RunMyVillage User Talk - 3 PM ET/ 2PM CT/ 1 PM MT/ 12PM PT
Why do we do things the way that we do? How do we use RMV to do what we want to do? Almost every time the User Group (coordinating committee) gets together, we end up discussing in some way or another “when you’ve seen one Village, you’ve seen one Village,” both generally and wide variety of ways that Villages have chosen to implement RunMyVillage features. That is, we discuss “how do you do this with RMV” and “why did you implement RMV that way and not some other way” mixed with a more often than occasional “I never thought about using RMV that way.”
We thought that for our November 16 User Talk, we would have an informal discussion (no presentations) with all of the attendees sharing their ideas and questions about the multiple strategies that Villages use to get things done using RMV.
We believe that we can learn from each other about the hows and whys, and why nots. At the start of the session, we would pick no more than three or four of the following topics to discuss:
1. How do Villages handle volunteers who are not “paying” members?
- Create a new membership category of non-paying volunteer
- Put in non-member database
- “comp” membership dues
- other
2. How do Villages handle event registrations, accept payments and record attendance at events?
- Self registration through login to RMV
- Call or email to office/call manager
- Registration/attendance through non-RMV application (Zoom, EventBrite, Square, etc.)
- Reconciling attendance in Zoom/EventBrite with RMV
3. What do Villages do to allow/encourage members to use RMV’s online features? Under what circumstances do Villages discourage some or all members for using RMV’s online features?
- Event registrations and payments
- Update member profile
- Membership renewals
- Donations
- Issues/problems
4. What other outside applications do Villages use, why and how?
- Emailing (e.g., MailChimp, Constant Contact)
- Fundraising and donations (e.g., GrantStation, various “giving” websites)
- Blogging, newsletters, listservs
- Salesforce non-profit
- Other
5. Why and how do Villages handle various issues with volunteers and providing services?
- Dealing with a member who does not want to have a certain volunteer and vice versa
- Using the new Automated Open Request feature (why and what issues do you have)
- Using the VSS (Volunteer Self Signup extra cost module)
6. How do Villages create, maintain, publish, and allow access to a Membership Directory. Is it necessary to have one?
- Online, print, hybrid? Do you use RMV?
- Who has access, what information is contained in the directory?
- How to manage “permissions,” content review?
7. Miscellaneous:
- Does your village use Blogs/Forums (e.g., for interest groups, for publishing information about current events or with a short shelf-life, for spreading the work load associated with maintaining website content)
- Do you use “disclaimers”—why, where, what do they say, how did you develop them?
- Do you use the RMV Metro area feature to manage your village via smaller, related communities (that is, use it for areas smaller than or different than real metropolitan areas)?
If you have an additional topic that you or your Village would like added to the possibilities, please let us know by noon on Monday the 16th.
This is not a session for new Villages; but rather a chance for people from existing Villages to explore choices and ideas that might be useful to their Village. Please invite anyone from your Village who you think might be interested in this topic.
If you have not signed up for the VtV RMV User Group’s Forum, please do so through (1) signing up through your Profile on the VtV site or (2) sending us a note at RMVusers@vtvnetwork.org.
These monthly talks are designed to help Villages use RunMyVillage more effectively. Each month has a different topic. The intended audience always includes the technology community within your Village; in addition, others in the Village may be invited based on the planned topic. Each of the User Talks has time for Villages to ask RunMyVillage-related questions to RMV and to other Villages. Examples of what we plan for these talks: RMV new release updates and discussions, results of surveys of desired enhancements to RMV, discussion of best practices and common issues particularly where Villages use RMV is different ways, and orientations for new Villages. If you have ideas for topics, email us at RMVusers@vtvnetwork.org.