Collection managers: who they are and how to add them
Collection managers run a collection: they review ideas, move them through steps and change the collection’s settings. You add them in Manage > Overview > Collection details > Managers.
Who can do this: collection managers and Admins.
Collection manager or Manager?
These are two different things.
- Manager is a role in the hive. It lets people create collections, pages, surveys, folders and announcements. On its own, it doesn’t give access to anyone else’s collection.
- Collection manager is a role on one collection. It gives full control of that collection’s ideas and settings, whatever the person’s hive role.
A Member can be a collection manager. A Member who manages a collection, by name or through a folder, sees the View, Manage and Edit tabs on that collection, just like an Admin. A Manager is only a collection manager of the collections they are added to. See Roles and permissions.
Who manages a collection
Three kinds of people manage a collection:
| Who | How they get it |
|---|---|
| Named collection managers | Listed in the collection’s Managers. Whoever creates a collection is added automatically. |
| Folder managers | Managers of the folder the collection is in, or of a folder above it. See Giving people access to a folder. |
| Admins | Admins can manage every collection in the hive without being listed. |
Only active members of your hive can be collection managers.
Add or remove collection managers
- Open the collection and select the Manage tab.
- Click Overview in the sidebar.
- In the Collection details card, click the button next to Managers. It shows how many managers there are.
- Open the Add/Remove tab and search for a member by name.
- Select people to add them, or remove existing managers.
- Click Save in the dialog.
- Click Save in the Unsaved changes bar.
The View tab in the same dialog lists the current managers. Nobody gets an email when they are added as a collection manager, so let them know yourself.
What collection managers can do
Collection managers can:
- see every idea in the collection, including hidden ideas and ideas in hidden steps;
- see all comments and answers, and choose who sees each comment;
- move ideas between steps, assign people, answer step questions and rate ideas;
- edit and delete ideas;
- change the collection’s title, description, cover and settings;
- add or remove other collection managers;
- choose the page and folder, and switch the share link on or off;
- add, change and delete steps and questions, or apply a workflow;
- see the dashboard, generate AI summaries and export the collection;
- move an idea to another collection they also manage.
What needs an Admin or Manager role
Some actions need a hive role as well:
| Action | Who can do it |
|---|---|
| Create a collection | Admins and Managers |
| Delete a collection | Admins, and Managers who also manage that collection |
| Create or edit workflow templates | Admins |
A collection manager who is a Member can’t delete their collection. Ask an Admin. See Closing or deleting a collection.
What collection managers don’t see
When Hide contributor names or Save contributions anonymously is on, collection managers don’t see who submitted an idea. Admins don’t either. See Collection settings explained.
Emails for collection managers
- Daily new-ideas email: named collection managers get a daily email about the new ideas they can see that arrived in the collection the day before. Folder managers and Admins only get it if they are also named in Managers.
- Inbox reminders: if the Inbox has Reminder days set, collection managers get a reminder when an idea has stayed in the Inbox for that many days. See The submission form and the Inbox.
- Step reminders: if a step has Reminder days set, collection managers and the idea’s assignees get a reminder when an idea has stayed in that step for that many days, and again every time that many days pass. See Adding and setting up steps.
Collection managers aren’t emailed about every comment just because they manage the collection. See Notifications and emails from Hives.
Who can see the managers
Everyone who can see a collection can see its managers’ names. Only collection managers and Admins see their email addresses.
Common questions
Where do I find all the collections I manage? If you are an Admin or Manager, open Menu > Managed by me. It lists the collections where you are named as a manager. Collections you manage only through a folder aren’t listed there. See Managed by me.
Do I need the Manager role to be a collection manager? No. Any active member of the hive can be a collection manager. You only need the Admin or Manager role to create or delete collections.