Categories and Tags

Categories and tags help you organize needs so case workers can classify what they post and volunteers can quickly understand what kind of help is being requested. This guide covers creating and managing both categories and tags.

What Categories Are

A category represents a type of need your organization handles. When a case worker creates a need, they select a category to classify it. Categories appear in filters, reports, and need notifications.

Common categories include:

  • Groceries
  • Transportation
  • Clothing
  • Household items
  • Meals
  • Gift cards
  • Housing assistance
  • Childcare
  • Medical supplies
  • Furniture

Your organization defines its own categories based on the types of requests you actually receive. There is no fixed list -- you can create whatever categories make sense for your work.

Creating and Managing Categories

Creating a Category

  1. Navigate to Settings in the left-hand navigation.
  2. Select Categories.
  3. Click Add Category.
  4. Enter the category name.
  5. Save.

The category is immediately available for case workers to use when creating needs.

Editing a Category

To rename or update a category, open it from the categories list, make your changes, and save. Existing needs assigned to the category will reflect the updated name.

Deactivating a Category

If your organization stops handling a particular type of need, deactivate the category rather than deleting it. Deactivated categories are removed from the selection list for new needs but existing needs are not affected.

What Tags Are

Tags are optional labels that provide an extra layer of organization beyond categories. While categories describe what type of need something is, tags can describe anything else -- a campaign, a program, a funding source, a season, or any other grouping that helps your team filter and report on needs.

Examples of tags:

  • "Back to School" -- for needs related to a seasonal campaign
  • "Emergency Fund" -- for needs funded by a specific grant
  • "Holiday Drive" -- for needs tied to a holiday giving program
  • "New Family" -- for needs related to newly placed families

Creating and Managing Tags

Creating a Tag

  1. Navigate to Settings in the left-hand navigation.
  2. Select Tags.
  3. Click Add Tag.
  4. Enter the tag name.
  5. Save.

Tags can be assigned to needs during creation or editing.

Editing and Removing Tags

To rename a tag, open it from the tags list, change the name, and save. To remove a tag, delete it from the list. Removing a tag does not delete the needs that were tagged -- it just removes the tag association.

How Categories Appear in Need Creation and Filtering

When a case worker creates a need, they select one category from a dropdown list. This is a required field -- every need must have a category.

In the needs list and on dashboards, you can filter by category to see only needs of a specific type. This is helpful for:

  • Coordinators who want to see all transportation needs across their areas
  • Admins who want to report on the volume of different need types
  • Case workers who want to review their own needs by category

Tags can also be used as filters on the needs list, giving you additional ways to slice and view your data.

Tips

  • Start with a focused list of categories. It is better to start with 5-10 categories that cover your most common need types than to create 30 categories that overwhelm case workers. You can always add more later.
  • Make category names clear and specific. "Groceries" is better than "Food" if most of your food-related needs are grocery runs. Use the language your team already uses.
  • Use tags for temporary groupings. If you are running a holiday drive or a special campaign, create a tag rather than a new category. Tags are flexible and can be added or removed without affecting your category structure.
  • Review categories and tags periodically. Remove or deactivate categories that are no longer used. Clean up tags from past campaigns that are no longer relevant.