Overview
If your department has a high-demand program with limited space, parents may find the act of filling out forms while trying to beat the clock a nerve-racking process. There is a workflow that can eliminate registration day anxiety by allowing parents to complete form information before the registration opens.
Workflow
- Set up a "Forms Only" Program. Uncheck Show Schedule on Portal and uncheck Show Schedule on Internal calendar. Be sure to add a single date under the Schedule tab with Facility of None for the last date you'd like this program to display on the Community site, and add a $0 fee to the Fees tab. Add your form(s) under the Forms tab and mark them as Shared so members can pre-register their child/children in advance of the program's registration opening. We recommend departments advertise to their community that they can complete this information beforehand, eliminating any registration day pressure to submit forms.
- If you require a Registration Fee before they sign up for Summer Camps this should be collected through a Membership thus eliminating the need for a "Forms Only" program as they can complete the forms while enrolling in the Pre-Registration Membership.
- On the day the registration opens, the parents who have pre-registered in a "Forms Only" program only need to focus on registration because the completed forms are “shared” with the high-demand program.
We have set up an example of a “Forms Only” pre-registration program and custom message on our test site. https://oakridge.recdesk.com/ Community/Home
We can add a custom message on your site to direct members of your community to the simplified process.
For Departments with Authorize.net and Stored Payment Methods turned on for the Community-end you can also recommend that Parents/Guardians store a credit card (in their household profile) before Summer Camp Registration day as well. This will also expedite the community Check-Out process.
Tips:
This process can also be used to get people to complete forms if you added the forms to a program after people have registered. Once they have registered for the Forms Only program, go into the original program roster and click View/Edit next to the registrants name, then click Form Actions > View/Edit Forms to pull in their completed forms. Then when you return to the roster, the Missing Forms icon will disappear.