Introduction
The Member Access module allows you to provide your congregation with access to the Member version of ChMeetings. This feature makes it possible for your members to access the app, view and update their own & their family profiles, receive notifications, messages and also see public events on the calendar You can find the Member Access module in the main menu bar.
In this article, we will go through the Member Access settings you can configure in order to set up memberships for your congregation.
The Member Access area
The Member Access area includes six main sections, as follows:
- Access Settings, where you can enable or disable specific access related features.
- Invitation Link, which you can copy and send to your congregation, so that they can register as members. This feature is only active when you enable registration for existing and/or new members.
- Registration Thank You Message: Here is where you can customize the message that members receive after they have registered. This feature is activated when you enable custom registration, using profile fields as registration fields.
- Welcome Message, where you can customize the message that members see when they log into ChMeetings.
- Important Links, where you can add your social media profiles.
- Invitation Email, where you can customize the email that gets sent out to people when you email them an invitation.
- Invitation Text, where you can customize the text message that gets sent to people who you invite to the app via SMS.
Access Settings
This section allows you to enable or disable the following features, using the toggle switch next to them:
- Allow existing members to gain member access. When this feature is enabled, members can only create accounts by entering the email address that is associated with their existing profiles. Their registration process will begin with the email address. If the email matches a profile, they will receive login instructions via email.
- Allow new members to register: This feature allows new members to create accounts by themselves, via the invitation/registration link. They will have the possibility to fill out their account information, receive an account confirmation email, and then log in with their credentials.
- Automatically approve member registration: When this feature is turned on, all users who register themselves will be automatically approved. When it is turned off, registrations will need to be approved manually, from under Member Access - New Member Requests. Users who have not yet been approved will be able to log in, view and edit their information; but they will not be able to register for events until approved. If you scroll down to the Events settings, you will be able to allow or restrict access to upcoming events, for users pending approval.
- Enable Registrations using profile fields as the registration form: This allows you to use all your people profile fields as the registration form. You can choose which ones to use by going to Users & Roles - Roles & Permissions and editing Member permissions. Here is where you can set specific fields as available or mandatory for registration.
Note: You can allow both new and existing members to create accounts. However, please keep in mind that, someone who already has a profile will be able to create a new account and profile if they do not enter the email that is associated with their existing one. You can merge people to mitigate this situation.
The registration process is discussed in detail within our guide on How Members can register by themselves.
Invitation Link
This is where you can easily copy your custom invitation link and send it out to your congregation. You can customize the URL by going to Settings - Account Settings.
You can copy the link by clicking the Copy button. You can then paste the link wherever you need it: In emails, text messages, in-app notifications, on the web, etc.
You can also generate a QR code which, when scanned, will take people to the invitation link.
You can either print the QR code or use the digital image wherever you need to.
Please note that, regardless of the form in which you decide to use the code, people will need to have a QR Scanning app on their smartphones in order to be able to scan. Some phones include this feature within their built-in camera app. If you will be using the QR Code to check people in for church events, you can use the ChMeetings mobile app to scan and find members.
Registration Thank You Message
This area is where you can customize the message that is displayed to your members, after they complete the registration process. We recommend that you use this space to provide people with the information they may need, according to your practices and activities.
To add a message, simply use the text editor to enter your message. Use the toolbar at the top to improve the look and feel of your text.
If you would like to further personalize your message, you can use the merge fields at the top of the text editor. These allow you to automatically retrieve some of the information that the member just provided, give them access to the login URL and respond to them in a more personal manner.
The available fields include:
- Name: Adds the name of your member.
- First Name: Adds your member’s first name.
- Login URL: You can add this in order to make it easy for your members to go straight to the login screen, where they can enter their account, using their username and password.
To add a merge field, please follow these steps:
- In the text editor, place your cursor in the position where you would like the personalized information to display. For example, if you would like to address a new member by their first name, you can use the FIRST_NAME field. When the member sees your message, “FIRST_NAME” will be replaced with their actual name.
- Click on the fields list, found under Add to Message.
- Select the field that you would like to add.
- Click the 🕀 sign next to the list. This will add the field into the text area, at the position of your cursor.
You can delete a merge field just like any other text, using your backspace/delete key.
Notify on mobile for each registration
You can choose to send a mobile notification to a ChMeetings user for each registration that takes place. No action is required, but you can choose to do so for information purposes.
To do this, simply click into the field under Notify on mobile for each registration. You can then select the user to which you want the notification to be sent, whether that is yourself or another owner or admin.
Events Settings
Here is where you can configure whether you want events to be hidden for pending members, as well as for how many days should the homepage display upcoming events.
Welcome Message
This area is where you can enter the text that you would like your members to see when they log into their ChMeetings account. You could use this for a greeting message or very important information. You could even customize this periodically, if you like. Regardless, we suggest that you keep this short, preferably under one line.
You can choose to address members by their First Name or Native Name, by selecting the corresponding option in the Title dropdown.
Here is what the welcome message looks like to members:
Important Links
This area is where you can enter your social media and other links, which will be displayed to members.
Once you enter your links, members will be able to access them from the top of their ChMeetings dashboard.
Invitation Email
Here is where you can customize the invitation email that members receive when registering.
You can first start by entering a short invitation subject, that summarizes the contents of your email.
You can then edit the contents of the email using the text editor. We recommend that you provide all the necessary information for the member to have a good in-app experience, in accordance with your practices and activities.
If you would like to personalize your email, you can use the merge fields at the top of the text editor, listed under Add to Email. These allow you to automatically retrieve some of the information that the member provided and respond to them in a more personal manner. They also make it possible to update specific information within your account or people profiles, without the need to update the email template. Additionally, these merge fields allow you to provide members with information on how to log into their ChMeetings accounts.
The available fields include:
- Name: Adds the name of your member.
- First Name: Adds your member’s first name.
- Church Name: This adds the name of your church within the email.
- Login URL: You can add this in order to make it easy for your members to go straight to the login screen, where they can enter their account, using their username and password.
- User name: This displays the user name that the member needs to provide when logging into ChMeetings.
- Password: Here is where the password corresponding to the user’s account will be privately displayed within the email message they receive.
To add a merge field, please follow these steps:
- In the text editor, place your cursor in the position where you would like the personal information to display. For example, if you would like to address a new member by their first name, you can use the FIRST_NAME field after the greeting. When the member sees your message, “FIRST_NAME” will be replaced with their actual name.
- Click on the fields list, found under Add to Email.
- Select the field that you would like to add.
- Click the 🕀 sign next to the list. This will add the field into the text area, at the position of your cursor.
Invitation Text
Here is where you can configure the SMS message that gets sent out when a member registers.
We recommend that you consider the requirements of SMS messages in your country, for example character length or support for special characters.
Please note that text messaging is billed separately from your subscription and 1 SMS costs 1 credit.
To configure your message, enter your desired text into the Message text editor area.
To personalize your text, you can use the merge fields at the top of the text editor, listed under Add to Message. These allow you to automatically retrieve some of the information that the member provided and respond to them in a more personal manner. In addition, these merge fields allow you to provide members with information on how to log into their accounts.
The available fields include:
- User name: This displays the user name that the member needs to provide when logging into ChMeetings.
- Login URL: You can add this in order to make it easy for your members to go straight to the login screen, where they can enter their account, using their username and password.
- Password: Here is where the password corresponding to the user’s account will be privately displayed within the text message they receive.
To add a merge field, please follow these steps:
- In the text editor, place your cursor in the position where you would like the retrieved information to display. For example, if you would like to be clear about where people can log in, you can say: “Please log in here: [LOGIN_URL]”. When the member receives your message, [LOGIN_URL] will be replaced with the actual URL they need to follow in order to log in.
- Click on the fields list, found under Add to Message.
- Select the field that you would like to add.
- Click the 🕀 sign next to the list. This will add the field into the text area, at the position of your cursor.
Save your Member Access Settings
This completes your Member Access setup. Please be sure to click on Save Settings to save your changes.