Enabling small group sign-up through an embedded small group list or map

Overview of group sign-up functionality

In addition to people signing up for small groups through the member-facing My ChurchSuite and at in-person events and services using ChurchSuite Connect, you can also run small group sign-up through your website using embeddable small group lists and/or maps. We've produced a related support article on adding small group embed configurations to generate the HTML code needed to embed group lists and maps in your website.

This article explores the small group settings that control which groups show in an embedded list or map and whether group sign-up is enabled.

Embedded small group Lists and Maps are ideal for those not yet in your Address Book and those unable to access My ChurchSuite to explore the list of the groups you offer and, subject to group capacity, to join a group by signing up. Small group sign-up through an embedded list or map can be enabled or disabled on a group-by-group basis while still showing a full list of all the groups you offer - even if some groups are full or not currently open for sign-up - rather than showing an empty embedded group list or map.

Overview of the sign-up user experience

From an embedded List or Map of small groups, people can browse the list of groups you offer. Clicking into a group opens the Group Page showing further details about the group, and where sign-up is enabled for the group, a sign-up form is shown. After entering some basic contact details they can click to Sign-up.

ChurchSuite will attempt to match the sign-up details to the existing people in your Address Book and Children modules, matching the first name, last name, email and optional phone. If a definitive match is made the matching person is added to the group member list; otherwise a new contact profile is added to the Pending section of the Address Book and the group's member list.

Sign-ups are added to a group Members list with either a pending or active member status depending on the group's sign-up settings. In this way, you can enforce a new-member-approval workflow for some groups but not for others if you wish. A 'Joined group' Key Date is added to the signed-up contact's profile, and for new people added to ChurchSuite, a Note is also added to their profile to indicate that the contact's profile was created through an embedded Group Page.

A sign-up notification is sent to those group members whose role permissions have Notify of sign-up enabled - ideal for ensuring those with 'group leader' roles are kept in the loop so they can extend a welcome to new group members. A sign-up confirmation is also sent to the newly signed-up group member

Enabling sign-up through an embedded small group list or map

As explained earlier in this article, sign-up through an embedded group list or map is enabled on a group-by-group basis, making it possible to enable website sign-up for some groups but not others. From a group View in the Small Groups module click Edit.

On the Edit group pop-up, scroll down to the Visibility section and tick Show in Embed to make the group visible in embedded group lists or maps; also tick Sign-up through Embed in the Sign-Up section if you wish to allow people to sign-up for the group through your website. Note, Sign-up through Embed is only shown if the Sign-up through Group Page option has first been ticked.

Where Sign-up through Group Page is enabled, specify the Dates within which the sign-up period is to be active (this can be open-ended but a Start Date is required). Optionally set a sign-up Capacity for the group - no further sign-ups will be possible when the group is full. The Member List setting is only relevant to groups visible in My ChurchSuite, where group members can optionally view the member list of a group they belong to - those without My ChurchSuite access are unable to view a group member list, so this setting can be ignored for embedding purposes. Finally, set the default Member Status assigned to new sign-ups - new members can be added as Active members or with a Pending status requiring a group leader with "Edit Group Details" role permissions to approve the new member and set them as active. Click to Save any changes made.

Small group capacity

You can cap the maximum number of sign-ups for a group by setting a Capacity. Once a group is full, no further sign-ups are permitted via My ChurchSuite, Connect or an Embedded group list or map. However, Small Groups module Users (in ChurchSuite) and group leaders with Edit Group Details role permissions (in My ChurchSuite) can exercise discretion and override the group capacity to add new members to a group.