You've been added to a user group—now what? Let's start by reviewing what a user group is and what you can do as a volunteer in a user group! Here we cover:
What is a user group?
A user group is a way for site managers to create groups of volunteers that share something in common. This could be you and the other members of the user group work at the same company, attend the same school, or go to the same church! Another common reason for being placed in a user group might be a shared skill set or scheduling availability. You might even have access to private Needs that have been shared with your User Group only!
How can I join a user group or be added to one?
There are a few ways you can be added to a user group:
- A site manager manually adds you to a user group
- You receive an invitation to join link
- You register with an email that is automatically assigned to a user group
ⓘ So you know: Once you've been added to a user group, the My User Groups option appears in your profile area.
- You can then review assigned Needs for the user group you're a member of or view the user group resume!
How do I see the assigned Needs for my user group?
To get started:
1. Click on your profile image or initials from the top menu bar.
2. Select My User Groups. 
3. Click View Needs under the Assigned Needs column. 
✏️ Quick tip: You can filter, search, and sort Needs! You can also change the view and layout of those Needs.
- To search, type a keyword or phrase in the Search By field.
- To filter, select a filter from the Select A Filter dropdown.
- Want to see which Needs are available near you? Select Distance and then filter by distance and Zip Code!
- Want to filter the list even further? You can add another filter from the Select A Filter dropdown to see Needs that match your needs!
- To sort, select how you want the Needs to be sorted with the Select Sorting dropdown.
- For example, you can alphabetize the Needs or see the newest Needs first!
- To change the view or layout of the available Needs, click either:
- Grid View: Available Needs appear as cards.
- List View: Available Needs appear in a list.
- Calendar View: Available Needs appear in a calendar.
- Map View: Available Needs are pinned on a map.
ⓘ So you know:
- Filtering, searching, and sorting options change depending on which view you select!
- For example, you can search by a phrase, sort order, and filter in Map View.
- You can also print a list of available Needs!
What if I'm a user group leader?
As a user group leader, you can:
- Review and export a list of volunteers in your user group
- Add or remove members
- Copy and share a join link
- View your user group resume
- Remove yourself from the user group
- Filter the user group table to see the information you need!
How do I manage my user group as a user group leader?
To get started:
1. Click on your profile image or initials form the menu bar.
2. Select My User Groups.
3. Click the pencil icon under the Options column for the user group you want to manage. 
- This opens up the window where you can manage the user group as needed!
- This popup includes several buttons and a table showing who is in the User Group and how many responses and hours have been attributed to this group.
- Export members: Click this button to get a spreadsheet of the info in the table
- Copy Join Link: Click this button to copy the Join Link. Volunteers can click the Join Link to be added to the User Group. You might paste the Join Link in an email to your company or volunteer group to get them to join the User Group.
- View Resume: This will show your User Group Resume (see below!)
- Add New Member: Type a volunteer's email in the textbox then click Add New Member to add them to the User Group. They must have a user account before you can add them!
✏️ Quick tip: Click here for more information about managing a user group as a user group leader.
How can I view the user group resume?
To view your user group's resume:
1. Click on your profile image or initials from the top menu bar.
2. Select My User Groups.
3. Click View Resume under the Reporting column. 
The user group resume includes:
- A Snapshot of the user group's impact, including:
- User group hours
- Impact value—this is the dollar value of the volunteer hour
- How many members are in the group
- The number of submitted Need responses for the group
- Data in graphs, including:
- User Group Hours By Month: Which months had the most submitted hours
- User Group Responses By Month: Which months had the most submitted Need responses
- Need Responses By Primary Skill: These are the skills assigned to those Needs and shows what skills have made the highest impact
✏️ Quick tip: Hover over the graphs to see the underlying data.
- User Group Needs, Agencies, and Hours
- This is where you can see:
- The available Needs for the group and the Initiatives they're assigned to
- What Agencies your group is assigned to
- Who has submitted hours for the group and how many hours too
- This is where you can see:
✏️ Quick tips:
- You can specify a date range to filter the resume!
- Want to download and print your resume? Click Export As PDF!
What if I don't see the view resume button?
If you don't see the View Resume button under the Reporting column under My User Groups—it's possible that the site manager has not enabled resume view for group members.
✅ Best practice: Contact the site manager to see if it's possible to enable resume view for your user group. You can usually find contact information in the footer area of your dashboard!
How can I add hours to the user group?
To add hour for the user group:
1. Click your profile image or initials in the top menu bar.
2. Select Track Hours. 
3. Fill our the Hour Type and Hour Details fields. 
- This is where you are prompted to select User Groups for this hour entry.
- You can select more than one user group as necessary.
- You can select more than one user group as necessary.
4. Complete any other necessary or required fields and click Submit Hour Entry.
- Those hours are now added for that user group!
How can I leave a user group?
If you need to leave a user group:
1. Click on your profile image or initials from the top menu bar.
2. Select My User Groups.
3. Click the (X) under the Options column.
- A popup appears to confirm you selection. Click Yes to confirm and be removed or No to cancel.
ⓘ So you know: If there are any private Needs assigned to the user group, then you'll lose access to those Needs when you leave it.
What if I don't see the option to remove myself?
If you don't see an (X) under the Options column, it's possible the site manager has disabled the ability for user group members to remove themselves.
✅ Best practice: Contact the site manager, or site manager to see if it's possible to enable this feature or to request being removed from a user group.You can usually find contact information in the footer area of your dashboard! 