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Activity Fields

Creating an Activity
1. Create the activity
2. Create the schedule
3. Create RLC group(s)
4. Create RLC(s)

This topic will explain every field on the Add/Edit Activity form in detail. There are many settings you can use to create the activity that meets your needs. If you are interested in a specific activity type, see Student Service Activity , Children's Service Activity , or Worship Service Activity.

Creating an activity is the first of four steps you will need to complete to finish your activity setup. Consult the following table for an explanation of every field and its purpose.

Field Details
General Settings
Activity Name This is the only required field on the Add/Edit Activity form and should contain the publicly known name of the activity as it will print on Check-in name tags and reports.
Activity Type A mechanism used for high-level executive pastor reporting to determine the types of activities being created regardless of ministry (for example: outreach, discipleship, small groups, or spiritual development).
Confidential Typically used for sensitive activities such as Celebrate Recovery. This check box does not hide the activity, but it does hide assignments and attendance to the activity. A special security access right called Confidential Activities is required to see assignments and attendance to a confidential activity.
Active Selected by default, the Active check box indicates the activity is active and can be accessed. If you clear this check box, the activity is available for reporting but will not be available for Check-in.
Age Attributes
Age Range Define the youngest and oldest ages that can attend this activity. These fields are typically used for activities geared toward children and youth.
Extended Age Range These fields are used in rare cases and will typically remain blank. In certain instances, you may want to provide an age range that is slightly larger than the range you entered for the Age Range. For example, if the activity is geared for children 5 to 12, you can use the Extended Age Range to slightly extend the range for certain situations such as when one of the kids brings a cousin or friend. The Extended Age Range can be 4 to 13.
WebLink Settings
Include this activity with small group finder

Skip this step! This is out dated functionality. This check box is used when creating Small Group activities that will be accessed from your church website via WebLink. Selecting this check box will allow the activity to appear in WebLink's Small Group Finder module, which people can use to locate a small group to join. See the WebLink User's Guide for complete step-by-step directions on completing this type of activity.
Contact Item Skip this step! This is out dated functionality. This option becomes available if you select the Include this activity with small group finder check box. Select a contact item you have created specifically for Small Group Finder inquiries. Again, consult the WebLink User's Guide for complete details.
Check-in Settings
Check-in enabled Select this check box to access the activity in Fellowship One Check-in.
Print a name tag Select this check box to print name tags when people use Check-in as they arrive at the activity.
Print a receipt Select this check box to print a receipt. This option is typically used with children's activities. The parent retains the receipt, which displays a three character code that also displays on the child's name tag. The receipt is used to collect children at the end of an activity.
Assignments override closed room Select this check box to allow participants who have an assignment to a room/location (RLC) check into the RLC even if it has been closed. This option is not a typical selection.
Auto assignments

Select one of the following to utilize Fellowship One's (Check-in or Post Attendance) ability to create assignments based on attendance:

  • None—this is the default selection and indicates that Check-in or Post Attendance should NOT create assignments.
  • First Attendance—this option allows Check-in or Post Attendance to create assignments based on the first time a person attends the activity. If the person attends a different RLC at any time, the assignment is NOT updated. The first attendance assignment is the default.
  • Most Recent Attendance—this option allows Check-in or Post Attendance to create an assignment every time a person attends the activity. The assignment is updated to reflect the RLC the person most recently attended.

Note: If the church manually posts attendance rather than using Check-In, be aware that Auto Assignments only looks back 3 days to create the Participant Assignments. So, if the participant attended on Sunday and the church posts attendance after Tuesday of the same week, then the Auto Assignments feature will not work for creating assignments.
Assignment Attributes
Participant assignments

Select one of the following to determine the way you want to record assignments for this activity. These settings are particularly important when working with WebLink's Event Registration forms. You want to ensure you capture the correct assignment based upon how many schedules you have for a particular activity.

  • Activity—this default option means that people are welcome to come to this activity anytime it is available. This is the typical setting for your main outreach activities like children's service.
  • Activity Schedule—this option allows you to create assignments based on the schedule the person will attend. This setting is typically used when you have multiple schedules for an activity and it's important to know how many people will attend any one schedule. It is also used to prevent people from continuously displaying on rosters for the activity well after they have attended. For example, if you have membership classes that occur throughout the year, the Activity Schedule option is ideal so that you can capture the actual schedule a person will attend this class.
  • Activity Date/Time—this option allows you to create assignments based on the specific date/time a person will attend an activity. This option is typically used when you have several one-day occurrences of an activity and you want to know the exact date/time a person will attend. For example, if you have baby dedication weekends that occur throughout the year, the Activity Date/Time option is a good choice so that you may capture the exact date and time the baby dedication will occur.
Vol/Staff assignments

Select one of the following to determine the way you want to record assignments for volunteers. These settings are very important for displaying accurate volunteer rosters.

  • Activity—this is the default option; however, it's typically not the best choice for volunteer assignments. Typically, you will use this choice for one-day activities and events. It is not a good choice for activities that have multiple schedules (such as worship services).
  • Activity Schedule—this option allows you to create assignments based on the schedule during which the volunteer will serve. This is typically the best setting for volunteer assignments. Using this selection in conjunction with Volunteer Schedules provides you with the most accurate reports to determine which volunteers will serve during your activity.
  • Activity Date/Time—this option provides the most accurate reporting, but it has the highest overhead. It allows you to schedule volunteers on specific dates/times.
Required

Select one of the following options to determine if an assignment is required for a participant to attend the activity:

  • Never—this is the default option and is typically what you will choose for most of your activities. It means that an assignment is NOT required to attend the activity. Check-in will try to best fit the person into an RLC.
  • Always—this option is typically used in activities where a registration (possibly with a fee) was required for a participant to attend the event. Check-in will not allow a person who does not have an assignment to attend the activity. Typically, the participant is asked to move to registration table where the proper information and/or fee can be collected. Volunteers/staff can then create an assignment for the person and he/she will be able to check-in.
  • Optional—this option is typically used in activities where a prior registration would have been nice but based on attendance and availability, Check-in volunteers can decide whether or not to allow a person to attend the activity. An Add Registration button appears in Check-in for every person who does not have an assignment and pressing the button allows the participant to be checked into one of the available RLCs.

Note: The Always and Optional selections are important when using Check-in in Self mode. When using Self Check-in, participants must have an assignment if either or these options are selected for an activity.