Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) - More About findhelp [EXTERNAL FACING PORTAL] (2024)

How do I get Help

We understand that the process of looking for services can be stressful, and we hope to help.

Our network exists to make the process of getting help simple and quick. We encourage you to take a moment to search for those programs and services on findhelp.org.

While findhelp has created this search platform, findhelp does not directly provide any assistance programs.

Is it free to search for services on findhelp?

Yes! It’s free to search and connect to programs and services on findhelp.

Findhelp exists to make the process of getting help quick and with ease, but we ourselves are not able to offer specific advice for the programs or services that you should connect with.

Does findhelp provide person to person navigation services to find programs?

We understand that the process of looking for services can be stressful, and we hope to help.

Findhelp exists to make the process of getting help quick and with ease, but we ourselves are not able to offer specific advice for the programs or services that you should connect with.

We hope that you take a moment to search for those programs and services on findhelp.org (it's free to search and connect with them!).

If you are in need of someone to help you connect to services, try going to findhelp.org and searching for "navigating the system" to connect with programs that can navigate on your behalf.

What is a referral?

A referral connects a Seeker to a program that can serve them. Referrals are logged for the Seeker, person helping them (Navigator), and the Program they were referred to.

Is there an App?

Yes! There is an app for the public version of findhelp.org (iPhone or Android) and findhelp can create custom branded apps for customers. Learn more about requesting a branded mobile app.

The platform is also mobile-friendly so that you can access it from your smartphone or tablet browser. If you are using a Customer Site, navigate to your site and save it as a bookmark!

Why can’t I find the program I was looking for?

What kind of program are you looking for?

Findhelp adds programs that meet ourprogram criteria.The programs that we list are all direct social services that are offered at a free or reduced cost.

Where are you searching?

We also only show programs in the areas where they provide service. You may need to update the zip code that you're searching in. For example, if you are looking for a program with a zip code in County A but the services are only provided for residents of County B, you would need to use a zip code in County B to see that resource.

Suggest a Missing Program

If you do not see a program that fits the above criteria, use ourSuggest a Programtool to submit search for and submit a new program!

What does the check mark on the program mean?

The claimed badge is a marker findhelp uses on program cards to indicate the program has been claimed. Claiming means:

1. Information associated with the program has been reviewed for accuracy by someone who works for the organization that administers the program.

2. Providers have access to continually update their program information.

Claiming is essentially a provider saying, “I work at this organization and I’d like to make sure my program's information is up-to-date.”

What are Next Steps and how are they used?

Findhelp’s mission is to connect people in need and the programs that serve them (with dignity and ease). The “Next Steps” tab on each program card is a big part of how we do that, and is something that differentiates us from other resource directories.

To us, finding a program to meet a need is just the beginning. The “Next Steps” are the immediate action items a person in need should take in order to receive services from a program.

Examples include:

• A food pantry who’s best next step is for the person in need to present at the location in person.

  See Also

  findhelp.org by Aunt BerthaCommunity resource Definition | Law InsiderHomeless Emergency Aid Program (HEAP)/California Emergency Solutions (CESH) - Sacramento Steps ForwardHow to Ask for Help With Money in 5 Simple Steps

• An agency who requires a person in need to call and verbally walk through an intake form with a case manager.

Why does findhelp use this model?

We recognize that every program has a different set of best practices someone looking for services should follow to get help. That’s why we allow providers to update their Next Steps and include an email address, phone number, or other option and indicate the best way to get in touch.

Connect Button

If you are looking for services or navigating on behalf of someone else, you can use theConnectbutton on the Next Steps tab to let the program provider know you’re interested in learning more or getting help. After clicking the Connect button, you’ll be asked to fill out a short form to send information to the provider.

What is FPIL and how is it calculated?

Also referred to as the Federal Poverty Guidelines, FPIL is one measure of poverty within the United States and is released annually. There is one set of guidelines for the 48 contiguous states and the District of Columbia. Alaska and Hawaii each have their own set. FPIL measures a family's annual cash income. That's how it differs from other poverty indicators that measure total wealth, annual consumption, or a subjective assessment of well-being. The Department of Health and Human Services issues the poverty level guidelines each January.

The poverty level determines who can receive federal subsidies or aid. These programs include:

• Food Benefits

• Medicaid

• The Affordable Care Act

• Head Start

• The National School Lunch Program

• The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program

• The Children's Health Insurance Program

How is FPIL calculated?

To calculate percentage of poverty level, divide income by the poverty guideline and multiply by 100.

As an example, for 2017, the Federal poverty guideline is an annual income of $24,600 for a family of four. If a family of four has an annual household income of $36,000, the FPIL is 146%. (36,000/24,600) x (100)= 146

To easily calculate FPIL, for families of other sizes:

• Add $4,180 for each additional person to calculate for larger families.

• Subtract $4,180 per person to calculate it for smaller families.

How do I remove a program?

We include information on services which are free and reduced-cost, need-based, and provided directly to families or individuals. Our policy is not to remove any programs or services that fit our criteria.

If there is anything that is inaccurate with a program listing, we are more than happy to update that information. In order to submit a change request please follow the steps below:

1. Scroll down to the bottom of the program page and you will see a link that says, “Suggest.”

2. Click on the Suggest Change link.

3. You will then be able to write any desired changes you are requesting.

4. Our Data team will make those changes for you within two business days!

In addition, you are more than welcome to claim your listing, using the link below. By claiming, you can make sure you’re best connected with the people you’re looking to help.

Claim your listing now!

For Customers

Customers with their own sites may hide individual programs from their search. To do so, work with your Customer Success Manager to update the settings on your Featured Programs tool.

How do I suggest a program?

You can suggest a program using the Suggest Program link in the footer of the site. Here, you will also find a template that you can use to suggest multiple programs at once.

How/where do you get your programs?

At findhelp, our Curation team actively reviews and adds new programs to our platform on a daily basis.

Program data is verified through our direct engagement with many of these programs through onsite collaboration and claimed website listings.

The result is an active program listing that has been verified and optimized for the best user experience.

Newly added Organizations join an active network where many Organizations are already sending and receiving high volumes of referrals, so they can start helping people right away.

Why can’t I see or find my program anymore?

If you are unable to find or see one of your programs anymore, the program may have been unpublished or is set to "seasonal". Seasonal programs only show up on the site during the timeframe that services are available.

Unpublished programs

Programs will be unpublished by our Data Team if:

• They are unable to confirm that a program is still operating.

• They have determined that the program no longer meets our standards.

When a program is unpublished, it will no longer be accessible in:

• Search results

• Favorites Folders

• Edit Program Listings

Unpublished programs are still accessible in Referrals on Seeker's Profiles so that users may see historically where referrals were made. These programs can be republished if we are able to confirm the program is operating or if they in fact meet our standards.

Seasonal Programs

Programs that are only offered between certain dates are set to "seasonal." Seasonal programs don't show up in search results outside of their specified dates.

Examples of seasonal programs are cooling centers, warming centers, summer food programs, and tax preparation programs.

Seasonal programs are also not accessible in/by:

• Favorites Folders

• Referrals

  See Also

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• Edit Program Listings

• Direct links to the program

Seasonal programs will be available again during their specified dates.

How often are programs reviewed or updated?

Findhelp’s target is to review programs every 6 months. Additionally, organizations listed on the platform can claim their programs and update information in real time.

We work diligently to keep this information up to date, but we know that program information can change in between our review cycles. If you come across a program card with outdated information, let us know by request a change or update to a program so that we can review the program right away. Collectively, we can ensure that people are connecting using the most current information, every time.

How do I request a change or update to a program?

If you notice information about a program has changed, such as a phone number or address, let us know by following these steps. Our curation team will verify the change with the program, along with a full program review.

1. Search for the program that needs to be updated.

2. On the program listing, click the Suggest button.

3. Add your email in the From field and write us a message in the Message field, telling us what needs to be changed.

4. Click Send.

Once you click send your message will be sent to the findhelp curation team to review. We will review the program, confirm the change, and update the program listing. We have a response time of two business days so you will know when the change has been made.

How can I learn about the tools available?

Findhelp's Community Engagement Team offers monthly trainings on our free platform tools.

How does findhelp support community-based organizations?

Findhelp.org allows organizations that have claimed their program listing to receive and manage referrals through the site, build custom screening questionnaires, and access Analytics that reflect service delivery and needs in the community.

These Analytics can be shared with funders and board members to illustrate program impact and emerging needs in the region. Our tools are designed to help Organizations manage their workflows and serve clients more efficiently.

What are Search Tags? (What services do you provide?)

Every program listed has specific search tags that make it easier for people to find a program that meets their specific needs. Once claimed, you have the ability to update your search tags to ensure that your program listing accurately reflects the services you provide so people in need can find you.

There are two types of search tags:

1. Primary Services ("Whatservices do you provide?)

These are themain servicesthat someone would receive when connecting with your program. These search tags are what someone would see when looking at your program card.

Example:You offer a job-skills training (primary service) program that also includes a free lunch (secondary service) during the training.

Secondary Services ("What secondary services do you provide?)

These are services that you provide butnot the main servicesthat someone would receive when connecting with your program. These search tags willnotappear on your program card, but they may help someone narrow down their search results and decide between similar programs.

Example:You offer a home maintenance and repairs (primary service) program that also offers transportation (secondary service) services to people that have already been approved for the program.

Question to help determine if something is a primary or secondary service:

• "Is this service the primary reason people seek out your program?"

  • YES --> primary service

  • NO --> secondary service

My program isn’t under the right category. How can I fix that?

The Program Edit tool gives your organization the ability to ensure your program listing is displaying up to date information for individuals in need seeking out your services.

Programs appear in categories if they have the corresponding tag on their program. To add tags so that your program shows up in that category, follow these steps:

Step 1: Log in
Step 2:Click on the “My program tools” tab then “Edit program listings"

Step 3:For the program that you would like to update, click the blue “Edit Program” button on the right

Step 4:Under the “About Your Program” section, you will see a subsection called “What are the main services?” Here you can tag your program based on the services you provide

Step 5:If your program offers other services in conjunction with the main service you can add Secondary tags. However, your program will only show in categories where the tag is a main service.

Step 6: Save your changes by scrolling to the bottom of the page and click the green “Save and go back” button

Why do people who don’t qualify keep applying?

Sometimes you may receive referrals from people who are ineligible for your services. Make sure that your program is in the correct category and has eligibility information. If you are still receiving referrals for ineligible Seekers, you may want to enable a Screener.

Program Category

Ensure your program is showing up in the correct categories by looking at how your program is "tagged". You can check and make changes to your tags on the general Edit Program Information page.

Listed Program Eligibility

Ensure your program is displaying the correct eligibility information. You can check and make changes to your eligibility on the general Edit Program Information page.

Screening applicants before they connect

Gather additional information from people in need who are attempting to receive your services bysetting up a free screening formfor your program.

How can I make an office inactive?

To make an office inactive, you will have to follow the steps below:

1. Log into your account

2. Select the My Program Tools. menu

3. Choose Edit Program Listings

4. Choose Edit Hours/Locations

5. Select "Deactivate Location"

Why can’t I access findhelp.org?

In an effort to fight scraping against our data and intellectual property we’ve been more aggressively blocking traffic that can seem suspicious based on frequency of searches and other actions on the site. A few things that may cause this problem includes the following:

• Accessing the site from a VPN

• Accessing the site from outside the United States, US territories, Mexico, Canada, or the UK

• Accessing the site from a supported browser version

We are working to make our analysis of traffic more intelligent to avoid blocking addresses that are for active users on the site and appreciate your help reporting this to us.

Why am I not receiving emails from findhelp?

Why Emails Don't Get Delivered

Ensure You Receive Our Communications

Add our email addresses to your contact list:

• [email protected]

• [email protected] (for webinar invitations)

Ask your IT team to allowlist* our sending domains by DNS hostname or by IP address:

• *.findhelp.com

• *.findhelp-qa.org

• @findhelpmail.com

• @findhelp.com

• 159.135.232.210

• [email protected] (for webinar invitations)

Why isn’t contact information showing in Inbound Referrals?

Some referrals that you receive in your Inbound Referrals dashboard will not have contact information for the Seeker.

This is because the Seeker has elected not to receive email notifications or outreach about their referral, and will instead reach out to your program themself.

This may be because of the Seeker has already been directly connected with you, but a Navigator needed to track the referral, or as a safety measure in cases where it may be dangerous for the Seeker to be contacted directly.

In these cases, the Seeker will reach out to you directly. You can still update the referral status to let the Navigator know what happen, but no notification will be sent to the Seeker.

How can I contact findhelp?

• Request a Sales Demo

• Sign up for our Newsletter

For general questions about how the platform works, requests for materials, job applications, and more, you can contact us by filling out this form.

How do I sign up for your newsletter?

Signing up for our monthly newsletter is a great way to get a boots-on-the-ground perspective from our team!

How do I reset my password?

If you forget your password you can reset it and create a new password at any time. Follow the steps in this article for step-by-step instructions: How do I reset my password?

How do I change my email address or name?

If you have an existing account and need to update your email address or name, this will need to be changed by findhelp's internal production support team.

Email and name changes cannotbe changed in the User and Group Management Tool.

Please contact your Customer Success Manager at findhelp or contact our support team at [email protected].

Security FAQ

Aunt Bertha is a HIPAA compliant platform. For more information about our security, check out our FAQ.

Data FAQ

Q: In the event a member cannot find a resource for what they are looking for (and by that I mean, what if there appears to be a gap in resources in that area, rather than a known resource that simply isn’t listed), is there an option for something to be submitted to have your team dig in and see what may be available and not previously found?

A: There are a few ways to add programs where they may be missing:

• If someone knows of a resource that isn't listed, we ask that they suggest it through the "suggest a program" link at the bottom. We'll add it within two business days.

• If you're finding a broader lack of resources, say you are working with a lot of new parents but not finding a ton of programs to support them, that's something we can talk about together

• Later this year, we're hoping to release a feature that will allow users to tell us if they've found what they're looking for so that we can more directly know and focus on the areas where people are less successful

As our customer, there are things that we do behind the scenes as well:

• If someone enters the name of a program and it doesn't appear, our data team actually looks at those search terms several times a week and will add the program if they can find it and it meets our criteria (free or reduced cost + direct social service)

• I look at your reporting on a regular basis to see if there are trends. For example, one of our customers has a large number of searches for DME, so we're doing analysis on that and then working with them to see what options are available from their organization, as well as where AB may be able to add resources.

So to recap, for the purpose of workflows, I would say if staff know of a program that's not listed, they should suggest it and we'll add it within two business days. If they're finding gaps in general, have them share that with you and we can discuss ways to address those gaps at a higher level.