Coordinator Quickstart

Coordinators are the team leaders of NeedBridge. You oversee case workers, manage service areas, and make sure needs do not fall through the cracks. This guide covers how to use your coordinator dashboard, approve team members, and keep needs moving in your areas.

Step 1: Access Your Coordinator Dashboard

After your organization admin grants you coordinator access, log in to NeedBridge. Your coordinator dashboard gives you a broader view than a case worker sees, including:

  • All needs in your assigned areas -- not just the ones you posted, but every need from every case worker in your areas
  • Pending team member approvals -- case workers who have registered and are waiting for your approval
  • Area-level summaries -- a snapshot of need volume, claim rates, and fulfillment across your areas

Step 2: Understand Your Area Assignments

As a coordinator, you are assigned to one or more service areas by your organization admin. You can see and manage all needs within those areas, regardless of which case worker posted them.

If you believe your area assignments need to change -- for example, if your organization adds a new region -- contact your organization admin to update your assignments.

Step 3: Approve Pending Team Members

When a new case worker registers for one of your areas, they appear in your pending approvals queue. Review each request and approve or decline it.

Before approving, confirm that:

  • The person is a legitimate member of your organization or team
  • They are assigned to the correct area

Approvals should not sit for long. A case worker cannot post needs until they are approved, so check your approvals queue daily.

Step 4: Monitor Needs in Your Areas

Your primary ongoing responsibility is making sure needs are progressing. Watch for:

  • Unclaimed needs -- Needs that have been posted but no volunteer has claimed them. If a need sits unclaimed for too long, consider whether the title or description could be improved, or whether the area has enough active volunteers.
  • Stale claimed needs -- Needs that were claimed but have not moved toward completion. The case worker or volunteer may need a nudge.
  • Overdue or urgent needs -- Needs with approaching deadlines that still are not fulfilled.

When you spot a problem, reach out to the case worker to help resolve it. Sometimes a need just needs a better description. Other times, you may need to escalate to your organization admin if an area lacks volunteer coverage.

Step 5: Review Area-Level Reports

NeedBridge provides reports at the area level so you can understand trends:

  • Needs lifecycle -- How quickly needs move from posted to claimed to completed
  • Volunteer engagement -- How many volunteers are active in each area and how often they claim needs
  • Fulfillment rates -- What percentage of needs are being completed

Use these reports to identify areas that are thriving and areas that need attention. If you notice an area with low fulfillment, work with your organization admin to recruit more volunteers there.

Tips for Success

  • Check approvals daily. New case workers are waiting to get started.
  • Follow up on stale needs. A quick message to a case worker can get things moving again.
  • Support your case workers. Help them write better need descriptions, understand the system, and stay responsive to volunteers.
  • Communicate volunteer gaps. If an area consistently has unclaimed needs, let your organization admin know so they can focus volunteer recruitment efforts there.
  • Review reports regularly. Trends are easier to address when you catch them early.