Forms are great for collecting large amounts of information from people. For example, if you want to do an update of all of the contact information for everyone in your church. The great power of forms comes from their ability to automate tedious tasks like adding people to People Flows, or updating all of that information by hand.
Accessing Forms
To start working with forms, you'll need to follow these steps:
- Log into Elvanto as an Admin.
- Select Forms.
- Select an existing form title to start editing or select Create Form.
- If creating a new form, give the Form a title.
- If creating a new form, select if this is a standard form or registration form.
- Select Edit while viewing the Form.
What Forms Should I Have for My Church?
Different churches require varying types, content, and numbers of forms, but the following types are commonly found useful.
Personal Details Update
Purpose: This form enables people to update their details, keeping your system and member directory always up-to-date. It can allow parents to change their children’s details simultaneously.
Request for More Information
Purpose: Allows people to provide contact details and be added to Elvanto as a contact, being placed into a ‘Follow Up’ People Flow. Learn more about People Flows.
Event Registration
Purpose: This form lets people register for events (whether free or not), and can add new contacts to your church’s Elvanto account.
Editing the Content of Forms
Tip: You can add any people fields and custom fields to your form. For example, if you want to ask people their preferred service time, you can use a custom field that appears on the form as "Which service time suits you best?"
Changing the Appearance of Forms
Tip: Customize your forms to match your church's color scheme using the 'custom style' option. You can also change the form's header to match other church documents. Note that the ideal size for the header image is 1000X250.
Sharing a Form
How-To: You can copy the link (found by clicking the ‘Embed’ button) and paste it into a post in your church's Elvanto. You can even embed it as a page in your member area navigation menu. See how to link pages and embed forms.
Through Email and Social Media
How-To: Share forms (like event registration) by copying the URL from the ‘Embed’ button and pasting it into emails or social media posts. Learn more about sending emails from Elvanto.
Through Your Church’s Website
How-To: Embed forms (such as a ‘Request for Information’) into your church website using the code found under the ‘Embed’ button. Check out this page for more on embedding forms.
Updating Information Using a Form
Considerations: Decide whether Elvanto should automatically make changes (potentially with errors) or whether an admin should review them. Consider the importance and frequency of the information and how many respondents will need to be checked.
Event Registration and Ticketing
Usage: Utilize forms for ticketing and payments. Assign a form as an ‘Event Registration’ form to manage tickets, discounts, and payment methods.
By following these guidelines, your church can efficiently manage various forms and ensure smooth communication and operation within your community.