Getting Your Org Onboard Dara

||For Admins

Welcome aboard! We look forward to having your Organization shine among our incredible network of Partners. You can have a look at the great company you’ll be keeping on Dara here.

Here are some suggestions to best onboard your Org and it’s Affiliates:

• Start by filling out the Dara Partner & Community Setup Form. This is so we know your Org’s name, and how you’d like it and your Community to appear on Dara.
• Next, have a look at this list of things to keep in mind regarding Communities and Channels:

Communities

1. Partners can have multiple Communities. These are for larger programs that they run, sometimes in collaboration with external organizations. If you’d like to know more about how Partners and their Communities differ, go here.
2. There are two types of Communities on Dara. The first are Curated Communities, whose Members are known as Affiliates, and carry the relevant Partner’s Badge on their Profiles. They also gain access to Channels, Chat Groups and resources that are exclusive to that Partner. The second are Open Communities, which are for anyone on Dara who is interested in a Partner’s programs, Events and opportunities. Members of Open Communities do not carry Partner Badges.
3. All Communities have unique Header Logos. These help your Members identify which of your programs they are closely linked to.
4. You can create a custom Welcome Video for your Community Page. This could come from someone in a leadership position in your Org.
5. Don’t underestimate the value of crafting your Community Guidelines, so your Members know the values you stand for, and how to uphold them. You can join the Friends of Dara Community here, to have a look at our Best Practices for Community Norms, and here’s where you can learn more about inculcating these in your own guidelines.

Channels

1. You can make as many Channels as you want. Channels are like Chat Groups, but are organized around a specific topic to prevent discursion. Go here to learn more about how Chat Groups and Channels differ.
2. There are two types of Channels on Dara. Broadcast Channels and Two-Way Channels. Usually, Two-Way Channels do not have more than fifty members, and Broadcast Channels can grow infinitely. When you specify the Channels you want your Community to have, remember to choose whether they are meant to be Broadcast Channels or not. Also, ensure that someone from your team is the Admin for each Channel.
3. The Visibility Setting on a Channel can either be Private, which means that the Channel is only visible to specific members of the Community, or Open, which means that the Channel is visible to all members of the Community.
4. All Communities have topic-based Channels associated with them. Dara has two default Channels that we recommend that all your Communities have — Asks, which is a Channel for your members to make open requests for information, resources etc., and Posts, which is a Broadcast Channel that only your Community Admins can post to. Additionally, as a Dara Partner, you will also get a News Channel, in order to make announcements to all Dara Members across your Communities.
5. Channels are best identified by people on Dara when they have intuitive icons and a consistent color palette. Think about how you want your Channels to be recognized when they appear in your Members’ message inboxes.

• Once you Submit your Partner Setup Form, we’ll create your Org as a Dara Partner. This takes up to 3 business days. Your Community, Admin team, Channels and Chat Groups will be set up as requested by you on this form. You and your Admins will be the first people onboarded, so please try and ensure that your Affiliates’ experience is the way you want it tailored.
• Now that your Org is a Dara Partner, it’s time to start onboarding your Affiliates. Fill out the Partner Onboarding Form that our team will share with you. This enables you to pre-fill important information such as names, email IDs, cohort years etc. about your Affiliates. Don’t worry, we’ll walk you through this part over video. Once this is filled out, our team will import your Community and add your Affiliates to the specified Channels. We recommend taking a minute and going through our article on the Best Practices for Growing a Vibrant Community on Dara.
• Finally, go ahead and create the first message for each Channel. This is a great way to introduce yourself, your team, your Organization and the expectations Affiliates & Members should have from each Channel.

We hope this information helps you get your Organization onboard Dara.

Don’t hesitate to reach out to support@dara.network if you have any questions or suggestions. Or, you can message Dara’s team directly on Dara here.

Our team is committed to giving you the best user experience.

-Dara’s team.