunteer does not meet the requirements for self-scheduling, their sign up will require admin approval
When "if qualified" is selected here, a warning will pop up if no qualifications have been selected on the subsequent "Qualifications" tab of the activity settings
Auto Lock - Prevents volunteers from signing up when an Activity/shift is full.
When enabled, the system will automatically restrict sign-ups once the desired number of approved volunteers is reached.
Even with Auto Lock activated, volunteers can continue signing up until enough approvals are made to meet the activity's required capacity.
For example, with a maximum of 5 volunteers, sign-ups remain open until the fifth volunteer is approved.
Minimum Volunteers - Minimum number of people needed for the Activity/shift
Maximum Volunteers - Maximum number of people needed for the Activity/shift (triggers the auto-lock)- If the Maximum Volunteers box is greyed out, ensure Auto Lock is activated first.
Only required if auto-lock is enabled
This setting can be adjusted for individual shifts by navigating to Schedule > Edit Shift > Auto Lock.
Administrators can also make bulk adjustments to multiple shifts (see this article)
Administrators can manually exceed these limits when assigning volunteers without triggering the auto-lock.
Volunteers directly assigned by an administrator are not counted as sign-ups for auto-lock purposes.
Allow volunteers to remove themselves - If enabled, enter a number in the hours box (default will be set as 0)
Cut off signup - If enabled, you can prevent people from signing up for a shift within a specified number of hours before it begins (must be a whole number greater than 0)
Click the [Next] button to move on to the Qualifications, or click the [Save] button if no additional settings are needed.
Tab 4: Qualifications
Using the dropdown menus, select the relevant Qualification(s) for the activity.
Volunteers must meet or exceed what you select here to be considered qualified for the Activity.
Only volunteers meeting the qualifications will be able to view and sign up for the activity when you select "if qualified" in the Visibility section.
This provides a way to restrict activities to specific groups of volunteers with the appropriate skills or credentials.
2. Click the [Next] button to move on to the Feedback Fields, or [Save] if you are not adding any Feedback Questions or Classifications (Classifications exist for Enterprise clients only).
Tab 5: Feedback Fields
Check the box next to any Feedback Field(s) to associate them with the activity.
Once associated, volunteers will be able to complete the fields when they are logging hours for the activity.
If the Feedback Field you need for this Activity has not yet been created, you can do so by clicking the [Add New] button
Click the [Next] button to move on to Schedule Classifications (or “Classifications” for Enterprise clients), or [Save] if you are not adding any classifications.
Tab 6: Classifications
Classifications can be used to provide more information for your General Interests, and Activities in your organizations to enable users to search for opportunities. Classifications can also appear on your organizations application form(s) enabling administrators to search for users with specific classification values.
Check the box beside the Classification options to associate them with this activity.
Click the [Save] button, or [Next] to move on to Notifications if your organization has an upgraded subscription.
Tab 7: Notifications (Upgraded Subscriptions only)
Upgraded subscription administrators are able to select for which activities they will receive notifications.
Check the box “Select administrators to be notified for this activity”
Check the box beside each administrator that should receive Activity Notifications for this specific activity.
Note: Administrators will also need to have Activity Notifications selected in the Miscellaneous section of their profile.
Click the [Save] button.
IMPORTANT: If administrators are selected to get notifications for a specific activity, or activities, they will ONLY get notifications for those activities. If an administrator has not been selected for specific activities, they will receive notifications for ALL activities (including those that have administrators specified) based on the selections made in the Miscellaneous section of their profile.
Edit Activities
This video will provide you with an explanation of how to edit your activities:
Go to: Configuration, then click on “Manage Activities” found in the sidebar under Activities
For long activity lists, use the filters in the top panel and click the blue [Filter Activities] button
Mouse over the Options icon beside the Activity
Click on “Edit”
Click on the tab you need, and make the desired changes
Click the [Save] button in that section
Click the [Close] button once all changes have been saved
Edit Activity While Assigning Volunteers
About this feature: When assigning volunteers from the “Assign” menu options you can also edit some of the attributes of the activity / shift
Go to: Assign >> Unscheduled List or Scheduled List
For long activity lists, use the filters in the top panel and click the [Filter Activities] button
Mouse over the Options icon to the left of the activity (unscheduled, seasonal) or shift (scheduled):
Unscheduled Activities: Lock Activity / Unlock Activity
Seasonal Activities: Lock Activity / Unlock Activity, Update Season Dates
Scheduled Activities: Lock Shift / Unlock Shift, Edit Shift
“Edit Shift” enables changes to Basic Info and Override Activity Defaults
Note: The ability to lock or unlock a shift (or activity) is only available if “Auto Lock” has not been enabled for that activity.
Edit Activity Schedule Type
About this feature: Activities can have one of three schedule types:
1. Scheduled: An Activity that has specific dates and times associated with it.
2. Unscheduled: An ongoing Activity that has no date or time associated with it. (ex. remote volunteers that are able to perform their work at any hour that works for them)
3. Seasonal: An Activity that has no time associated with it and is performed on the volunteer’s own time, but only occurs between two dates. (ex. unscheduled activities that are only needed during a particular season, month(s), or week).
Note: An activity cannot be simultaneously Scheduled and Unscheduled. If you need an activity in both categories, you must create two separate entries.
IMPORTANT: In order to update the Activity type of a Scheduled Activity, it must have only ONE shift. If it has more than one shift, you will need to remove the extra shifts prior to updating the Activity type.
Go to: Configuration, then click on “Manage Activities” found in the sidebar under Activities
For long activity lists, use the filters in the top panel and click the blue [Filter Activities] button
Mouse over the Options icon beside the Activity
Click on “Update Activity Type”. The current name and schedule type for the activity will display.
Select the desired New Type from the drop list. The options displayed will depend on the current schedule type for the activity:
Unscheduled change to:
“Scheduled”: specify a shift date with start and end time (you can add more shifts later by editing the Activity)
“Seasonal”: specify the start / end dates
Scheduled change to:
“Seasonal”: specify the start / end dates
“Unscheduled”
Seasonal change to:
“Scheduled”: specify a shift date with start and end time (you can add more shifts later by editing the Activity)
“Unscheduled”
Click the [Save] button
Copy Activity
Save some time and copy an existing activity instead of starting from scratch
Go to: Configuration, then click on “Manage Activities” found in the sidebar under Activities
For long activity lists, use the filters in the top panel and click the blue [Filter Activities] button
Mouse over the Options icon beside the Activity
Click on “Copy”
Enter the name of the New Activity
Specify which objects to include in the copy:
Qualifications
Feedback Fields
Schedule Classifications (if the organization is part of an enterprise, all types of classifications can be copied)
Associated Client (only available if your organization has the Client Module enabled)
Notification Administrators (only available if your organization has an Upgraded subscription)
Current Shifts (Past shifts will not be included in the copy)
Click the [Copy Activity] button
Delete Activity
IMPORTANT: Once an activity is deleted, it is gone permanently.
An activity cannot be deleted if it has hours logged against it. We recommend changing its status to Inactive instead (see section below).
Go to: Configuration, then click on “Manage Activities” found in the sidebar under Activities
For long activity lists, use the filters in the top panel and click the blue [Filter Activities] button
Mouse over the Options icon beside the Activity
Click on “Delete”. You will be warned if volunteers are assigned to the activity.
Click the [Delete] button to confirm
Change Activity Active Status
About this feature:
Even though you cannot archive an activity, changing its status to Inactive will make it so that volunteers don't have access to it.
Changing an activity’s status will impact its visibility on the volunteers’ opportunity list/calendar and some reports, but will retain the scheduling information (including current assignments).
Go to: Configuration, then click on “Manage Activities” found in the sidebar under Activities
Choose the desired filters in the top panel to search for the activities you wish to change. For example:
If you want to re-activate Inactive activities, filter for those activities with a Status of “Inactive”
If you want to inactivate activities that are currently Active, filter for those activities with a Status of “Active”
Click the blue [Filter Activities] button
Mouse over the Options icon beside the Activity
Click on “Edit”
In “Basic Info”, check (or uncheck) the “This activity is active” box
Click the [Save] button in that section
Click the [Close] button
Note: Changing an activity to inactive does not automatically remove the ability for volunteers to log hours for the activity. Please deselect this option as well if desired.
Edit/Disable Activity Hours Logging
Go to: Configuration, then click on “Manage Activities” found in the sidebar under Activities
For long activity lists, use the filters in the top panel and click the blue [Filter Activities] button
Mouse over the Options icon beside the Activity
Click on “Edit”
In “Basic Info”, check (or uncheck) the “Allow Hours Logging” box to enable volunteers to log hours for this Activity
Click the [Save] button in that section
Click the [Close] button
Note: Regardless of this setting, an administrator will always be able to log hours on behalf of a volunteer, provided that they are not a Limited Access Administrator who is restricted from doing so.
View/Print Activity
Go to: Configuration, then click on “Manage Activities” found in the sidebar under Activities
For long activity lists, use the filters in the top panel and click the blue [Filter Activities] button
Mouse over the Options icon beside the Activity
Click on “View”
To print, click the Print icon in the top left
Click the [Close] button when finished
Edit Activity Min/Max Volunteer Settings
About this Feature:
Managing the number of volunteers for specific shifts is a common organizational need. In Better Impact, you have the flexibility to set default volunteer limits or customize them for individual shifts.
Go to: Configuration, then click on “Manage Activities” found in the sidebar under Activities
For long activity lists, use the filters in the top panel and click the blue [Filter Activities] button
Mouse over the Options icon beside the Activity
Click on “Edit”
Click on the Schedule tab
Optional: Apply filters in the top panel to isolate the shifts you would like to edit and click the blue [Filter Shifts] button.
Check the boxes next to the shifts you would like to change (or check the “Select All” button at the bottom)
In the “Change Selected” drop-down list near the bottom, choose:
Override Minimum Volunteers: to change the minimum number of volunteers required for these shifts
Enter the new minimum number
Click the [Override Minimum Volunteers] button
Remove Minimum Volunteers Override: to reset the minimum number of volunteers
Click the [Remove Minimum Volunteers Override] button
Override Maximum Volunteers: to change the maximum number of volunteers allowed in the shift
Enter the new maximum number
Click the [Override Maximum Volunteers] button
Remove Maximum Volunteers Override: to reset the maximum number of volunteers
Click the [Remove Maximum Volunteers Override] button
Once you have made all of the changes you wish, click the [Close] button
Tip: When editing multiple shifts, use the filter options on the Schedule page to quickly locate specific shifts needing adjustments.
Increase the page size in filters to view and manage more shifts at once.