Contents

• Overview
• What is the Approver Role?
• Step-By-Step Instructions
  • Step 1: Enable the Approver Role
  • Step 2: Invite Approvers to the Program
  • 💡Pro Tip: Adding an Organization Owner as an Approver
• Next Steps
• Related Articles
   

Overview

This article shows Program Admins how to enable the Approver role and invite approvers to a program. Complete these steps before setting up approvals for awarding, disbursements, or reimbursements in an award cycle.

⚠️ IMPORTANT: Approvals must be enabled for your organization. If you would like this feature enabled, please contact Customer Success.  
 

What is the Approver Role?

Approvers review and act on approval requests for awarding, disbursements, or reimbursements.

• Who Can Be an Approver?
   
  • External users must be invited to the program as Approvers. They will only have access to the approval requests assigned to them. They do not have access to program settings or other management functions.
     
  • Program Members (Program Owners, Program Managers, Staff, and Reviewers) can serve as approvers without a separate account and retain all permissions from their current role.

📌 Note: Organization Owners cannot be selected as approvers through the standard process. If you need an Organization Owner to serve as an approver, see Pro Tip: Adding an Organization Owner as an Approver for instructions. Organization
 

Step-By-Step Instructions

Step 1: Enable the Approver Role

1. In the Program, go to Program Settings > Member Types.

2. Scroll to the bottom and toggle Approver to Yes.
   
   
    
3.  Click Save Changes in the upper-right corner. A confirmation message will appear in the bottom-left of the screen. 
    

Step 2: Invite Approvers to the Program

1.  In the Program, click Program Members in the left-hand menu.
   
   
    
2. Click Invite in the upper-right corner.
   
   
   
   📌 Note: You can return to this page at any time to add new approvers.
   
    
3. In the Invite Members to program pop-up, complete the following: 
   
   

a. Enter the invitee’s email address in the Email Address field.

b. Use the Select the role dropdown to choose Approver. 

- Optional: To invite additional approvers, click + Add new member and repeat steps a and b for each person.

c. Enter a message in the Include a personal message field. This message will be included in the invitation email.
 

4. Click Send Invitations. The invitee(s) will receive an email with a link to join the program. 
   
   
   

💡Pro Tip: Adding an Organization Owner as an Approver

Organization Owners cannot be selected as approvers directly. To be added as an approver, the Organization Owner can temporarily assign themselves as the Program Owner for the program, then reassign the original Program Owner back. The temporary role adds them to Program Members as a Program Manager, and they can be selected as an approver. 

⚠️ Important: This method is only recommended for Organization Owners, as this process does not affect their access or permissions. Using it with Client Admins can cause unintended role conflicts. 

To temporarily reassign the Program Owner role: 

📌 Note: Any Organization Owner or the current Program Owner can complete the steps below; however, if the current Program Owner makes this change, they will temporarily lose their Program Owner access and will not be able to reassign themselves back — the Organization Owner would need to reassign them. 

1. In the program, go to Program Settings > Member Types.
   
   

    

2. At the top of the screen, locate the Program Owner field and click Change Owner.
   
   
    
3. Select yourself (Organization Owner) from the dropdown, then click Save Changes.
   
   
    
4. On the Member Types screen, click Change Owner again and reassign the original Program Owner.
    
5. You will now appear in Program Members as a Program Manager and can be selected as an approver during approval setup.

Next Steps

Once the Approver role is enabled and approvers are invited, set up approvals in your award cycle. For help, see ➡️ How to Set Up Approvals for Awarding, Disbursements & Reimbursements

Related Articles

➡️ How to Set Up Approvals for Awarding, Disbursements & Reimbursements
➡️How to Request Approvals for Awarding, Disbursements & Reimbursements






 

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