Adding Assignments for your Volunteers

Administrators can create assignments for volunteers -- either individually or in bulk -- with just a few clicks! The steps below outline how Administrators can go about ensuring the most rewarding pairings.

Adding Assignments Individually

Note: You must be a Handler for the role and/or year to be able to assign a constituent to a Volunteer via the "Search Constituents" page

1. Navigate to the Manage Volunteers section > "Constituents" tab

2. Search for the Constituent you hope to pair to a Volunteer 

• You can search either by name or constituent ID, or you can select "Advanced Search" and search by criteria such as class year, activities, and location.

3. Once you have found the Constituent, select the Volunteer from the dropdown box. 

4. Click the "Assign to Volunteer" button.

Caption: Search Constituents Page

Caption: Assign to Volunteer

Adding Assignments in Bulk

1. Navigate to the "Manage Volunteers" section > "Assignments" tab

2. Click "Upload  New Assignments"

3. Upload a CSV file with the following columns: 

• If you have "Shared Assignments" enabled
  • volunteer_id, volunteer_email, volunteer_name, constituent_id, roles, unassign
• If you do not have "Shared Assignments" enabled
  • volunteer_id, volunteer_email, volunteer_name, constituent_id, roles, unassign, overwrite
• Click here for the Assignment File Guide, which includes a glossary and sample Assignments File

• Regarding the roles column
  • List only the volunteer's role(s) that should be tied to this row's volunteer-assignment pairing. 
  • The names of roles are case-sensitive and must precisely match the role names in GiveCampus Volunteer Management.
  • If the pairing should be tied to multiple roles, they must be separated by a semicolon with no spaces between the listed roles and the semicolon(s) e.g. "Class Ambassador;Reunion Chair".
  • If this field is left blank, it will default to tying all of the volunteer's role(s) to the volunteer-assignment pairing and make the role filters unusable, and so you should always list the exact role(s) linked to this volunteer-assignment pairing.

4. Once your CSV upload is complete, the Constituents submitted will be paired with the corresponding Volunteer:

Caption: VMS Upload Assignments Tab

Caption: CSV Upload of Assignment (Note: the image above reflects the uploader for institutions that are NOT utilizing the "Shared Assignments" feature. The uploader for institutions with "Shared Assignments" will not include an 'overwrite' column)

Mass Assignment Feature

What is Mass Assignment?

Mass Assignment is an advanced feature that allows administrators to automatically assign constituents to volunteers based on predefined rules and criteria, rather than uploading individual CSV files.

Benefits of Mass Assignment

• Automated assignment rules: Set up criteria-based assignments using Roles, Cohorts, class years, or other data points
• Time-saving: No need to create CSV files for each assignment batch
• Dynamic updates: Assignments can update automatically as constituent data changes
• Rule-based logic: Create sophisticated assignment logic based on multiple criteria

Troubleshooting Assignment Issues

When Volunteers Can't See Expected Constituents

If a volunteer can't see constituents they should have access to (like classmates from their graduating year), check these common issues:

1. Navigate to the volunteer's role settings

2. Check "Who can this role see?" permissions

3. For class-based roles, verify the role is configured to show constituents matching the volunteer's class year

4. Look for any cohort restrictions that might be limiting visibility

• Ensure the volunteer's class year in their profile matches the constituents they should see
• Verify constituent class year data is correctly uploaded
• Check for any typos or formatting differences in class year fields

If using custom cohorts through Role Builder:

1. Review the conditions set for the role

2. Ensure class year conditions are properly configured

3. Test the cohort to verify it returns expected results