To do this, expand Time & Scheduling, and open the Volunteer & Staff Tasks list.

Click New to define a New task. When making a new task, you can choose to use a template, create a new task from scratch, or set up a new template. Templates save time when entering similar tasks that occur frequently. However, for this example, we'll set up a task from scratch.

First define the Task Type. For this example, we'll say it's an “Event Registration” task. You could also specify a Department and a Program. For this example, let’s choose the Administration Department and the Special Events Program. 

We can link the Task to the appropriate Event. You could also fill in any necessary Location information for this Task or list the Volunteer Coordinator's name so that the volunteer knows who they should report to if they have questions about this task.

Next, describe what needs to be done and add any appropriate notes; and then choose the Start Date, as well as the Start and End Time for the task, and Sumac will calculate the duration of this task for you.

The Assignment Status will always start out as “unassigned,” but this will change after we assign a volunteer to do this job.

The Worker field will also start out blank, but the volunteer's name will be filled in once we assign a volunteer to this task.

In the bottom left of this Task window, you'll notice an area for Required Skills. This is where you define what Skills are required of the volunteer in order for them to complete this task successfully. Click Add to add some required Skills. 

For example, because the volunteer will be running the Sign-in table at this event, perhaps you require that the volunteer have some experience with Reception in order to do this task properly. Expand “Office Admin” and select “Reception Experience.”

Click OK to save the Task in the database. You'll notice that when we save this task, a lot of coloured boxes appear next to all the volunteers’ names on the right side of the Tasks window. A green box means the volunteer has what is required. A yellow box means the volunteer might have what is required. And a red box means the volunteer does not have what is required. This is how Sumac helps you find the best volunteer for the job!

We can sort by the Skills column, and Sumac brings the most qualified volunteers to the top of the list. For example, we can see that Leslie has the skills required, and he is available, but he's said that he does not want to do this kind of task, so he is not a good candidate for this job. Tom also has the skills required, but he is not available at the time of the event, so Tom is not a good candidate for this job either. But Kathleen has the required skills, is available, and she's said she likes to do this kind of task, so we've found the right person for the job!

To assign Kathleen to this task, select Kathleen in the list of volunteers, expand Special Editing, and click Assign.

Note that when you assign a task, the status becomes “assignment proposed.” If the status is more definite than that, click Set Assignment Status and choose a more appropriate status.