What are Assignments and How Can I Use Them?
Assignments are ongoing roles with, or without a schedule. There are three main benefits of using Assignments:
You wish to have more control over the recruitment pipeline in advance or independent of scheduling.
You require different permission settings for specific roles and who can view available shifts.
You work with volunteers on a regular basis and don't need them to apply each time, they can simply be notified when there are available shifts and signup.
An Assignment has three parts: the application, the pipeline, and the schedule. We will walk through creating and designing your application first.
Creating an Assignment
To create a new assignment, click on Recruit tab...
...then click the Create New button top right corner from within the Assignments page.
Next, give the assignment a name. Dog Walker, Project Lead, and Social Media Team are all examples of Assignments.
When you're ready, you can create the Assignment and jump right to designing the application. Or, you can start adding people to the assignment.
Designing an Assignment Application
To create or edit an assignment application, open the assignment and go to the 'Application' tab. You'll be directed to a visual editor for the assignment application. What you see on the screen is roughly what the published application will look like, including the sidebar and 'Apply' buttons.
Follow these steps for a great application:
Add an image. Images at least 1400px wide work best. Avoid images with text, or images that are very busy. The focus of the image should be in the top right, so the title of your assignment doesn't compete with the image. If you choose not to upload an image, Timecounts will fill the space with a coloured pattern to match your Community Hub colours.
Select the Commitment Level and Details. How much time is required of your volunteers? You can choose from short term, long term, or flexible. Add timeframe details in the next text box, to give your volunteers an idea of how much of a commitment is required.
Add a location. Let your volunteers know where they're expected to perform their volunteer tasks. You can choose Global, Online, or No Location if needed. But if the location will vary, we suggest at least entering the city or region in which the volunteer can expect to work.
Add an overview about the assignment. Why should volunteers apply? What impact will volunteers have? What tasks will they be performing?
Add more content blocks. Click on the 'Add New Content Block' dropdown to choose a section to add to your application, or add a new custom section. Options include 'Requirements', 'Qualifications', 'What to Expect', and more. There's no need to add any or all of these sections, but we hope they'll act as guides to help prompt the creation of a stellar, informative application.
Save your changes.
Editing the Assignment Application Form
To edit or change the form that's linked to your Assignment Application, go to the Signup Form tab in your assignment. Select from the dropdown which form you wish to link.
To add a Thank You message on the confirmation page, check the box and enter your message. This message will override any message already set in the form you've chosen.
Note: If volunteers are logged in to a Timecounts account when they apply, the signup form you choose will auto-populate and hide known fields for that volunteer. For example, if the volunteer has already entered their birthdate on a previous signup form, the birthdate field will auto-fill and hide.
Learn more about How to Open Applications and Qualifying People for Assignments.