A credential is something a volunteer must attain or complete in order to perform certain actions within the volunteer portal. Some credentials are global and are required of all volunteers (signing a waiver, agreeing to a code of conduct, attending a training) and other credentials must only be attained or completed to sign up for a specific project need (ie: background check).  For example, you may require a background check for volunteer work that requires interaction with children.

There are five different types of credentials – agreements, certifications, learning, reference checks, and background checks. Credentials can be automatically approved upon application (e.g., electronically signing an agreement) or have an approval process (an administrator must review documentation before granting approval or integrated approval with a 3rd party provider). 

Reference Checks are typically only used with integrated reference checking enabled. 

Click the following for more information on credential configuration, adding credentials to needs, and credential statuses. 

In this solution we will be highlighting the steps an administrator must take managing the non-integrated or native types of credentials.  

Credential Administration

After a volunteer is prompted to apply for a credential via either a project need or because the credential is globally required they will need to sign the credential and complete any instructions provided to them on the credential instructions.

Once the credential is signed it will move into it's default status.  The available default statuses are:

• Approved
• Submitted
• Review

For most credentials where a volunteer is just signing the agreement,the credential will automatically "Approve" and the administrator does not need to do anything.  However in the cases where administrator intervention is necessary, the credentials can be set to either "Submitted" or "Review" status after the volunteer signs them.

For non-integrated credentials these two statuses are very close in meaning and in many cases can be set to either.  However we recommend setting the default status to "Review" in most cases as this allows the administrator to set the status back to "Incomplete" which then means the volunteer still needs to do something and will be prompted to sign the credential again upon login. So for this solution we will concentrate on those native credentials that default to "Review".

Once the credential is signed and the volunteer uploads the necessary file (if necessary), it is placed in "Review" status.   At this juncture the administrator can be alerted to this either via the credential administration email or via the credential dashboard.

On the credential dashboard the administrator will see the "Credential Status Counts" for the various credentials.  They can then click the number under the "Review" column for the credential in question. 

This will open the volunteer credentials page with the credential in question and the "Review" status pre-populated within the filter and the results will be all those credentials matching it. Then click on the edit button (little pencil) on the credential you wish to see the details for.

This will open the Volunteer Credential detail page which includes the following panels/areas:

1. Volunteer Credential Information  - This includes the credential status, various credential dates, issuing organization, supporting documents, and administrative notes.  The "Edit" button is also available in this section.
   
   
2. Volunteer Credential Supporting Documents - This is part of the Volunteer Credential Information panel but we are spotlighting as this is an important area that is part of the review process for many types of credentials. 
   
   
3. Volunteer Information - The name and age of the volunteer. It also includes a direct link to the contact record.
   
   
4. Credential Configuration - This panel includes the main credential configuration options for this type of credential. Including whether external integration is enabled, age of consent, and the credential's expiration policy. 
   
   
5. Credential History - Whenever a status change is made to a credential the system provides a detailed audit trail. The audit records include the any changes made, along with a time-stamp and information on why or who made the change. For example, the record details whether the change was made by the system (in accordance with a business rule), by a 3rd party provider (e.g., background check provider), or an administrator (detailing the user’s information).
   
   

When the administrator is ready to modify the credential status, they will click the edit button.

This will open up the panel and allow the administrator to change the Credential Status, Issued By field, Start Date, Expiration Date (if the credential does not have an automatic expiration policy**), and add any Admin Notes.  

When they are ready they will click the "Save" button which will return the Volunteer Credential detail page with the updated status, expiration date, and new credential history audit entry. 

**NOTE: If the credential in question has an expiration policy configured, the expiration date will automatically be set based of the start date entered by the administrator and the expiration policy.  So if the credential had an start date of 10/1/1918 and there was a 24 month expiration policy the expiration date would be set to 10/1/2020.