Category Content: Internal

How do I post needs for a family and show it to our volunteers and partners to see who can help?

If you cannot help the family today, you can communicate their needs (privately, securely and anonymously) to see if someone in your network can help. When you post a need: 1) It shows up on your website and Facebook page (if you have set up those buttons/links), 2) It will also appear on the web sites of local churches and businesses using Meet The Need (if they have the appropriate buttons and have not chosen to hide your needs), and 3) Emails go out to those interested in your organization showing them those needs. Those who want to help the family can sign up through any of those options.

To post a need:

  • For a family you have not helped before, click Search Network/Add Family, run the search for that family in the system, fill out the details about the family, submit that form, which will then take you directly to the Search Offers & Post Needs
  • For a family already on your account, go to the Details button to the right of the family’s name, select the Needs tab and click Add Need.

Before posting a need, Meet The Need requires that you first search the offers currently in the system. There is no reason to post a need if someone has already submitted an offer to provide those goods or services. You must select from all four of the drop down boxes down to the Subcategory level in order to Search Offers and/or Post Needs. In the event that the system locates an offer for that particular need, simply select Match with this Offer, which will send out e-mails to the individual who made the offer with contact information for the Key Contact of your organization and instructions for how to meet that need. If no offers are found or if the offer does not match well with the need you want to post, you may click the Post Need button to continue with posting the need. The Post Needs form will appear showing the Category and Subcategory information you entered in the Search Offers box, placing the need in the proper Subcategory. Then you may enter the need into the system by filling out information about that need.

You can show the needs of families or individuals on your web site and/or partner sites (or Facebook pages) and let people sign up to help. To learn more about showing needs, see the videos for the Creating Your Links and Creating Your Template.

 

How do I update a family’s profile information?

If you are the original organization that entered that family you have access to the family’s complete record. On the Add/View Families button on your web site, click Search our Families and use the drop down to select the search criteria. Once you locate the person, click the Details button to the right of that family’s name to see all contact, demographic, employment, household and other information you entered about the family.

 

How do individuals/families become assigned to our organization and appear on our list in Shared Case Management?

If you originally entered the information about the family and their household members into the system, they will automatically be assigned to your organization and you will see their personal details, assistance history and need details. If another organization originally entered that person into the system, you can still perform all 3 primary functions for the family using the system – record visits, post needs, and schedule visits.

How do I record a visit and assistance we provided for an individual or family?

If your organization helped a family or individual today and want to record all information about the family and services and items you provided, first consider whether or not you have assisted them in the past.

  • For an existing family in your database, on the Add/View Families button on your web site, click Search our Families and use the drop down to select the search criteria. Once you locate the person, click the Details button to the right of that family’s name, go to the Visits tab and click Add Current Visit. Fill out the information in the Wizard for entering the type of assistance you provided, quantity, referrals, faith decisions, reasons why they came in, and other details about the visit.
  • For a new family, click Search Network/Add Family, run the search for that family in the system, fill out the details about the family on the form, then click Add Current Visit.

What reports are available to track our benevolence/case management assistance to individuals/families?

Meet The Need’s Shared Case Management system provides robust reporting for you to see (and Export to Excel/CSV) activities across each of our 3 service options. You can produce standard and ad-hoc reports for any of the information you collect or post for your families in need. Reports contain filters to narrow your view to date ranges, items given, visit type, etc.

  1. Quantity of items or services provided by your organization to families in need by – Click the Add/View Families button on your Dashboard and then the Item Report tab or Family Report tab to run reports by:
    • Date range
    • Value measurement (e.g. dollars, pounds, etc.)
    • Demographics of the families
    • Scheduled visits
    • Cancelled visits
  2. Needs Posted and Met – Click the View Family Needs/Reports button on your Dashboard
  3. Scheduled Visits Reports – Click the Add/View Families button on your Dashboard and then the Scheduled Visits Management tab, select a shift/time range and view the Volunteer Schedule, Scheduled Visits, and Hourly Utilization on the reports below.

How can I cross check the family to see where else they have received help in the community?

On the Add/View Families button on your Dashboard (once you add that module to your Dashboard), click Search Network/Add Family. Prior to loading an individual’s/family’s information, you will be asked to enter identifying information to see if they are already in the system. If so, the individual’s contact information and assistance/visit history through other local organizations will be displayed However, you will not see much personal information about that family unless you originally entered them in the system. If the family found through the search is not the same family or if no family is found that matches the data you entered, you may click the button to Add the Family and continue entering the family’s information.