Topaz Guidance

Notes

Welcome to RNIB TopazThese notes provide guidance on all the areas of the RNIB Topaz Volunteer Community.

If you still need help after looking through the notes, please contact the RNIB Volunteering Team on 01733 375450 or by email at volunteering@rnib.org.uk.

Web addressYou can access Topaz from this URL:http://rnib.force.com

Your username will be your email address, and the password is the one that you have created.

If you have forgotten your password, click on the “Forgot your password?” link and follow the instructions.

General layoutThe page will always have this general layout:

Tabs

Side Bar

The above Screen print shows the general layout of the RNIB Topaz volunteer community page.

Your name will be in the top right in a teal lozenge and by clicking on it drop down menu will appear giving you the option to go to your settings or logout.

You have Tabs going from left to right entitled: Volunteer home Chatter Expense forms My courses

The tab you are on will be teal in colour. These are all covered in more detail later on in this guidance under the relevant headings.

You have a sidebar down the left hand side and the information in there might change according to which tab you are in.

The main body of the page will be the part where you can make changes and again is reflected by which tab you have selected.

Volunteer homeOpportunities and current rolesWhen in the volunteer home tab, the main body of the page will show suggested opportunities (based on your volunteering information in my Profile section, see below) and a section with your current role(s). There is also a link to see all opportunities which you can click on to see what other volunteer opportunities are being advertised.

Customer requestsSome of you might also have customer requests in this area. If you need to use this part of the system for your role, please refer to the guidance for your volunteer opportunity, for example, Technology Support Squad Volunteers.

Changing your detailsWhen in the volunteer home tab you can click on the my profile link in the Sidebar on the left hand side and your personal details will appear. You can check to see if they are correct and if you wish to amend your details, just click on the edit button at the top of the

main body of the page. The text that you can change will now be in boxes and once you have made changes, click the save button. You can amend your contact information, address information, volunteering information and correspondence and access information. The information in your profile is what we will use to keep in touch with you, so please update it if things change.

There is a small white triangle to the left of the headings. If the point of the triangle is pointing to the right, it means that the information is hidden. Click on the triangle and it will change to pointing down which means that the information can be seen.

The above image shows the my profile link.

Changing your passwordClick on the change password button at the top of the main body of the page. You will be asked to enter your old password and then your new password twice to verify. Your password should be more than 8 characters with a mixture of numbers and letters. Click the change password button to save the changes you have made.

Mark yourself as unavailableBy clicking the mark unavailable button at the top of the main body of the page, you will be marked unavailable and this will be shown at the top of the main body of the page as currently unavailable in red, but only when you are in the my profile area. You can do this if on holiday, ill, working away etc and lets us know you are not able to volunteer right now. Please remember that you need to click the mark as available button once you are back.

Logging outYou can log yourself out of the RNIB Topaz volunteer community by clicking on the logout link in the sidebar on the left hand side of the screen.

ChatterChatter is a communication tool built in to the RNIB Topaz volunteer community. You can post status updates in the main body of the page and share them, as well as follow other people who are part of the community and join groups. If you are familiar with Facebook or Twitter, you may recognise how it works.

Your feed will then reflect what you are interested in and show you anything new posted by people or groups while you have been logged out. On the right, the system will show suggestions for people and groups for you to follow and you just need to click on the green plus button next to the item to do so.

We are currently looking in to how effective Chatter is and if there is an alternative way for our volunteers to share information and updates with other volunteers and staff. We will update you on this in the near future.

The above image shows an example of the chatter tab.

Expense formsYou can use the RNIB Topaz volunteer community to create expense forms to submit to your volunteer manager. You can create more than one form, useful if you carry out more than one volunteer role with different managers. Alternatively you can create a form for a particular time frame and add expense items to it.

Creating an expense formTo create an expense form, make sure you are in the expense forms tab and click on the create new expense form button.You are first asked to enter the volunteer role - you can click on the magnifying glass icon to the right of the field to show a list of your volunteer roles - make sure you pick the right one if you do more than one! You can also enter the date and if it is today's date, click on it; it should be at the right hand side of the field and will automatically fill in today's date in the box.

Adding an expense itemYou can add as many expense items to an expense form as you like and they can be a mixture of categories. When you are in the expenses form you can click on the new expense item button. This will generate a form for you to fill in with the relevant details. You are asked for the date, receipt number (not applicable for mileage entries), amount, type (travel, accommodation, food or other), description and number of miles travelled. You can then save and this will take you to your expense form or click ‘save and new’ to immediately create another new expense item. You will notice that your items are totalled on your expense form.

The above image shows how to add expense items to your expense form.

Attaching files and notes to an expense formYou can attach files to an expense form. You might want to do this if you are submitting scanned copies of receipts. You can also add notes to your expense form which might come in useful if you do not have a receipt for an item and want to explain why. To add a

file, click on the add file button in the notes and attachments section at the bottom of your expense form. You will then be asked to select the file and you can click browse to pick it from your file list. Then you need to click attach file and you can repeat to attach more than one file. Then when you have finished, click the done button at the bottom. You need to make sure that your files have finished uploading before you click done. Attached files will appear in a list at the bottom of the main body of the page when they have successfully been uploaded.

The above image shows how to add a file to an expense form.

Files and notes are visible at the bottom of your expense form.

Saving and printing an expense formOnce you have completed your expense form, you can click on the generate expense form button which will add your expense form to your notes and attachments section (see Figure 5). By viewing the file it will open up a letter with your expenses itemised and totalled. You can send this to your volunteer manager by email or post with your receipts and your form will be on the system for future reference.

My coursesThis tab allows you to confirm your attendance on courses or events that your volunteer manager will book you on. When you have been booked on a course, you will see it in the course bookings section and you can click on the edit hyperlink to change the status to unable to attend or leave it as booked which will let your volunteer manager know if you are able to make it or not. If the course is cancelled for any reason, the status will be changed to cancelled to let you know.

The above image shows how to book on a course.

Once you have completed a course, you can change your status to attended and the course will be visible in the completed courses section so you have a record of your training.

The above image is what shows once you have completed a course.

Volunteer Expenses Claim Form – RNIB Group of CharitiesIf you experience any difficulty in completing this form or if you require any assistance, please contact your volunteer manager / supervisor.Using the table below, please enter your details after each colon in column 1, rows 1-7 only.Please note that columns 2 and 3 do not need to be used.

Month/Year of Claim: For Finance use only:Name:

Address 1: PE No:

Address 2:

Town: IN No:

County:

Postcode: Supplier No:

Email:

Instructions for Volunteer1. Using the Details of Claim table, enter expense details in columns 1, 2, 4 and 5.

Ensure that you fully explain the reason for purchase in column 2. 2. If you are claiming for car mileage: enter the number of miles travelled that day. Mileage is reimbursed at 45p per mile.

Multiply your number of miles travelled by 45p to give the amount to claim for your journey.3. Enter the Total after the Details of Claim table4. Sign and date the form after the total (if sending electronically a typed signature is acceptable)5. Return this form to your manager / supervisor, with either electronic or paper copies of receipts.

Details of ClaimPlease complete columns 1, 2, 4 and 5. The headings appear in row 1.If you need more space, please insert additional rows. Please note that columns 3, 6 and 7 are for your volunteer manager/supervisor's use only.

Date Details of items purchased or journey destination and reasons

ReceiptNumber

Number of miles travelled

Amount Cost Code VAT

Claim Total:

Volunteer Signature:

Date:

Instructions for Volunteer Manager:

Check Details of Claim and ensure receipts are present to supportNumber receipts and complete column 3In column 6, enter your team cost code, with relevant volunteering subcode for example CXXXX-XXXX (make sure you use the new cost codes)Complete column 7 if VAT receipt is presentCheck the Claim TotalComplete your details belowPrint the form, sign, scan and email along with scans of receipts to invoices@rnib.org.uk

Volunteer Manager / Supervisor Signature:Printed Name:

Telephone Number:

Date:

Authorisation Signature for missing receipts:

Volunteer BACS expenses payment formRNIB pays volunteer expenses via BACS (Bank Automated Clearing Service). By using this automated method it drastically reduces costs for RNIB and your expenses are paid directly into your account.

Please complete (in BLOCK capitals) the details below and return the form to our finance team either by email: accountspayable@rnib.org.uk with the title of the email “Volunteer BACS Form” please include your name, volunteer role title and volunteer manager’s name in the body of the email.

Or by post, with a note including your name, volunteer role title and volunteer manager’s name:Floor oneExpenses and Benefit ClerkPayroll departmentRNIBMidgate HouseMidgatePeterboroughCambsPE1 1TN

Please notify your volunteer manager to let them know that you have sent your BACS to our finance team.

Your Details Name:

Address:

Postcode:

Bank/Building Society Details Please find below details of my Bank/Building Society account:

Account name:

Bank/Building Society name:

Bank/Building Society address:

Sort code:

Account number:

Building Society roll number (if applicable):

Confirmation Volunteer signature:

Date: