Platform manual for event organisers

Create your event

I have already worked with Swiss Volunteers: 

If you have already worked with Swiss Volunteers, your event organisation already exists. If you have the role of "Event Organisation Administrator", you can manage the event organisation and create new events. Under "Events" you can copy existing events or create a new event. If you do not have the rights of the "Event-Organisation-Administrator", contact the person with these rights, so that he/she assigns you the created event together with the rights as "Event-Administrator".

I have never worked with Swiss Volunteers:

On the Swiss Volunteers platform, you can directly create your event organisation and event. As soon as you have completed the creation process, your event organisation and event will be created and available for you to edit. Additional people can be added to the event administration in the menu item "User administration" and assigned the appropriate roles.

On the Swiss Volunteers platform, people can be assigned one or more roles. This can be seen at the top left and can be changed by clicking on the user name using the drop-down menu. The existing roles are described below in descending order:

EO Administrator

The Event Organisation Administrator has all rights of an organisation to which the events are connected. He can create new events himself and assign roles. The EO administrator is defined during the registration process of the organisation. Additional EO administrators can be added to an organisation by adding a registered person or a newly created person under "Users".

Event Administrator

The Event Administrator manages events and has no influence on the parent organisation. Event administrators are assigned the role for the specific event by the EO administrator. Additional Event Administrators can be added to an organisation by adding a registered person or a newly created person under "Users".

Sector administrators*

A department administrator manages his or her assigned department and the associated tasks and assignments. The event administrator can assign the role of department administrator to a registered person or a newly created person in the event under "User Management".

Helper-Group Manager*

Helper-Group Manager is the contact person in the run-up to an event for an individual group. He or she may be different from the contact person who leads the group on-site. The event administrator can assign the role of helper group manager to a registered person or a newly created person in the event under "User administration".

* These roles are not mandatory for the execution of an event. 

Meaning of publication

The event publication allows the event organiser to present the event already on the platform as well as on the website of Swiss Volunteers and to draw attention to the fact that the registration will be opened soon. Publication of the event does not mean that registration is open.

Fill in the event profile

Part of the event profile is automatically filled in with the information entered during the event creation. All empty fields have to be completed by the event organiser. Please refer to the event settings section. Attention: Do not forget to save.

Publication of the event

In order for the event to be published publicly, the event profile must be filled out completely after it has been created. If all necessary points are filled in (see checklist publication), the button "Publicly published" can be activated. The event will then appear in the event list on the Swiss Volunteers platform. An event can also be published publicly if the volunteer registration is not yet open. Attention: The registration must be released accordingly under "Registration" and is not automatically released with publication. See the chapter "Open volunteer registration".

Meaning registration 

In order to activate the public registration for the event, all fields must be filled in under the menu item Registration (Attention: Do not forget to save). Under Registration you can define the period for the public registration for your event and how the volunteers should indicate their availability (see also Availability period). For the registration of groups you will find all necessary information under Groups.

Settings

In addition to the availability of the volunteers, their department priorities can also be queried. In order for resorts to be displayed, they must be set to active and public registration must be activated. Direct registration for assignments is possible, if required. To do this, you must create the appropriate assignments with the purpose registration form under the menu item "Assignments". These assignments must be completed with one or more assignments of the type "Schedule line". (Cf. in-depth description of assignments under Tasks and assignments).

The registration can be viewed with "Simulate registration" before it is released and shows how it appears from the volunteer's point of view. As soon as everything is correct, the button "Activate public registration" can be activated. 

Availability period

The availability period defines the registration options for volunteers in the registration form. Depending on the type of event, a different type of availability center may be appropriate. Cf. deepening of availability period.

Registration links

Registration links allow the creation of department or group specific links, which can be used in addition to the general registration link. When logging in via such a link, the volunteers are assigned to the corresponding department or group.

Requirements

Under the tab "Requirements" you can enter requirements and information that should be requested during the registration process (e.g. T-shirt size). 

The button "Manage requirements" can be used to store mandatory requirements and information for the respective department, which are not mandatory for the event organiser, but are relevant. This information will be requested from all volunteers during registration. Requests for requirements and information can also be made at department level. All requirements stored in the event are listed in the menu item "Requirements overview" and can also be edited there if necessary.

The sectors represent the top level in the organisational overview. Sub-departments, tasks and assignments can be assigned to them. It is up to the event organiser to decide which form of organisation to choose. 

Enter sectors

Any number of sectors can be created under "Sectors". It is advisable to enter a description for each sector so that the volunteers know what this sector entails. A location can be entered for each sector so that this information also appears in the volunteer's schedule. If it makes sense, sub-sectors can also be created in the same way and assigned to the higher-level sector. Attention: In order for a sector to be displayed in the registration, "Public registration possible" must be activated.

Once created, sectors can be assigned tasks, copied as well as specific requirements can be added.

Distinction between tasks and assignments

Tasks describe an activity (e.g. entrance control) and are assigned to sectors or sub-sectors. Tasks allow an improved overview of the ongoing activities at the event. Assignments, on the other hand, describe the time and place of an activity (e.g. Löwenplatz / Mon 31.03. 08.30 - 11.30). 

Tasks

The tasks function as a description of the activity and are linked to the corresponding assignments. The description of the task is not displayed in the registration form, but appears on the assignment plans as soon as they are released. The times and locations are defined via the associated assignment. Tasks are not mandatory for the assignment planning, but enable the event organiser to create supplementary activity descriptions and a clear event structure. 

Similar to the sectors, the tasks are created under "Tasks" and can be assigned to sectors as soon as they are created, copied as well as specific requirements can be added. For repetitive tasks, it is recommended to create a rotation and then copy and customise it as desired.

The "Manage requirements" button can be used to store mandatory requirements and information for each task, which are not mandatory for the event organiser, but are relevant. This information is then requested from all volunteers during registration. 

Assignments 

The assignments are created under "Assignments". For the sake of clarity, it is advisable to designate the respective assignments specifically. Assignments can be assigned to a sector, a sub-sector or a task. For each assignment, a location must be entered to indicate to the volunteers where their assignment will take place. Important: The number of volunteers is no longer a planned value, but the actual number of volunteers needed for the assignment.

There are two different types of assignments: "Registration form" and "Allocation". The type "Registration form" is only meant for the registration (invitation for assignments) and must be combined with at least one assignment of the type "Allocation". Applications for sectors and sub-sectors can be combined directly with assignments of the type "Allocation". Cf. in-depth description of assignment types.

Registered volunteers 

In the menu item "Registrations" all registered volunteers are listed with the corresponding registration date. The registration data selected by the volunteer (dates and departments with prioritisations) can be called up via the "Display registration data" button. In addition, the "Information" button can be used to display all relevant information on the respective volunteer.

Communication with volunteers 

All volunteers who have registered for the event are listed under "Registrations". By clicking on the button "Send message" on the right side of the list, individual volunteers can be contacted via a system message. The volunteers will receive the message on their volunteer profile as well as via e-mail. If several or all volunteers are to be contacted, they can be selected at the top left of the list and written to. See Communication

Handling interface of the assignment allocation 

The volunteers who have registered for the event can be allocated to the previously created assignments of the type "Allocation" in the "Allocation" area. 

By clicking on "Assign/allocate", the assignment interface will be opened. If necessary, already assigned volunteers as well as partial availability of volunteers can be displayed. 

Four windows with the following functions appear on the interface: 

• The event structure is an image of the previously stored sectors and tasks with the assignments allocated to them in each case. These can be expanded and collapsed as required.
• By clicking on the respective level of the event structure, detailed information on the respective organisational level appears in the window below.
• Under "Assignments" all volunteers registered for the event are listed. They are listed according to their sector registration. The MQ (matching quota) corresponds to the value of how well a volunteer matches the respective assignment according to the information provided during the registration process.
• By clicking on the volunteer, all relevant information about the volunteer appears in the lower window.

Assignment and allocation of volunteers

The assignment and approval process takes place in three steps: 

1. Assignment

With the selection of the respective sectors, the volunteers who have registered for the sector appear. By clicking on the boxes in front of the respective volunteers, the functions "Add" and "Remove" are activated. The volunteers can now be allocated to a sector, sub-sector or task. A volunteer can be assigned to several sectors, sub-sectors and tasks. Attention: The assignment is not a definitive allocation, but serves as an overview and is a prerequisite for the second step, the allocation.

2. Allocation 

The volunteers assigned in the first step can now be allocated to the assignments already created. The platform automatically indicates who cannot attend an assignment, who is already prevented by another assignment and who can be allocated an assignment. Already allocated assignments of a volunteer are indicated via the info button as well as in the information field below. Once the allocation has been made, the window can be closed. The volunteer does not yet see his assignments after they have been allocated. 

3. Activation 

In order for volunteers to view their allocated assignments in their profile, they must be activated. In the menu item "Allocations" the overview list of all allocations appears. By clicking on the button "Activate allocations", the allocated assignments become accessible for the volunteer on his profile. The volunteer will also receive a system message on his profile.

Proof of the communication measures carried out

After the event has been held, the event organiser must upload a corresponding proof via "Settings" under "Communication measures" for the respective communication measures via "Manage". For material communication measures such as banners, a corresponding image must be stored. Communication measures that cannot be documented will be charged to the organiser in the invoice.

Hour release volunteer

After the event has taken place, the hours worked by all volunteers must be recorded. All the hours calculated for each volunteer on the basis of the allocations are stored under "Assignment hours". These can either be confirmed or adjusted accordingly via "Edit". The hours are to be entered for all volunteers according to the hours worked.

Final invoice

Once the proof of the communication measures and the volunteer hours have been entered in full, Swiss Volunteers triggers the final accounting. In this process, the volunteers assigned and the communication measures carried out are checked and invoiced accordingly. As soon as the final invoice is ready, you will be informed by e-mail.

Remove user roles

The EO administrator can administer user roles in his organisation under "Users" and remove them if necessary. Especially for recurring events or multiple events administered simultaneously on Swiss Volunteers, the EO administrator can manage the user roles after the event has been completed and remove people who no longer need access to the event as "event administrators". In this way, these persons only see the currently relevant roles in their personal profile.

Enter groups

Groups allow the event organiser to represent clubs and organisations involved in the event. These can be created by the event organiser via the menu item "Helper groups" and the associated information can be stored. The group manager takes the role of the group administration, while the group leader is responsible for the group during the event. In principle, this can also be the same person. A group can also be supplemented with payment details and address, should a credit note be issued to the club or organisation for the hours worked after the event.

Real and fictitious volunteers

The platform distinguishes between two types of volunteers. Real volunteers are persons who have a volunteer profile with Swiss Volunteers, can create one and whose commitment can be assigned to a specific person. Fictitious volunteers are persons whose assignments cannot be allocated to specific persons. For example, an organisation that provides a number of people as volunteers, but it is not clear which people will actually perform the assignment.

We recommend that real volunteers be used whenever possible. The combination of real and fictitious volunteers in a group is up to the event organiser. It is possible for the group organiser to create fictitious volunteers.

Volunteer registrations for groups

In order for a volunteer to register for a group, he or she must register via the group-specific registration link. This is created in the menu item "Registration" and sent by the event organiser to the respective group manager. The latter then distributes the link to potential volunteers of the club or organisation. The registration form for groups corresponds to the general registration form, but stores the group membership in the background. Volunteers can also be added manually to existing groups by the event organiser. In this case, the function "Assign volunteer to group" must be used via "Volunteers".

Edit groups

Groups can be edited at any time after their creation. In addition, volunteers who have already registered can be added to or removed from a group individually or collectively via the menu item "Volunteers". Thus, even after opening, further groups can be created and populated with registered volunteers. By means of the role "group manager", the respective groups can be opened and administered. Volunteers can also be removed from a group.

Each group must be confirmed by the group manager as soon as all volunteers have registered for the group.

Customise login and profile data

Under "My profile" you can check and edit your personal data at any time. You can also change your password here at any time. Under "My resources" you can store and adjust the most important information about your skills. If you have forgotten your password, you can reset it at any time in the login window using the "Reset password" function.

Login does not work

If you have problems logging in, please contact the Swiss Volunteers office .

General

The communication measures in favor of Swiss Volunteers allow the organiser to reduce the price of the basic amount by up to 70%. These are to be selected according to the specifications when ordering. The various communication measures are awarded with points, the maximum of 100 points corresponds to the price reduction of 70%.

Administration

The communication measures of an event can be viewed and managed by the event administrator at any time via "Settings" under "Communication measures". The services to be provided and the communication measures to be approved by Swiss Volunteers are listed. Approval must be given before production/implementation and is mandatory. Communication measures that do not require approval can be implemented directly. All relevant information, examples and the associated downloads can be accessed via the Info button. At the end of an event, all completed communication measures are to be made available in this area via upload for the final invoice.

Adjustments

If communication measures cannot be implemented, this will be recorded accordingly in the final invoice and the price reduced when the event was recorded will be charged by the corresponding amount. If the organiser would like to implement other or additional communication measures, he must contact the office via helpdesk@go.swissvolunteers.ch.

Communication with the volunteers before, during and after the event is essential for the volunteers' loyalty to the event. For this reason, the Swiss Volunteers platform offers various options for communicating directly with volunteers.

E-mail

Under "Registrations" and "Volunteers", volunteers can be contacted individually or collectively by e-mail. In this way, they can be informed in advance of the event about the publication of the deployment plans or specific information. We recommend that you maintain regular contact with the volunteers in the run-up to the event in question.

SMS

During the registration process, the SMS option can be activated for a flat fee of CHF 40.00 and a cost per SMS of CHF 0.05. This enables the direct sending of messages. This enables the direct sending of messages to the selected volunteers. This is particularly useful around the event when selected volunteers need to be provided with specific information. The SMS function can be added to the order at a later date. To do this, the organiser must contact the Swiss Volunteers office via helpdesk@go.swissvolunteers.ch.