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Overview This page will become the central documentation source for all steps needed to prepare, administer, and distribute the US Servas "Open Doors" newsletter. Unlike SharePoint, it is accessible to anyone with a US Servas Admin account. Basics - SharePoint & Admin
Why Monthly - The board, Peace Secretary, and almost all volunteer teams rely on Open Doors to announce events, request member input, and provide help to members, etc. Irregular and or infrequent distribution dries up this source of communication. Why Blogs - Wild Apricot has a limited email formatting editor, so the only other option would be to include all article content in one document, which is daunting to many readers. Using our current method allows people to easily scan for articles of interest, and then click on the link to read the full text. The other advantage of using blogs is that it provides content on the website for members to peruse and comment on at their own leisure.
WA - Wild Apricot, the company that hosts our website SI - Servas International USS - US Servas OD -Open Doors Newsletter MH - US Servas Member Help Team SICOGA - Servas International Conference & General Assembly SIGA - Servas International General Assembly EXCO - Servas International Executive Committee CSW - UN Commission on the Status of Women TIP - Set Up Your Browser for ServasIt is much easier to navigate all of the SharePoint and Wild Apricot webpages if you create and customize a unique browser profile to do so. The Servas profile should incluide Bookmarks for the webpages you commonly use for Servas tasks, i.e. Outlook email, SharePoint folders, Canva, etc. View the Quick-Help Guide showing how to Set Up Multiple Browser Profiles
Note - When you are in Public View mode it is much easier to navigate the US Servas website using the menus, but you cannot do Admin functions like creating a blog, or editing a webpage. If you need to do these functions simply switch to Admin mode. Who Does WhatVolunteers have different skills and interests, so it is important to determine who will do what. Here is an abstract of Open Doors Roles. and the tasks required for each roleEach of these tasks require certain skills and mindset. Toward that end we have an Excel table that helps team members assess their own skill level and preferences for various OD tasks. Here is a guide for using the My Task Preferences spreadsheet. We request that each new team member assess their skills and interests so that we can agree on a team role. Here is a link to Download the Spreadsheet Access & Create OD FoldersVolunteers have different skills and interests, so it is important to determine who will do what. Here is an abstract of Open Doors Roles. and the tasks required for each rolePutting Articles (Blogs) on Website Graphics & Photossources, sizes, etc.OD Blogs & Photo LocationsOver time there have been name changes and additions to the article topics, blog link names, and file folders used for Open Doors. Because Wild Apricot does not have a site-wide links managment function, we are stuck with a combination of new and old names. here is a Quick-Help guide to Blog & Photo LocationsUploading Articles to Wild Apricothere are the stepsCommon Problemsyou must be in public mode to get the proper links to articlesOther Stuffdo thisTest blog linksto be written
Expectations & Norms I'm not ready to host travelers in my home. What options are there?You can be a day host! You'd arrange to meet a traveler in or near your city for a few hours or any timeframe that works for both of you. A day host experience may involve you meeting for coffee, going to a cultural event, showing a traveler around your area, or anything else of interest to you both. If there's a cost for any activity, each person is responsible for their share. Please discuss this before meeting.What can I expect from a Servas hosting/traveling experience?Every Servas stay is unique. Stays normally include opportunities for conversations which allow members to learn about different cultures, ways of life, paths to peace, and each other. Please review the Servas Host/Traveler Responsibility document, which covers what is expected from hosts/day hosts/travelers. Hosts may have time to show a traveler around their area. But if they have jobs or other commitments, they may just make suggestions of what you can see/do in their area when you stay with them. It is also typical for Hosts, Day Hosts and Travelers to share some meals together, as food is a wonderful cultural ice-breaker; however, it is not required. If you are a Host and cannot have any meals with a Traveler who requests a stay, do let them know ahead of time.What assistance is available to Servas travelers on the road?Servas is not a travel agency. Travelers coordinate their own stays when traveling using the Servas International website. Advanced planning is recommended. There are wonderful Servas stories of how local members have been able to help Servas Travelers when they have issues while in a foreign country. This is not a guarantee of our organization, but it is great to hear how our network has been able to respond to Travelers on how to handle unexpected situations when abroad.I plan to stay in hotels when traveling, but I'd still like to meet local Servas members to learn about the culture. Is this possible?Yes! A Servas visit isn't restricted to home stays. Day Hosts are happy to meet Servas members for cultural exchange. When you're contacting and corresponding with a Day Host, the two of you can decide how to spend time together (e.g. cup of coffee, walk around area, cultural event, dinner, etc.). If there is a cost for any activity, each person is responsible for their share. Please discuss this before meeting.As a host, am I required to accept every traveler who contacts me and requests a visit?No. If it isn't a convenient time for you to welcome a traveler, you can decline the request. On the other hand, as Servas promotes trust, tolerance, and respect, you shouldn't decline a request on the basis of race, nationality, language, age, religion, or sexual orientation. Whether accepting or declining a request, please respond promptly. Remember, Servas exchanges aren't limited to home stays, so consider acting as a Day Host if you'd still like to meet with travelers but for any reason can't host in your home. If you know there's a period when you won't be able to welcome travelers at all, indicate that in your profile and then update it after that period is over (e.g. "I'm unable to host during December and January. Starting in February I'd welcome Day Host and/or home stay visits, and weekends are usually best for me.")How do I handle issues that may arise as a Host/Traveler?Before your visit, make sure you talk with your host / traveler about the house rules and what each of you expects. Everyone’s behavior should reflect the spirit of Servas—kind, respectful, and above reproach. If there are problems which a civil and polite conversation cannot solve, you may wish to contact the Complaints Resolution Committee. If a member ever behaves inappropriately, report the incident quickly to the Complaints Resolution Committee. You can reach them at this address: Complaints at usservas dot org.Personal Information, Payments & Terms Where is personal information stored and how secure is it?The US Servas website (USServas.org) stores only basic contact and membership information, for example: name, email, phone number, address, interview, and membership history. The Servas International website (Servas.org) stores the information contained in a Host/Traveler profile. Only members who have been interviewed and approved can access the International website. Credit card information is not stored on either the US Servas or Servas International website. It is kept and safeguarded by Affinipay, an international payment processing company.What is Auto Renewal?Auto renewal means a member does not have to reapply every year. This is great because it saves time for members and volunteers. A member renews at their current membership level (e.g. Friend or Host/Traveler). Maintaining continuous membership allows people to retain membership benefits without having to repeat the joining process. Membership fees also support US Servas and our mission of peace. If a member does not want to renew, they should simply turn off automatic recurring payments in their US Servas membership account. Automatic Recurring Payments is a separate topic. Click here to read the details.What is Automatic Recurring Payments?Automatic recurring payments make it easy for members to have continuous membership since credit cards on file are automatically charged the yearly nonrefundable membership fee. That means no additional steps to keep membership active. Members are notified by email of renewal before renewal date. Yearly fees are nonrefundable, so if someone does not want to renew, they must turn off automatic recurring payments before their credit card is charged. To turn off automatic recurring payment, read instructions here. Payment received on your renewal date is a nonrefundable membership fee. Credit card information is NOT stored on the US Servas website. It is stored by AffiniPay, a secure, international credit card processing company.What is Wild Apricot?Wild Apricot is the name of the Membership management software used to build the US Servas website.their terms.What do the Wild Apricot Terms and Conditions mean?Our website provider, Wild Apricot, requires that all members agree to their terms of use before they can access their account. Our analysis is that the terms are pretty standard things like, you won't do anything illegal, you won't do anything that damages their system (like sending out a zillion spam emails, etc.). Click Here if you'd like to see our synopsis of their terms. | Useful Bookmarks The following webpages are commonly used by the website team. We suggest you add them to your Servas browser. To do so, click on one of the icons to visit the page then add that page to your Bookmarks bar. Use short names for the bookmarks to increase the number that will fit on the bar.
Photo Guidlines Copyright IssuesOpen Doors must use non-copyrighted images so that US Servas is not sued for infringment. There are bounty companies that alert copyright owners of violations and share in the huge financial settlements that may occur. All photos on the US Servas website must be either taken by members, obtained from royalty free sites subscribed to by US Servas (Canva), or public sites (Wiki, .gov, etc.) provided they are specifically designated for public use. The source of all non-member photos must be cited.Here is a link to the Communications Policy
Jpeg files are best except for very small graphics or instances where transparency is required. A good size for most images is 900 pixels wide. We recommend a max. of 1200 pixels for photos that have many people or small details that readers will want to see in a larger size.
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One confusing thing about Wild Apricot (WA) is Public vs. Admin mode. When you log in with your @usservas.org email, you are set to Public mode. You can tell this by the looking at the Mode Button near the top right side of your screen. It will display the image shown at the right, indicating that you can click it to switch to Admin mode. 
Likewise, if the button says Public as shown at the right, clicking it will switch you to Admin mode.
1887 Whitney Mesa Dr., #1250, Henderson, NV 89014
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