Help & FAQs
How do I get started?
View the quick start guide here.
- Log into the Community Exchange at community.groundedsolutions.org.
- Update your profile and photo by clicking on your name and heading to My Profile. To add your profile photo, click the green pencil icon and upload a photo. To update your profile, click the three dots on the right corner of your profile page, then click Update Profile.
- View groups you're in by clicking My Group Pages --> My Groups. To find other groups to join, click My Group Pages --> Find Groups to Join. All members are automatically added to the Open Forum. Additional discussion groups to choose from will be added over time.
- Start a discussion by clicking Post New Discussion from the Discussions tab of any group.
- Reply to a discussion by clicking Write a Reply from the forum page, or, if you click into the discussion, simply click Reply (or you can click Reply Privately to send your message to only the other person, rather than the full group). You can also reply to a discussion directly through your email notification/digest.
What is my username and password?
Your username and password for the Community Exchange are the same as your Grounded Solutions Member Portal credentials. Your username is your email address (the address where you receive Grounded Solutions Network communications). If you don't remember your password, you may reset it here.
How do I receive a daily digest or weekly digest of group discussions vs. real-time email notifications of group discussions?
It is up to you how often you’d like to receive email digests of the activity in the Community Exchange. The default is that you’ll receive weekly digests, but you can change your preferences. We also recognize that if someone messages you directly, or responds to a discussion you’ve posted, you probably want to know about that right away. We therefore recommend the following setup:
- Click My Account --> Email Preferences.
- For Private Message Emails, select Immediate.
- For When I Contribute, select Send Immediate Emails.
- Leave your email digest settings as they are (weekly on Fridays).
To see more options for customizing your notifications, read our blog post.
How do I join a group?
Click My Group Pages --> Find Groups to Join to see available groups and click Request to Join or Join Group (depending on the group’s privacy settings).
How do I start a new discussion in a group?
New discussions can be started via email by clicking on the Post New Discussion link in the notification emails you receive, or directly in a group via the Community Exchange forum.
How do I reply to a group discussion?
To reply to a group discussion, simply reply to the email notification you received. Your reply will be emailed out to all group members and posted to the website. If you wish, you can also reply to the discussion via the Community Exchange forum by clicking on the discussion topic and clicking the reply button. You can also reply privately, sending your reply only to the person who posted, not the entire group.
Who can see what I post to a group?
All of our groups are members-only, so only fellow Grounded Solutions members can see your posts. Some groups, like committee groups, are private. When you post a message to a private group, only members of that group can see your message.
How do I search group discussion history?
You can search all discussion topics within your groups. The search bar can be found at the top of your Community Exchange home page or under the search tab on the left-hand side of your screen.
How do I unsubscribe from group email notifications, or from a group entirely?
To leave a group or edit your email notification settings, go into the group and click the three dots in the right top corner of the group page. To leave the group, click Remove Me. To update how often/when you receive group email notifications, click Manage Email Preferences. We strongly recommend staying subscribed to the Open Forum since it is the main space for network-wide questions, resource-sharing, announcements, and conversations that may be relevant to members across different roles, regions, and programs. You can always adjust the frequency of email notifications if you’d prefer fewer messages without leaving the group entirely.
How do I add or change my profile picture?
To add or change a profile picture, click My Account --> My Profile on the left menu of the Community Exchange platform. To add or change your profile photo, click the green pencil icon and upload a photo. If your picture is large, you can crop it. Zoom and drag the crop region as desired, then click Crop. Click No Thanks to skip this step.
Why is the Community Exchange? What is it for?
The Community Exchange is a social platform where Grounded Solutions Network members can directly ask one another questions, exchange knowledge and resources, learn from peers, and build the field together through discussion. Similar to discussion forums like Reddit, it’s easy to post about a topic of your choice and kick off a conversation with likeminded people from around the country who are working toward the same ambitious goals.
Once you have joined a group, you can largely use the system via email if desired. You can send your messages to the group email address and reply via email to any notifications you receive. However, the Community Exchange platform offers many features that are not available via email. Here are a few of the most popular features that must be accessed via the platform directly:
- Searchable archives of all group discussions
- Update your profile and/or upload a profile photo
- Privately message another member
- Join and create new groups
How do I access the Community Exchange?
Many of the links in the notification emails will automatically log you onto the Community Exchange platform. To access the site directly, type community.groundedsolutions.org in the web address bar of your web browser. You can also access it through the Member Portal’s Network Engagement page.
Why am I receiving some notifications but not others?
It is likely that your anti-SPAM system is blocking some of the messages. Add "@community.groundedsolutions.org" to your list of "safe senders" to ensure you receive all notifications. This setting is different for each email system, so check your email system help resources for information on how to do this.
Do I need to follow certain etiquette when using Community?
Yes, please view the Community Exchange Guidelines on the Terms page.
What are the points I see associated with people and groups?
Points are used to help you see the level of activity in any group and the level of participation of any member. Groups gain points each time there is activity in them, and people gain points each time they contribute to a group. Group lists and member lists can be sorted by points to see which groups and which people are the most active in the system.
How can I find a member's email address?
Visit the Member Directory in the Member Portal to view a member’s full profile and contact information. You can also send a private message to any member directly through the Community Exchange. See the note below about sending private messages.
How can I send a private message to an individual?
Go to the profile page of the person you want to message by clicking their name in any group or in any notification email. Then click in the Message this Person field to send a quick message (like a text or DM) or click the + sign and select Compose a Message to write a longer message with a subject line, formatting options, and the ability to include attachments (like an email).
You can also click on My Account --> My Messages, and then click Compose Message, which allows you to send a private message to multiple people at once.
I can't find the answer to my question. What do I do?
If you need help and can't find the answer here, email us at membership@groundedsolutions.org.
