Case Worker Dashboard

The case worker dashboard is your personal home base in NeedBridge. It shows the needs you have created, recent volunteer activity on those needs, and notifications that require your attention. Everything on this dashboard is specific to you -- your needs, your claims, your follow-ups.

What You See

When you log in as a case worker, the dashboard displays information about the needs you have personally created and are managing. You will not see needs from other case workers unless you are also assigned a coordinator role.

Personal Metrics

The dashboard displays metric cards focused on your work:

  • Your Active Needs -- The number of needs you have posted that are currently open or claimed. This tells you how many needs are in progress and waiting for help.
  • Recent Claims on Your Needs -- A count of volunteer claims that have come in recently. New claims mean volunteers are responding and you may need to coordinate with them.
  • Pending Follow-ups -- Needs that may require your attention, such as claimed needs where you have not yet connected with the volunteer, or needs approaching their due date.

Quick Actions

The dashboard includes shortcut buttons for the tasks you perform most often:

  • Create Need -- Jump directly to the need creation form to post a new need.
  • View My Needs -- Go to a filtered list showing only the needs you have created, across all statuses.

These quick actions are available at the top of the dashboard so you can get to work without extra clicks.

Notifications for New Claims

When a volunteer claims one of your needs, you will see it in two places:

  • Email notification -- NeedBridge sends you an email when a volunteer clicks "I can help" on one of your needs. The email includes the volunteer's contact information so you can start coordinating.
  • Dashboard notification -- The dashboard displays a notification badge or indicator showing you have new claims to review.

Responding to claims quickly is important. Volunteers are offering their time, and a prompt response shows their help is valued and keeps them engaged.

Daily Workflow from the Dashboard

Here is a suggested routine for checking your dashboard each day:

  1. Check notifications first. Look for new claims and messages that came in overnight or since your last visit.
  2. Review active needs. Are any of your open needs stuck without a claim? Consider updating the title or description to make them more compelling.
  3. Follow up on claimed needs. If a volunteer claimed a need but you have not connected with them yet, reach out to coordinate logistics.
  4. Close completed needs. If a need has been fulfilled, mark it as complete and capture the outcome. Keeping your list current helps you and your coordinator stay organized.
  5. Post new needs. If you have new requests from the people you serve, create needs while the details are fresh.

Understanding Your Numbers

Here is how to interpret the metrics on your dashboard:

  • High active needs with few claims -- Your needs may need better titles or descriptions. Review the creating a need guide for tips on writing needs that get claimed.
  • Many pending follow-ups -- You may be falling behind on coordination. Set aside time each morning to work through follow-ups before creating new needs.
  • Lots of completed needs -- Your workflow is healthy. Needs are moving through the system and getting fulfilled.
  • Zero active needs -- If you serve active clients, this may mean you have needs to post. Check in with the people you serve and create needs while the details are fresh.

Tips

  • Check your dashboard at least once a day. Needs move faster when case workers are responsive, and volunteers appreciate timely communication.
  • Respond to claims within 24 hours. The sooner you connect with a volunteer, the more likely the need will be fulfilled successfully.
  • Keep your needs list clean. Close completed needs, cancel needs that are no longer relevant, and update descriptions if details change. A cluttered list makes it harder to focus on what matters.
  • Use the pending follow-ups metric as your to-do list. If that number is not zero, you have work to do.
  • Bookmark your dashboard. Make it the first page you visit each work day so nothing falls through the cracks.