Bridges

Article Sections

• Orientation

• Navigation Tab (Opportunities/Projects)

• Administrator Experience

  • Project Settings

  • Approve Job Posts

  • Projects

  • Landing Page

  • Manage Pathways

  • International Phone Lines

• End-User Experience (Project seeker)

• End-User Experience (Project Sponsor)

• Explore Users

• Project Terms of Service Agreement

• Slides from Orientation 

We ask that you not share these resources with others - outside of your institution.

Overview

Bridges is an engaging tool that provides users with guided support as they work to complete projects. Every project post helps build the bridge to opportunity. Posts by alumni or even a parent connect your community to opportunity.

Orientation

Bridges orientation is available to you twice a week. Follow this link to find the date and time you would like to attend. 

We will cover everything in this article. Please attend the orientation and use this article as a reference.

Navigation Tab (Opportunities/Projects)

• If you have Jobs and Projects your users will see the tab titled Opportunities
• If you have Projects only but are a PeopleGrove customer you will see the tab titled Projects
• If you have Projects only but are using Stand-alone Bridges (not a PeopleGrove customer) you will see the tab titled Opportunities

If you have Jobs and Projects, users will see two options on the Opportunities page:

• Jobs and Internships
• Experiential Learning Projects

Jobs and Internships - Clicking the Explore Jobs button will bring your users to the Jobs tab where they will be able to see all of the jobs and internships on your hub.

Experiential Learning Projects - Clicking the Explore Projects button brings users to the Projects page where they can post or view other projects.

Administrator Experience

You have two locations for administering your Bridges Platform; your Site-Wide Admin Home and your Hub Admin. Your Hub Admin is titled after the name of your platform. They are located in the top right of your platform once you click the wrenches icon. Your Hub Admin is named after the name of your platform:

There are five areas of administrator tools that you will need to consider for Bridges:

• Project Settings (Hub Admin > Initial Setup > Project Settings) - you will not see this if you are a Bridges standalone partner
• Projects (Hub Admin > Users and Analytics > Projects)
• Approve Job Posts (Hub Admin > Approval Queues > Approve Job Posts)
• Landing Page (Site-Wide Admin Home > Initial Setup > Landing Page)
• Manage Pathways (Hub Admin > Initial Setup > Manage Pathways)

If you have Stand-alone Bridges (Projects only and are not a PeopleGrove customer) you will see the following navigation tabs:

• Home - Your Landing Page once logged in which offers you to see posts or post a project.
• Opportunities - Your page with your projects and the option to search/filter them.
• To-Do List - Your Bridges learning path which walks you through 6 steps to effectively manage your Bridges platform.
• Resources - Resources curated for you and your users regarding projects.

Project Settings

Lost? Hub Admin > Initial Setup > Project Settings

You do have access to check your Project Settings. Yet, PeopleGrove has toggled on recommended settings for you. It is highly encouraged that you do not change these settings. 

Note: you will not have access to this if you are a Bridges standalone partner.

Many of these options are self-explanatory. It is important to note that in Optional Settings the choice to Enable Default Bridges Pathway means when a user is hired for a Project they will receive an invitation to a Pathway (or a set of steps). This will provide basic guidance on how to complete and successfully deliver on a Project.

Note: Can Create Projects For Other Companies is an important toggle for allowing the Light Sign up. During Light Sign Up, new Project Sponsors skip the profile / bio section. Therefore, new Project Sponsors do not have a company associated with their accounts. Keeping the Can Create Projects For Other Companies toggle ON, this allows these users to add a new company while they're first creating their project.

Approve Job Posts

Lost? Hub Admin > Approval Queues > Approve Job Posts

Once a Sponsor has posted a Project, you will see it appear in your Approval Queue for Job Posts. 

You can click on both the Job Title to see the Project Post and the Posted By sponsor name to see their profile. Once you have decided to approve the post, you can click the green check. If you choose to reject the post you can choose the red x. You will be asked to confirm your rejection at that point. 

Note: If you have several admins who all have Approve Job Posts access in Manage Admin (Hub Admin > Users & Data Tools > Manage Admin) they will all receive an email when there is a Project or Job to be approved. If you only wish to have one person approving projects and jobs you can create an access group.  One person will have access to that access group. Make sure all other access groups do not have access to Approve Job Posts.  This access is not available to Bridges standalone partners.

Projects

Lost? Hub Admin > Users and Analytics > Projects

In Projects, under Users and Analytics, you have 11 pieces of information you can view. This information helps you understand the progress of Projects and the individuals involved. You can also use this page to directly contact Project Owners/Sponsors.

 

1. Project Insights - Total Projects ever posted to your site and the total applicants for all projects.
2. Filter by status - Use this drop-down menu to view projects based on the 7 statuses. 
3. Project - This will show you the names of the Projects listed on your site
4. Posted - The date and time when the post was created
5. Applicants - The number of applicants for this role. This is clickable. Once clicked you will see:
   1. Names of the applicants (Click to see their profiles!)
   2. Date that the applicant applied
   3. Applicant's User Type on your platform
   4. Documents the applicant uploaded (Click to view!)
   5. The status of their application (editable by you and the sponsor in their inbox)
   6. The option to email the applicant under the Action column using the email icon
   7. The ability to Export the applicant information to a CSV file in the top right
6. Hired? - Profile Photo and Name of the applicant hired for the Project
7. Status - Current hiring status of the project
8. Project Owner - The profile photo and name of the Project Sponsor
9. Email Icon - Click to email the Project Sponsor
10. Project Name - Filter by Project Name
11. Export - Button to export all the projects information on this page to a CVS file

Landing Page

Lost? Site-Wide Admin Home > Initial Setup > Landing Page

As you will want to introduce Projects to non-mentors and individuals who will not be mentoring on your site, you may want to create a separate Landing Page. These steps are only necessary if you are a current PeopleGrove partner. Standalone Bridges partners only have access to Projects, so the train Bridges Landing Page is already provided as it is the only one needed.

1. Visit your Site-Wide Admin
2. Click on Initial Setup
3. Choose Landing Page
4. Click Add New Page in the top right
5. Create a Page Title and Header Title for your projects page
6. Set your Header Color and Header Text Color
7. Add an image file to the Top Image field (This image will appear at the top of the page)
8. Insert your language for the Project page.
   1. Choose Add New Element
      1. Join Button
         1. Title the button Post a Project
      2. Insert this template language adding your institution name:

         What does a [INSTITUTION NAME] Project look like?

         • Short-term, virtual experiences: Opportunities should last 40–80 hours over the course of about 2–4 weeks.

         • Defined goals: Projects should have a concrete goal that can be completed in the set timeframe.

         • Mentorship: Beyond skill-building and completion of a professional task, [INSTITUTION NAME] Projects are learning opportunities for students, supported through your guided mentorship. 

         • Stipend: Employers are encouraged to fund their company’s projects.

      3. RIGHT SECTION
         1. Click Add New Element
            1. Choose Light Signup Button

         2. [INSTITUTION NAME] Projects are short-term, virtual experiences that are created by unbundling long-term internships and separating out individual projects that can be completed remotely. Students benefit from working on a real-world project, while your company or organization will gain timely support from students.

            Learn more about how to design a [INSTITUTION NAME] Project to support your organization’s work and the professional development of a student. 

            Resources [LINK TO YOUR RESOURCES]

            • Posting Instructions
            • How to manage a student in virtual project resource
            • Sample Projects 

Manage Pathways

This Pathway is meant to provide guidance to students. Sponsors can not see the user's progress within the Pathway. Administrators will be able to view progress under Hub Admin > Initial Setup > Manage Pathway. Clicking the Assigned button next to your Pathway will allow you to see your student's progress.

End-User Experience (Project seeker)

Through Bridges, your community’s collection of experiential learning opportunities is supported by a host of alumni and other external constituents, designed to drive student and alumni engagement, catalyze career-skill development, and increase alumni affinity. Soon our partners will be able to view Projects from community members from other BridgesAlliance partners. The Project Sponsor and the Project Seeker will be able to message each other.

The Project Seeker steps are simple:

1. Click on Opportunities tab
2. You'll see a pop-up asking you to list the job functions in which you'd like to gain experience. This is a great way to receive the most relevant recommendations. We use job functions rather than industries for consistency; each institution has their own terminology for industries, but job functions are the same across all Bridges platforms.
3. You can also use the search bar at the top to narrow your search to certain job functions.
4. Click the title of the position
5. (optional) You can email the Project Sponsor from the page
6. Click Apply Now 
   1. Below the Project Seeker will see blurred out mentor options for this project based on the mentor's Job Functions. Once the Project Seeker is hired, the mentors' information will appear, and they can be reached directly from the project page.
7. Upload resume.  
8. Click Submit or upload another piece of information.
9. See the application as pending 

The Project Sponsor will receive the Project Seeker's information in their inbox and can review it. Once the Project Seeker has been hired (and the Project Sponsor changes the Project Status to Hired for that seeker) an email will be sent to the newly hired Project Seeker.

After a seeker has been hired they will receive an invitation in their inbox to begin a Projects Pathway that will guide them step-by-step on how to handle a professional work project. 

Seekers will have access to this Pathway through their invite email as well as through their PeopleGrove site on the Project page.

From the platform, the hired Project Seeker can view the Project and choose mentors to be attached to the project.

The Seeker can click Ask for Help from one of the three mentors on your platform who have matching industries with this project.

They will also receive a nudge before sending the message that recommends they schedule a meeting with the mentor.

Once the message has been sent, this mentor's information along with the sponsor's information will also be attached to the right side of the project page.

The Pathway will guide the seeker along the path of eventually submitting their final project. Once the project has been completed, the Seeker can choose to change the project status in their inbox. The Sponsor must agree that it has been completed and approve it themselves. Once it has been approved the Seeker will receive a Badge on their profile. 

   

End-User Experience (Project Sponsor)

Through Bridges, your community’s collection of experiential learning opportunities is supported by a host of alumni and other external constituents, designed to drive student and alumni engagement, catalyze career-skill development, and increase alumni affinity. Soon Project Seekers will be able to view Projects from community members from other BridgesAlliance partners. The Project Sponsor and the Project Seeker will be able to message each other.

Here are the quick steps for Project Sponsors to list and hire

1. Click on Opportunities or Projects tab 
   1. If your platform also has Opportunities, it will appear like the image below. Clicking the Explore Projects button will bring the user to the Projects page.
   2. If the platform does not have Opportunities, the user will only see a Projects tab.
   3. A pop-up will appear asking you to list job functions in which you have experience. By adding this information, you'll be able to receive appropriate project template recommendations. We use job functions rather than industries for consistency; each institution has their own terminology for industries, but job functions are the same across all Bridges platforms.
   4. The Sponsor can choose three ways to post a Project
      1. Choose Post a Project on the right to post a project without the help of a template
      2. Choose one of the three Copy Template options at the bottom of the page
      3. Click "See more project templates or create your own" to see 12 additional template options or create without a template
      4. Fill in the project information remembering to choose Industries as well when prompted (this information helps connect mentors to the project). Click Preview and Submit
      5. Click Review Terms and Submit - This section addresses Compliance with the Fair Labor Standards Act, terms regarding tax documents, and intellectual property
      6. Type signature and acknowledge these the terms
      7. Wait for Approval from a platform administrator
      8. View My Projects to see your post. You can click the human icon to view your applicants
      9. Review applicants. You will receive an email when a new applicant has applied for your Project. Attachments you requested are in that email
      10. You can review the applicants by following the link in the email or the human icon on your post 
          1. You can take several actions from the applicants' link:
             1. Click on the applicant's name to see their PeopleGrove profile
             2. View the date applied
             3. View their User Type
             4. Review the uploaded documents (Click on them to open)
             5. Change the Status of their hire
             6. Click the email icon under action to email them directly 
                1. The message will go to their PeopleGrove inbox and a notification will be sent to their email
      11. Once you have chosen Hire from the drop-down menu for your appropriate candidate you will receive a message
      12. Message the Seeker you hired. Click the Message button. This message will go to their email as well as their PeopleGrove inbox
      13. You can change the Project Status at the top of your conversation in the PeopleGrove inbox with your Hired Project Seeker
      14. Be sure to change the Status to Completed once you have received the final project from your Hired Seeker

Explore Users

You can search for your Light Signup users in your Explore Users under the Completed Signup Filter.

Project Terms of Service Agreement

Project Posting - Terms and Conditions

Thank you for agreeing to post a project and help bridge the gap between education and meaningful work experience within your community. 

Please read and understand the following terms when posting a project. By submitting your project you are agreeing to the following terms between you, (the “Poster”) and the applicant (the “Project Recipient”). You must agree to these terms to post a project. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions. 

Payment for projects

If this project is a paid project, you, the Poster, are responsible for arranging payment with the Project Recipient. If payments for the project exceed $600 in any calendar year, the Poster is responsible for any necessary tax documents such as a W9 or 1099. 

Compliance with the Fair Labor Standards Act

If this is an unpaid project, the Poster is representing that this project meets the requirements of an unpaid internship, as outlined here: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/fact-sheets/71-flsa-internships. In general, unpaid projects should not be for work that would otherwise be completed by a paid employee. Unpaid projects should be for the educational benefit of the Project Recipient. 

If this is a paid project, the Poster is responsible for any necessary contractor agreements between the Poster and the Project Recipient. In general, the Project Recipient should be considered independent contractors. 

Intellectual property and confidentiality

If you, the Poster, expects to own the intellectual property of this project or expects a level of confidentiality, it is your responsibility to execute any necessary documents between you and the Project Recipient. Unless otherwise agreed to in writing, the Project Recipient will maintain intellectual property ownership and will not have an expectation of confidentiality. 

Limitation of liability

This website is operating as a matching service between you, the Poster, and the Project Recipient. This website assumes no responsibility, and shall not be liable for, any loss, claim, damage, or any special, exemplary, punitive, indirect, incidental or consequential damages of any kind (including, but not limited to, lost profits or lost savings), whether based in contract, tort, strict liability, or otherwise, which arises out of or is any way connected with the website. This limitation of liability shall apply regardless of whether the claim asserted is based on contract, negligence, or any other theory of recovery.

 

Slides from Orientation 

You can find the slides to the BridgesAlliance Orientation here. These slides are meant to be a touch point and are not a substitute for the training.