Logging Miscellaneous Tasks as Actions

Hannah Wiginton

Our Development Team is now required to log actions as a way of reporting our week's work. Eventually this will be the only way we are to report to the boss. While logging actions is a great way to record contact with a constituent, we also do miscellaneous tasks throughout the week (we all wear many hats!) 

Example: This week I acquired pricing for marketing strategies we are about to implement, had an extensive call/chat session with BB, ran queries, created business cards for colleague, worked on our website, etc.

Has anyone else ever had to do this? What are some ideas for adding these tasks as actions? I've thought of just adding actions to my own record, but don't know if that's the best way. Any ideas?

 

Thanks!

Melissa Graves 2

Hannah :

Our Development Team is now required to log actions as a way of reporting our week's work. Eventually this will be the only way we are to report to the boss. While logging actions is a great way to record contact with a constituent, we also do miscellaneous tasks throughout the week (we all wear many hats!) 

Example: This week I acquired pricing for marketing strategies we are about to implement, had an extensive call/chat session with BB, ran queries, created business cards for colleague, worked on our website, etc.

Has anyone else ever had to do this? What are some ideas for adding these tasks as actions? I've thought of just adding actions to my own record, but don't know if that's the best way. Any ideas?

 

Thanks!

Remember that there are actions other than constituent actions. There are actions on Appeals, Events, etc. that are unrelated to a specific constituent.

Have you asked your "boss" what their thoughts are on this? I would think that faking it by putting it on your own constituent record is ok but not ideal. I can't imagine that everything you do every day has to go into RE (but mabe it does).

JoAnn Strommen

Hannah :

Our Development Team is now required to log actions as a way of reporting our week's work. Eventually this will be the only way we are to report to the boss. While logging actions is a great way to record contact with a constituent, we also do miscellaneous tasks throughout the week (we all wear many hats!) 

Example: This week I acquired pricing for marketing strategies we are about to implement, had an extensive call/chat session with BB, ran queries, created business cards for colleague, worked on our website, etc.

Has anyone else ever had to do this? What are some ideas for adding these tasks as actions? I've thought of just adding actions to my own record, but don't know if that's the best way. Any ideas?

 

Thanks!

I would have trouble thinking that RE is the place to record your daily workload outside ot contacting constituents.  The list on my own record would get huge in just a short time.  Lots of busy work to me also. 

Have you considered just using tasks in Outlook? Or something similar. 

Hannah Wiginton

JoAnn Strommen:

I would have trouble thinking that RE is the place to record your daily workload outside ot contacting constituents.  The list on my own record would get huge in just a short time.  Lots of busy work to me also. 

Have you considered just using tasks in Outlook? Or something similar. 

I would agree with you as there are many tasks I complete outside of contact with constituents. I'll look into Outlook. The only problem is a few members of our team are on the road frequently and now use the RE app (which is great for on-the-go, but the app needs work. that's a whole other issue).

 Outlook would not be the best option for them.

 

Hannah Wiginton

Melissa Graves:

Remember that there are actions other than constituent actions. There are actions on Appeals, Events, etc. that are unrelated to a specific constituent.

Have you asked your "boss" what their thoughts are on this? I would think that faking it by putting it on your own constituent record is ok but not ideal. I can't imagine that everything you do every day has to go into RE (but mabe it does).

My boss' words were "if it isn't logged in RE, it didn't happen" That's why I need a way of putting it in RE. I don't thinking putting it under my record is 'faking' it. As I am a solicitor and work for my organization, no one else is needing to add to my record with actions. It was just one way. I need an easy way for my coworkers who are on the road most of the time to add their actions.

 

 

Melissa Graves 2

Hannah :

My boss' words were "if it isn't logged in RE, it didn't happen" That's why I need a way of putting it in RE. I don't thinking putting it under my record is 'faking' it. As I am a solicitor and work for my organization, no one else is needing to add to my record with actions. It was just one way. I need an easy way for my coworkers who are on the road most of the time to add their actions.

 

 

That is a very common mantra - but typically reserved for interactions with constituents. I have never seen it expanded to try to be used to track every single task every staff member does every day. That goes beyond the "fundraising software" that RE was designed for, in my opinion.

I see it as "faking it" because in the truest sense an acrion on your record is an "interaction" between someone at your organization and you as a constituent. You are not tracking such interactions - you are tracking your own job tasks. Not the same thing in my opinion.

Sage Evans

Hannah :

Our Development Team is now required to log actions as a way of reporting our week's work. Eventually this will be the only way we are to report to the boss. While logging actions is a great way to record contact with a constituent, we also do miscellaneous tasks throughout the week (we all wear many hats!) 

Example: This week I acquired pricing for marketing strategies we are about to implement, had an extensive call/chat session with BB, ran queries, created business cards for colleague, worked on our website, etc.

Has anyone else ever had to do this? What are some ideas for adding these tasks as actions? I've thought of just adding actions to my own record, but don't know if that's the best way. Any ideas?

 

Thanks!

 For tracking things outside of constituent contacts - like what you mentioned above - I usually will create an appeal for each person in the office.  I use the appeal to track any mailings that I pull for that solicitor, etc.

 I would suggest using an appeal or an event rather than your own record.

Hannah Wiginton

Sage Evans:

 For tracking things outside of constituent contacts - like what you mentioned above - I usually will create an appeal for each person in the office.  I use the appeal to track any mailings that I pull for that solicitor, etc.

 I would suggest using an appeal or an event rather than your own record.

 Thank you all for your thoughts. I'll discuss further with my supervisor.