Our admins have often requested a new way to better “schedule” their events. Until now, Advanced Events has been bearing the load of scheduling volunteers, especially for activities such as Days of Service. Later this fall, our software will be streamlined in the form of our exciting upgrade called “Opportunity Scheduling“, which is a new feature that comes with the release of the Version 2.6. upgrade. It will allow agencies to manage and recruit volunteers even more effectively since it gives users the chance to sign up for multiple -yet distinct- shifts at once.
Opportunity Scheduling, in short, allows Needs to have multiple shifts and unique capacities for each shift. Your agency can now create a need that occurs over multiple days or multiple times in the same day. For instance, a need for “After-School Homework Buddies” might be created for 3 p.m. every Tuesday between now and winter break without pause, or a need requesting help sorting a shipment of in-kind goods might be scheduled for 9 a.m., 12 p.m., 3 p.m., and 6 p.m. on a single day.
By allowing agencies to specify shifts, Galaxy Digital is giving more control to the agencies who use the system the most and it will allow agency managers to keep tabs on who exactly is showing up for each time slot. And this feature isn’t only limited to nonprofits – far from it! Many corporations and student groups want to schedule community service events with a handful of their volunteers, employees, students, or staff members at a given time. Opportunity Scheduling not only allows users to pick a specific time and day to volunteer within a need, but they can also respond to multiple shifts at once, making the experience more user-friendly on both ends.
When agencies and users are happy, site managers are happy. Agency engagement has always hinged on a site’s ability to draw in volunteers, but volunteers cannot be attracted without good content. This “chicken and the egg” problem has vexed some communities for a while, but by giving control to agencies and more detail to users, Opportunity Scheduling will bring even more people to the table- and that’s a win for everyone!
What will your site do with all of its extra impact? Only time will tell. Let the Galaxy Digital team know if you have any questions about this or any other new features mentioned on our site. One of the best ways to learn more is to contact support@galaxydigital.com if you are currently a Galaxy Digital customer, or sales@galaxydigital.com if you want to learn more about how the different Connect Products can positively impact your organization and community.