What is the Support Academy? : DonorView

1. What is the Support Academy?

The DonorView Support Academy is a learning management system (LMS) used to deliver and track training.
Our LMS is hosted on a platform called "Litmos."

2. Why is DonorView asking me to use the Support Academy?

The Support Academy provides DonorView users with a formal learning plan to help you understand how to use the DonorView platform in the most efficient and effective way.
It gives you, the learner, a structure to learn the basics and then build upon that learning to perform more advanced tasks in the software.
It allows the learner to progress at their own pace, instead of feeling the training is moving too fast or too slow for their needs.
It gives the learner an opportunity to provide valuable feedback about the training and software so that we can continually improve the process and the product.

3. When can I start using the Support Academy?

The best time to begin using the Support Academy is when you are ready to start using DonorView.
This is typically once your data is converted, but if you plan to start using the software prior to your data conversion, you can start anytime.

4. How do I sign up for the Support Academy?

When you log into DonorView, you can find a link to the Support Academy in the User Settings menu under your user initials in the top right corner.

If your DonorView login information has already been assigned to a support academy user license, you will see the Launch Academy button in the center of the window.
You will also see the number of licenses included with your support plan and how many remaining licenses are available with your plan.

If your DonorView login information is not already assigned to a support academy user license, you will see an option to click the blue button to activate it. Depending on your organization’s support plan, there may be a cost associated with getting your support academy user license.
Support academy licenses are per user and are currently set up to renew on the 1^st of each month, and you can deactivate anytime after your first month.

5. How do I start using the DonorView Support Academy?

When you click “Launch Academy” you will immediately be redirected to the Litmos learning platform.
You can click Continue to my dashboard. This message can be turned off by unchecking “Always show this message on the Home page.”

6. What is on the Learner Dashboard?

(1) In Progress courses to show any courses you have started but have not been completed yet.
(2) Not Started to show any learning paths or courses that have been assigned but not started yet.
You can also see a count of (3) Completed courses on the right side of the dashboard.

Clicking on a class will open the menu to start or continue the course as well as an outline of all the courses and modules available.
Courses which have prerequisites will show “Module Locked” until the prerequisites are met.

7. What courses have I been assigned and why?

All DonorView users are assigned to the Basic User Learning Path. This learning path consists of a welcome video which is an overview of DonorView and three courses to learn the basic operations and the main database module, the Constituent Relationship Management (CRM) Module.
These items must all be completed prior to moving on to learn more about additional topics like fundraising and events.
We have found that users who learn the basics of navigation and understanding the grids, menus, and views will find using the software much easier. This will accelerate your ability to put the software into action for your organization.

8. How do I start the courses?

You will start by clicking on the Basic User Learning Path icon under Not Started Yet on your dashboard.
If you have multiple courses or learning paths assigned, you should start with the Basic User Learning Path for your foundational training.
Those users who also have Admin level access in the software will also see the Admin Users Learning Path to learn more about managing your organization’s account.

Clicking on the course will open a window on the side of your screen where you will click on Start This Learning Path.

This will take you immediately to the 14 minute Welcome Video which provides an overview of all the features in the software.
The video also gives you an introduction to the navigation and terminology used in the software.
Once you have watched the video, you can use the links in the upper right corner of the screen to go to the Next Module which will start the next course, DonorView Basic Software Functions.
You can also click Exit to exit the course and save where you left off.

Each of the remaining lesson modules will start with an introduction page with a brief message about the topics or learning objectives of that lesson.
Click on Start Module below the message to begin.

While taking the course you will see a menu in the upper left corner, which allows you to navigate between the different lesson modules in the course.
Each course will be made up of mini lesson modules to help you move through the training at your own pace.
We recommend taking the course in the order that we recommend for the best learning experience.

On the right side of the screen will also be a menu to navigate to the different pages in this lesson module.
You can see how many pages are included and which ones have been completed.

At the bottom of each page, you will find a Next button to proceed to the next page.
This button will only be available when you have completed all the activities required on that page.
Be sure you have watched the required videos or completed the activities before proceeding to the next page.

Some of the lessons will also include a quick quiz.
You can respond to the question and check your answers as you go through the quiz.
If you are incorrect, you can try again.
If you’d like to go back and revisit the information, you can use the Menu link in the upper right corner to go to a specific page in the lesson.
Most quizzes require a 75% to pass and proceed to the next lesson module.

9. What happens after I complete the first learning path?

As soon as your complete the first learning path, you will automatically be assigned to the Intermediate Users Learning Path. This learning path has only one required course, the Fundraising Module, but also includes optional courses on Events, Email Marketing, Surveys/Forms, and Volunteer Modules. You can take these courses in any order.
Also, within each course there are various lesson modules. There are some required lesson modules that are required to be able to perform the basic activities, and other lesson modules that will be optional for advanced features.
After your successfully complete the Intermediate Learning Path, you will automatically be assigned to the Advanced Learning Path to cover topics like the mobile app, auctions, and peer to peer campaigns.

10. What if I don’t want to use the recommended learning paths, where can I find the library of all courses?

At the top of the dashboard, you have links on the right to update your personal information.
On the left you also have links for:
1. Home – to return to the dashboard
2. Learning Library – to access all the courses available
3. Assigned Training – to see just training you have been assigned or registered for yourself
4. Live Sessions – for a calendar of live webinars
5. Achievements – to view your personal learning accomplishments