❖ Heads up! This article is intended for Site Managers. Please note that we can only consider product suggestions submitted by Site Managers. If you're a Program Facilitator or Volunteer wanting to make a suggestion, please contact your site manager. While we consider every suggestion submitted by our Site Managers, we may not be able to implement all suggestions.
Do you have ideas about how we can improve a feature or area of a site? Are you trying to accomplish something but want to do so in fewer steps? Can you envision a process that would improve your workflow and the workflows of other site managers? If you said yes, then we'd love to hear from you in our Product Suggestion forums!
ⓘ So you know: Not all product suggestions can be implemented. We do take into consideration every product suggestion submitted to us before deciding whether or not to implement them.
What is a product suggestion?
A product suggestion is simply a request to enhance the product. If you notice that something could be improved or if you find that a task is too complicated, you can make a product suggestion for our Development team to consider as a possible future enhancement. '
- Product suggestions are not personal customizations.
- These enhancements, once implemented, are applied to all sites.
- Product suggestions are not guaranteed.
- We love to hear your suggestions! Most of our enhancements come from suggestions made by site managers like you. However, we do not implement all product suggestions and can't guarantee if one will be implemented or not, even after a suggestion has been made.
- Please see our enhancements page for the most current list of enhancements.
- Product suggestions are usually not large-scale changes or projects.
- These are small to medium-scale changes.
A product suggestion usually takes one of three forms:
- An entirely new feature
- An update to an existing feature
- A 'fix' to a problem that couldn't be corrected through our usual process
ⓘ So you know: Not all product suggestions can be implemented. We do take into consideration every product suggestion submitted to us before deciding whether or not to implement them.
Who approves product suggestions?
Product suggestions are reviewed and carefully considered by our Development team. The Development team is responsible for approving and creating coding for all sites. They consider all aspects of the proposed enhancement and are the ones to either approve or reject an enhancement request.
How does it work?
After you share your product suggestions with us in the forums, our Development team reviews them for consideration. We typically update the software quarterly; however, some updates may take more time and others less. It all depends on how much developer time and company decisions are needed to implement a change. Here's a brief overview of the major milestones in that process:
When considering a product enhancement, our team looks at several factors, including:
- How much development time the enhancement require
- How many people would benefit from the enhancement—i.e., how many clients would see improvement to their workflows if the enhancement is implemented
- How many people the enhancement might be detrimental to
- How the enhancement coincides with the product vision
While we can't accept or implement every product suggestion shared with us, we do our best to implement the ones that would benefit the most clients overall.
The Product Suggestion forum
Product suggestions are created and maintained in the Sustain Product Suggestions Forum. This is an open forum that any site manager can access from the Sustain Knowledge Center. From here, you can:
- Post your product suggestions
- Upvote existing product suggestions—this lets our Development team know that more people support this idea
- Add your voice to existing product suggestions
- A comment on an existing product allows you to share your support for that idea or add context to further explain how it would benefit your organization
How to create a great product suggestion
When you post a product suggestion, there are a few important things to keep in mind:
1. Be detailed.
- Got a vision about how a page or process can be improved? Share it! The more detailed the better.
- This helps the Development team understand how you envision the enhancement working on the site.
2. Don't share personal or private information.
- We love a good screenshot, especially when it's accompanied by edits, ideas, and suggestions! However, we want to keep you and your volunteers safe, so please remove or hide any information that might be considered personal or private.
- Everyone can see the forum and what you share in it.
3. Share your why.
- Be sure to include why this enhancement is necessary.
- This ties in with being detailed but is worth mentioning on its own.
- We must understand why this enhancement is being requested and how it will benefit the individual making the request.
How to post a product suggestion to the forum
1. Navigate to the Sustain Product Suggestions Forum found in Sustain Knowledge Center > Forums. 
2. Be sure to click Sustain Product Suggestions.
3. Click Post a topic to get started! 
- Keep in mind that you'll need to be logged in to create a post.
4. Give your post a Title. 
- Here are a few good examples of titles:
- Ability to turn off self-check-in for volunteers.
- Add calendar mode for shift selection on the Opportunity Response page.
- Add more color options for the site manager dashboard.
- You want to ensure your title is clear and specific to the suggestion you're making.
5. Complete the Message field with as many details about your request as possible! This is where you tell us your why and how. Answering the following questions in your post gives us a clear vision of your product suggestion: 
- Why is this something you want to see in the software? Why is this product suggestion helpful to your workflow or other site managers? Why are you making this product suggestion?
- e.g., I want the ability for myself and my fellow site managers to turn off or on self-check-in for volunteers to ensure accurate hours reporting and to avoid any check-ins for no-shows.
- How is this going to benefit your workflow? How do you envision it working?
- e.g., This will benefit our workflow by helping us avoid inaccurate hours reporting. It will also keep volunteer no-shows from trying to submit hours they haven't worked.
- Bonus points if you answer "where" you envision this in the software.
- This is usually explained through the product suggestion itself, but sometimes a suggestion can apply to more than one area or feature in the software.
- e.g., I would like to see this as a settings option we can control from the Main Settings area. If not there, then maybe it can be something we enable per volunteer Opportunity.
6. Add any Attachments as applicable—this is great when you want to show us a visual of where in the software you want the enhancement implemented.
- You can also just insert images into the Message field using the text editor tools.
7. Review your post and be sure to check the box for the reCAPTCHA, confirming you're not a robot.
8. When you're ready, click Save.
How to upvote an existing product suggestion
Upvoting an existing product suggestion is one of the easiest ways to show your support for a suggestion. Most of the product suggestions we've already implemented came from suggestions made by site managers, like you, in the forums. To upvote a suggestion, simply click the thumbs-up icon for it! 
How to comment on an existing product suggestion
While a simple upvote is a great way to support a suggestion, you're welcome and encouraged to add a comment on an existing product suggestion. This is a great way to share your support and provide any additional context around why the suggestion would be beneficial to you as well. You can even add to the conversation with any additional idea the existing suggestion might have inspired. Just add a comment by clicking in the Click here to add comment for that suggestion! 