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Big Events

Camps & VBS

MinistryPlatform is loaded with tools to help you manage summer camps, vacation bible school (VBS), and other events. Here are some recommendations, helpful hints, and tips and tricks to use those features to make your camp or VBS a success - and hopefully a little less stressful!

Set Up Camps or VBS Events

  1. Create an event with registration.
  2. Create one event for each day. If a series, you can use the Register in Series setting to automatically register kids into future Events in the series.
  3. Create any Groups you need.
    Age, gender, grade, location, and so on.
  4. Create a Product with any necessary Product Option Groups and Product Option Prices.
    Allow parents to select an age or grade group or t-shirt size, use a promo code for their kids, and so on.
    Tip: You can automatically add kids to Groups if you set the appropriate Group for the corresponding Product Option Price in the Add to Group field. This could be a general Group from which you create smaller Groups. If you want more specific Groups, you can have multiple Product Option Prices.
  5. Create a Custom Form to collect information during registration. Make sure the Event you created in step one has this Custom Form and all Form Responses are associated with that Event.
  6. If someone can't register online, manually add the Event Participant record to the Event and use the Add a Payment Tool to record payment. This way, you can collect Custom Form answers.

Assign Group Placement

Manually assign Group placement, if needed.
  1. Determine how you want to add kids to a Group.
    By age, gender, location, Custom Form response, and so on.
  2. Create custom Views on the corresponding Pages to help see these smaller Groups among your Event Participants, if needed.
  3. See Add People to Groups for different ways to add people to Groups.
  4. When you assign the child to a Group, associate the Group Participant record to the Event Participant record for that child. Alternatively, you can manually add a Participant to an Event using the Group Attendance Tool.

Recruit Volunteers

Allow volunteers to use the Opportunity Finder to sign up to volunteer.

  1. Create separate Opportunities for each volunteer role or area of serving.
  2. Include a Custom Form as part of the Opportunity to collect any additional information.
  3. Set the Group in the Add to Group field of the Opportunity record so you automatically add the volunteer to the appropriate Group.
  4. Connect the Opportunity to the Event so more people can see it on the Event Detail page.
  5. Create a Process to email the volunteer when MinistryPlatform creates the Response record to thank them for volunteering and let them know next steps.
  6. Use the Response record to track follow-up communications, results, and so on. This includes setting up a View Notification on the Waiting on Me view to place volunteers in a timely manner.
  7. Use the Background Checks page to ensure that volunteers have the needed screenings to work with kids.

Communicate with Camp or VBS Attendees

  1. Create a custom message template with your camp or VBS logo to "brand" your event.
  2. Use the Event Sign Up snippet to direct people directly to the event to sign up.
  3. If your event had the option to only pay a deposit, follow up with those with outstanding balances.
  4. Use the registrant message to send emails from the Group Participants page to all volunteers with important information, including where they will serve.
    Use the Group, Group Role, and Comments merge fields to tell your volunteers their Group and Group Role, as well as any comments they need to know.
  5. Use the Event Reminder notification a few days before the event to send parents one email listing all kids and their Group assignments:
    1. Change the default reminder in your Configuration Setting, or add a new message template to the event's Optional Reminder Message field.
    2. Add the token [Group_Assignment] to the body.
    3. Set Send to Heads to Yes.
    4. Set Days Out to Remind as needed (1 or higher).

Helpful Reports for Camps & VBS

A list of reports that provide helpful information for Camps and VBS, including the report, its description, and where to find it.

  • Selected Program Group Rosters
    • Run rosters for the Program Groups you selected.
    • Page: Program Groups
  • Selected Program Groups Multi-week Roster
    • Print a roster with columns for up to five weeks.
    • Page: Program Groups
  • Selected Program Groups Roll Scan Roster
    • Print Group rosters with barcodes that you can use to speed up attendance with the Roll Scan tool on the Event record. See Prepare a Group Roster Barcode for barcode configuration.
    • Page: Program Groups
  • Selected Program Participants List
    • Select a Program then run this report and return the Participants for that Program.
    • Page: Programs
  • Selected Program Roster
    • Use this report to print a roster of all Group members actively participating in the Programs you selected. To leave out some Program Groups, set that option in the Program Group record.
    • Page: Programs
  • Selected Group Roll Scan Roster
    • This report produces a roster with a 3of9 barcode for the selected groups. It is similar in function to the report titled Selected Program Groups Roll Scan Roster. See Prepare a Group Roster Barcode for barcode configuration.
  • Selected Group Roster
    • Get a roster of Participants for Groups you selected.
    • Page: Groups
  • Selected Group Roster: Parent Info
    • Print a roster for each Group with the parents' contact information for the Group members parents or Heads of Household.
    • Page: Groups

Also, you can create a custom report specifically for your camp or VBS with the appropriate content. For example, one church created a custom VBS report for parents to use to sign out their child at the end of each day. It included an image header that was the VBS logo. For details on how to request a custom report, see Report Work by Professional Services.

If you don't use Check-In Suite, you can use the Selected Group Nametags: Avery 5395 report on the Group page to print name tags ahead of time.

Note: These are standard nametags that do not include pick up or security tag options. If you need these components, we strongly recommend Check-In Suite.

Attendance for Camps or VBS

A brief guide on your options to take attendance for camps or VBS, including Check-In Suite, the Classroom Manager, the Rollscan Attendance Tool, and the Group Attendance Tool.

We recommend you use Check-In Suite for daily attendance, to print name tags, and to communicate room assignments along with security badges or pickup tags for parents. Check-In Suite is also great for volunteers!

You can create a custom Kiosk Theme and custom Label Sets for your camp or VBS.

You can also use the Group Room Overview to see room capacities and balancing, and use Classroom Manager to see things like who checked in, who arrived at their room, who can check a child out, and so on. This is great for Group Leaders and teachers!

If you choose not to use Check-In Suite to track each day's attendance, there are several other options to record attendance:

Tips & Tricks

Practical tips and innovative ideas to organize and manage camps and VBS programs, including tools for targeted communication, participant tracking, and efficient event management.

  • Use the Trim Selection Tool and/or Map My Selection Tool to create a targeted selection for an email blast promoting your camp or VBS.
  • Create custom views to keep tabs on details like Participants by grade, Participants by breakout Groups, volunteer placement, and so on.
    Remember: Don't forget, you can create a View Notification to receive an email with the content of a view leading up to the camp or VBS. For example, one church created a Group Count view to monitor the numbers of volunteers and kids.
  • Use the Assign Participants Tool to create or assign Default Contact registrants to real Participants.
  • To reduce the number of Default Contacts to assign, set Event to Force Login to Yes to require registrants to log in.
  • Use the Select Heads Instead option on the Transfer Selection Tool to turn a selection of your participating kids into a selection of their parents.
  • Use the New Message Tool to notify parents by text message about last minute changes - like about the new plan if it rains on pool day!
  • Use Event Metrics to record the total attendance or other metrics each day.
  • Consider using Parent Groups that stay the same from year to year to prevent having to remake custom views each year.
  • If you don't use Check-In Suite, print multiple lists of kid's group placement and room assignment posted in obvious spots and/or with various volunteers to help parents figure out where their kids go.
  • Additionally, you can engage Professional Services to help reduce staff time. For example, one church collected updated allergy information on the Custom Form that was part of Event registration. Then, Professional Services created a custom routine that added and updated the allergies from the Form to the Attributes page each night. As a result, updated allergies printed on name tags and the church staff didn't have to perform any additional data entry.
MinistryPlatform

Last updated: August 20, 2024