> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://orgo.space/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Badges & Gamification

> Recognize achievements — training, milestones, service hours, and special contributions

Badges let you recognize and motivate members by awarding visual achievements. Completed a training course? Badge. Five years of membership? Badge. 100 volunteer hours? Badge. Members see their badges on their profile, and it creates a culture of recognition.

***

## Do I need badges?

| Your situation                                             | Badges?       |
| ---------------------------------------------------------- | ------------- |
| You run training or courses and want to show completion    | Yes           |
| You want to recognize volunteer milestones (hours, years)  | Yes           |
| You have a progression system (ranks, levels, belts)       | Yes           |
| Event attendance matters and you want to track it visually | Yes           |
| You just need basic member management                      | Not necessary |

***

## How badges work

Badges are organized into **types** (categories) and individual **badges** within each type. You create the badge system, then award badges to members — manually or automatically.

### Badge types (categories)

| Type         | What it groups                         |
| ------------ | -------------------------------------- |
| **Progress** | Milestones and level progression       |
| **Merit**    | Special achievements and contributions |
| **Training** | Completed courses and certifications   |
| **Service**  | Volunteer hours and community service  |
| **Events**   | Event participation and attendance     |

Create your own types at **Settings** → **Features** → **Badge Types**.

***

## Creating badges

**Settings** → **Features** → **Badges** → **Create Badge**

| Setting         | What it does                                                    |
| --------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Name**        | Badge display name — "First Aid Certified", "100 Service Hours" |
| **Description** | What the badge represents and how to earn it                    |
| **Image**       | Badge icon or graphic (use consistent design across badges)     |
| **Type**        | Which category this badge belongs to                            |

***

## Awarding badges

### Manually

1. Go to a member's **Profile** → **Badges** tab
2. Click **Add Badge**
3. Select the badge
4. Add notes if needed (e.g., "Completed CPR training on March 15")
5. Save

### Automatically

Badges can trigger automatically when:

* A **course is completed** (linked to the Courses module)
* A **certain number of events** are attended
* A **volunteer hours milestone** is reached
* A **membership anniversary** passes

<Tip>
  Automatic badges work best for quantifiable achievements (attendance counts, course completion). Manual badges work better for subjective recognition (outstanding contribution, leadership excellence).
</Tip>

***

## Where badges appear

| Location             | Visibility                                        |
| -------------------- | ------------------------------------------------- |
| **Member's profile** | Always visible (to those who can see the profile) |
| **Public profile**   | If public profile badges are enabled              |
| **Membership card**  | If configured to show                             |

Configure badge visibility per badge or globally in the module settings.

***

## Building a badge system

### Example: Scouting organization

| Badge          | Type     | How to earn                        |
| -------------- | -------- | ---------------------------------- |
| Tenderfoot     | Progress | Complete introductory requirements |
| Second Class   | Progress | Pass outdoor skills assessment     |
| First Class    | Progress | Complete all core requirements     |
| First Aid      | Training | Complete first aid course          |
| Camping Expert | Merit    | 20+ camping nights logged          |
| Eagle Scout    | Merit    | Complete Eagle project             |

### Example: Professional association

| Badge                    | Type     | How to earn                      |
| ------------------------ | -------- | -------------------------------- |
| Conference Attendee 2025 | Events   | Attend annual conference         |
| Certified Professional   | Training | Pass certification exam          |
| 5-Year Member            | Service  | 5 years of continuous membership |
| Mentor                   | Merit    | Complete mentorship program      |
| Published Author         | Merit    | Publish in association journal   |

***

## Common scenarios

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Members don't seem to care about badges">
    Make badges meaningful — tied to real achievements, not participation trophies. Announce badge awards in newsletters or discussions. If badges represent genuine accomplishments, members value them.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How many badges should we create?">
    Start with 5-10 covering your most important achievements. You can always add more. Too many dilutes the value — if everyone has 30 badges, none of them mean anything.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can members request badges?">
    Not directly. Badges are awarded by admins or triggered automatically. Members can't self-assign. This maintains the integrity of the recognition.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="I want different badge images but I'm not a designer">
    Use a consistent style — simple icons with your org colors. Free icon sets (like Heroicons or Phosphor) work well. The key is consistency, not complexity.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I revoke a badge?">
    Yes — go to the member's profile, find the badge, and remove it. The member is not notified automatically, so communicate the reason if appropriate.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

***

## Related

* [Courses](/platform/courses) — Award badges for course completion
* [Events](/platform/events) — Track event attendance for badges
* [Members](/platform/users) — Member profiles where badges display