❖ Heads up! This article is only intended for Site Managers.
If volunteers want to participate as a group, you might be wondering whether to use a Team or create a User Group. Both features are useful but serve different purposes. Here’s a quick overview to help you decide which option is the best fit.
What are Teams?
Teams allow volunteers to create and manage their own groups when responding to Needs or Opportunities that have team signups enabled. Teams are created in direct response to a specific Need or Opportunity and can be formed either by the volunteers themselves or by someone submitting a team response on their behalf.
Users can assign a Team Leader to help manage their Team.
Recommend Teams when:
Volunteers want to participate in your Needs/Opportunities with coworkers, family, friends, etc.
Volunteers want to participate with that same Team in the future.
What are User Groups?
User Groups are created and managed by Site Managers to organize users who share common interests, skills, or affiliations. While you can assign a User Group Leader, overall management remains with the Site Manager. User Groups are useful for filtering, communication, and reporting, and they are not tied to specific Needs or Opportunities.
Create a User Group when you want to:
Manage court-mandated Needs or Opportunities that require discretion and privacy
Share specific or private Needs or Opportunities with selected volunteers
Assign certain Needs or Opportunities to a group of qualified users
Run reports on a specific group of volunteers
Send targeted email blasts to select volunteers
Allow users to track engagement and hours on their User Group résumé
If | Then |
You want volunteers to sign up for Needs or Opportunities with coworkers, family, or friends | Recommend responding as a Team |
You want volunteers to manage their rosters, Need or Opportunity responses, or track contributions for their group | Recommend responding as a Team |
You want volunteers to participate in Needs or Opportunities with the same group repeatedly | Recommend responding as a Team |
You want to create groups of individuals who share similar backgrounds, interests, or skills | Create a User Group |
You want to group volunteers based on location, employer, or affiliation, like church or school | Create a User Group |
You want to share private or court-mandated Needs or Opportunities with select volunteers | Create a User Group |
Which is Best?
Ultimately, which feature is best depends on your particular use and need. However, you can follow the questions in the flow chart to see which one we recommend:
