BingoSchedule.com - Help Page 

Copyright Soft Ventures, Inc. 1999-2006, all rights reserved.  

 

 

Introduction

Overview

BingoSchedule.com is a web based application designed to assist Bingo coordinators and volunteer workers.

BingoSchedule.com allows volunteer workers to:

 

BingoSchedule.com allows bingo coordinator to:

When an organization signs up for the BingoSchedue.com service, their years events are entered into the system. Their primary workers are added also. Each worker is given a LoginId and a Password. The workers can then login to BingoSchedule.com and see what dates their organization requires bingo workers for.

When the worker decides which bingos to work, they login and add their names to the list of workers for that event. If they are getting another person to help also, they can add that person as a subworker to them. when the other person has worked the bingo, the credit for that will go towards the worker's commitment.

The basic sequence of events in BingoSchedule.com is to
- add workers/subworkers to the system first,
- then assign them to events.

 

Terms (events, workers and subworkers, commitments, etc)

 

Commitment
Many organizations require members to work a certain number of bingo events. This required number is the member's commitment. When a bingo is worked, the worker gets credits toward the commitment. Normally one bingo = one credit but some positions worked earn more than one credit. This is determined by the bingo coordinator.

Coordinator
The bingo coordinator is a member of the organization that has full control over events, workers and subworkers in BingoScheduel.com.

Event
An Event is a Bingo. An event has a time, date, place and number or workers required. Events are shown in a calendar on the main (home) page of BingoSchedule.com. For details see 'Home' screen information.

The workers can add/remove themselves from an event. Coordinators can add/remove any workers from an event.

Status
A status is a condition that determines what can be done with an event. the statuses of a bingo events are:
Open - workers can sign up to work this event.
Closed - Only the coordinator can add/remove workers.
Done - The event has been worked.
Complete - The credits have been assigned to workers.

 

SubWorker
A subworker is a person who will work a bingo to help the primary worker meet his/her commitment.

Example:
Arnold Rimmer plays clarinet in the Red Dwarf Marching Band (RDMB). To raise money for the band, the RDMB works bingos at the International Bingo Palace (IBP). there is a bingo scheduled for September 12, 1999. Arnold's brother, Ace, and his friend Dave Lister, have agreed to help out and work the bingo also.
Event: IBP 12/09/99
Worker: Arnold Rimmer
Subworkers: Ace Rimmer, Dave Lister

Waitlist
If a worker wants to work a particular event but that event already has all workers it needs, the worker can choose to be added to a waitlist for the event. If an opening becomes available on the event the bingo coordinator can assign the waitlisted worker to the event. The coordinator has the option to assign waitlisted workers to an event even if the event has it's required worker count.

Worker (sometimes referred to a primary worker)
A worker is someone who works a bingo and by so doing, receives credits toward his or her bingo commitment. Workers are normally members of the organization supplying volunteers. Workers can add Subworkers to work bingos for, or with, them.

 

Life of a Bingo Event

Each event goes through several stages, each with an associated status.

Stage

Status
Entered into the system

Open
xx* days before the event

Closed
After the event has happened

Done
The coordinator authorizes credits

Complete

* decided by the coordinator

  

Operation  (click on the thumbnail images below to see a full sized one)

     

    My Details

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    The top of this screen shows your basic name, address, phone, etc. If you have an email address be sure and enter it here as BingoSchedule.com will email reminders to you if there is an address entered.

    Your LoginID and Password can be changed here. You must enter your password twice (once in the 'Passowrd' box and once in the 'Password again' box. This is to ensure there are no typos in the password as it does not echo back the letters you type, only *'s.

    You can select a first and second choice of positions to work. This is just a guideline to the bingo coordinator and your actual position will be assigned based on the coordinators requirements for the particular event.

    If you are a primary worker your current commitment and credit levels will be displayed. If you are a subworker, this are will show 'n/a' for not applicable.

    Links to a list of Events worked and Events scheduled are provided. Note, if you have selected to be waitlisted on an event that is fully booked, your waitlist will not show up as either a worked event or a scheduled event.

    If you make any changes to the information on this screen, you must hit the 'Save Changes' button before leaving this page, otherwise they will be discarded.

    SubWorkers
    If you are a primary worker there is a section at the bottom of the screen where you can add or remove subworkers. Once you add a subworker, you can then assign them to any event.
    Clicking the 'Edit' button by a subworker name will bring you to another 'My Details' screen only this one is for our subworker.

     

    My Events

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    This screen shows a list of events that the worker, and subworkers have signed up for. By clicking on the event link you can go to the event details.

     

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    The top section of the Event Detail screen shows the location and status of the event.

    The bottom section show current workers for the event.

    You can add yourself or a subworker by selecting the appropriate name in the drop-down list, then click on 'Add Worker'.

     

     

    Worker's 'How Do I..'

    Sign up for a bingo.
    1. Click on the bingo link in the calendar
    2. Select your name in the drop-down list.
    3. Click 'Add Worker'
    See what bingos I am working. Select 'My Events' on the left side of the calendar page
    or..
    Select 'My Details', then 'Events Scheduled'
    See what bingos I have worked. Select 'My Details', then 'Events Worked'
    Change by email address.
    1. Select 'My Details'
    2. Change your email address
    3. Click on Save Changes
    Sign up a subworker for a bingo.
    1. Click on the bingo link in the calendar
    2. Select your subworker's name in the drop-down list.
    3. Click 'Add Worker'
    4. [optional] Ask the subworker if they will work the event ;-)
    See what bingos my subworker has worked or is scheduled to work.
    1. Select 'My Details'
    2. Click the 'Edit' button beside the subworker's name
    3. Click on the 'Events Worked' link on the subworker's detail page.
    4. or Click on the 'Events Scheduled' link on the subworker's detail page

     

     

     

     

    For the Bingo Coordinator

    Login

    The Login Screen requires you to enter your LoginID and Password as well as your organization code. Your Bingo Coordinator can give you your LoginID and Password. It is a good idea to go into 'My Details' and change your password the first time you access BingoSchedule.com.

    Note, if you arrive at the BingoSchedule.com page from a link on your organization's web site, the organization code may have been passed through and therfore not be required for you to enter.

    Home (Calendar View)

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    Select an Event
    To view the details for an event click on the link in the calendar. This is where you would go to add or remove yourself from an event.

    Changing Calendar Month
    You can change the month up or down by one month with the << or >> buttons. To move quickly to a different month just select it from the Month drop-down list in the title bar of the calendar.

    Display Options
    You can have the calendar show statutory holidays by clicking on the 'Holidays' check box.
    You can have the calendar show your organization's special days by clicking on the '.. special days' check box.

    Legend
    Links to Events are shown in an abriviated form on the calendar

    "ABC HH:MM As/Rq"
    ABC = Location code
    HH:MM = Time of Event
    As = Assigned workers
    Rq = Required workers

    Administrative Functions (only available to the bigo coordinators)

     

    Master Event List

    Shows all events for your organization. This is an administrator screen.


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    Add New Event

    Found on the Master Event screen, allows coordinator to add new bingo events.


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    Use this screen to add a new Bingo event for your organization. You will need to set the date and time as well as the number of workers required. 

    Default Credits - normally each bingo is worth 1 credit. If you are setting up a double header bingo you can set the default to be 2 credits (or whatever number you like).

     

    Events

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    The primary access to details on bingo events is through clicking on the event link in the calendar. The event details screen for the coordinator is much the same as the worker sees.

    Edit Event

    One difference is an 'Edit' button that allows the coordinator to change the event settings, time, day, etc.

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    Another difference is that the coordinator can add any worker to any event. The worker's version of Event screen only allows the worker to add himself or one of his subworkers. Finally, the coordinator screen has some additional menu choices on the left. These are described below..

     

    Assign Positions

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    When you are ready to run a bingo you will need to assign what positions each worker will perform. The 'Assign Positions' screen is used to do this. You are shown the worker's preferred positions. You pick which position you want him or her to worked from the drop down list. Remember to 'Save' changes before leaving this screen. The assigned position information is used in the sign-up sheet and also in the Complete screen when granting credits to workers after the bingo.

    Sign-In Sheets

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    The sign-in sheet is really just another form but in this case it is formatted so that if you print it from you browser it will be able to function as a sign-in sheet.

     

    Complete

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    Once the bingo is over and you know who actually showed up, and what positions they worked, you can 'Complete' the bingo. The act of completing the bingo is where the credits get assigned to the workers. Default credits are shown based on the position. You can override any credit manually be entering a different number. A comment field is provided so you can note unusual circumstances or reasons for credit allotments.

     

    Event End Time

    When adding or editing an event, you can specify the end time for the event. There is also a checkbox beside the end time settings that enables you to display or hide end time on a per event basis.

    If the 'Display End Time' box is checked AND you have set the end time for an event, the event detail will show an end time like this...

     

    Worker List

    The master worker list shows primary workers in the left column and their subworkers in the right column.


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    You can add a new primary worker by clicking on the 'Add Primary Worker' button. This will bring up an empty detail screen (see below for sample of the detail screen). Enter the workers name, address, etc. then click on 'Save' to add the new worker to the system. Once in the system the new worker will appear in the master worker list and also the drop-down list of available workers in the Event Detail screen.

    To add a subworker you first add the primary worker, then bring up the worker detail screen (see below) and use the Add Subworker button there.

    You can upload a group of workers all at once from a local text file.


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    Text file format:
name, phone, email[optional]  
name is mandatory, if phone is blank the comma is still required, see 'Jack Read' below.

Example:
Rob Stevens, 555-1212, rob@home.com
Bill Smith, 123-4567
Jill Smith, 123-4567
Herman Fanorg, 332-9988, herm@work.com
Jack Read,,jack@play.com
...

LoginID will be set to the first 10 characters of the name 
(with spaces removed), eg: robstevens
Password will be the same

    If you have your worker list in an Excel spreadsheet or Word document you can 
email in and we will have it in place in 24 hours. (or less ;-)

     

    To 'Edit' a primary or sub- worker's information click on the worker's name to bring up the worker detail screen below.

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    The worker detail screen allows you to change name,address, etc. for the worker. You can also change the worker's commitment and even manually change their credits. To add a subworker use the 'Add Subworker' button.

    Remember to 'Save Changes' before leaving this screen. Use cancel if you decide to not save changes.

    From this screen you can also bring up a list of scheduled and worked events with the respective links..

     

    Reports

    The reports screen lists available reports.


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    Reports are available in HTML or pdf format. HTML is quick for single page reports, pdf should be used for multipage reports.

    Worker List - master list of all workers

     

    Event List - master list of events, showing which are fully staffed and which are short workers.

     

    Worker-Event - which workers are working which events

     

    Worker Credit - details of a workers events.

     

    Audit Report - This report will show all activity (adds, removes, changes) for the organization over a user specified time span. In the report selection screen, select a start and end date then click on Run.

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    The Audit report shows a time stamp in the left column and a high level description of the action on the left.

     

    Waitlist

    When a worker tries to add him or her self to an event that is fully subscribed, the system will ask if they wish to be waitlisted for the event. If they say yes the system will add them to a list of workers that want that event. The event will not show under the worker's scheduled events as they are still not really scheduled for it yet.

    If a worker on the full event is removed, the system will send an email to the coordinator(s) telling them that a person is waitlisted for an event that now has an opening. It is up to the coordinator to assign the waitlisted person to the vacant spot then tell the worker that they are in for the event. A future release may do this automatically but for now it is a coordinator manual function.

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    The Waitlist screen is used by the Bingo coordinator to assign waitlisted workers to the event they requested. The coordinator can assign a worker even if the event is already fully subscribed. That is, if the event requires 24 workers, and has 24 workers signed up. The coordinator can choose to 'assign' a waitlisted worker to the event thus giving 25 workers signed up.

    Preferences


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    System Settings

    Close Days - BingoSchedule.com will automatically set an event's status to closed some number of days before the event. This is so that workers cannot remove themselves at the last minute without the coordinator being involved. If a worker is not going to attend an event and the event is already closed, her/she must contact the coordinator to get removed from the event. This setting is for all events.

    The system runs a background job every night to update event status. Any changes made via this screen will be applied to events the next time the background job is run. The background job only closes events. Events that are already closed will not be re-opened based on changes set here.

    Default Commitment - When a new worker is added to the system, he/she is assigned this value as an initial commitment. A individual workers commitment can be changed by the coordinator via the worker detail screen.

    Worker List Sorted by Primary Worker -  The drop down list of available workers, used when manually assigning a worker to a bingo, is normally show in alphabetical order by workers last name. This option allows workers to be show grouped by primary work. Example: all John Smith's sub-workers are grouped with John Smith regardless of their last name.

    Display Primary Name on Completion screen -  This option will cause primary worker's name to show in parenthesis beside the sub-worker's name in the event detail and completion screen.


    Special Dates

    The main calendar view in BingoSchedule.com has the ability to show statutory holidays by checking the 'Show Holidays' box. It can also show coordinator-defined 'special days'. These special dates are days, other than statutory holidays, that may effect scheduling of volunteers. Examples are Mother's Day, Father's Day, band camps, etc.

    This section of the Preferences' screen allows you to add or remove special dates. To remove, select he check box beside the date(s) then click on 'Remove Selected'.

     

     

    Coordinator's 'How Do I..'

    Add a new Bingo.
    1. Select 'Event List' on the left side of the calendar page
    2. Click on the 'Add New Event' button.
    3. Enter Date, Time and number of workers required.
    4. Click on 'Save'
    Add a new worker to the system.
    1. Select 'WorkerList' on the left side of the calendar page
    2. Click on the 'Add Primary Worker' button.
    3. Enter new worker's information
    4. Click on Save Changes
    Upload my workers to the system
    1. Make a text file containing name, phone and email for your workers
    2. Select 'WorkerList' on the left side of the calendar page
    3. Click on the 'Upload Worker List' button.
    4. Use 'Browse' button to find yor upload file

     

    Add a new subworker to the system.
    1. Select 'WorkerList' on the left side of the calendar page
    2. Click on the link to primary worker (subworkers are always 'sub' to a primary worker)
    3. Enter new worker's information
    4. Click on Save Changes
    Sign up a worker for a bingo.
    1. Click on the bingo link in the calendar
    2. Select your name in the drop-down list.
    3. Click 'Add Worker'
    Sign up a subworker for a bingo.
    1. Click on the bingo link in the calendar
    2. Select your subworker's name* in the drop-down list.
      * as coordinator you see ALL workers all the time.
    3. Click 'Add Worker'
    See what bingos a worker is signed up for.
    1. Select 'WorkerList' on the left side of the calendar page
    2. Click on the link to the worker in question
    3. Click the 'Events Scheduled ' link in the worker detail page.
    See what bingos a worker has worked.
    1. Select 'WorkerList' on the left side of the calendar page
    2. Click on the link to the worker in question
    3. Click the 'Events Worked' link in the worker detail page.
    Change a worker's email address.
    1. Select 'WorkerList' on the left side of the calendar page
    2. Click on the link to the worker in question
    3. Change your email address
    4. Click on Save Changes
    Set a bingo so workers cannot add/remove themselves.
    1. Click on the bingo link in the calendar
    2. Click the 'Edit Event' button at the top of the screen.
    3. Change the status (top left) to 'Closed'
    4. Click on Save Changes
    Print Sign-In sheet
    1. On Event Details click on 'Sign-In Sheet'
    2. The sign-in sheet will appear in you browser, use File|Print or File|Print Preview to print the sheet.
    3. You can use File|Setup to remove the header and footer information that your browser puts in.