Mission Trip Participants¶

This article is aimed at those going on a Mission Trip, to help them use all the tools TouchPoint has to offer to Goers.

View 9 minute Mission Trip Registration Video

This demonstrates exactly how to register, email supporters, monitor your balance, and even what your supporters will experience when they contribute online.

Note: This video was produced in early 2014 prior to the new UX and prior to the name change from BVCMS to TouchPoint. While some of the screens may look different, the functionality is basically the same.

Step 1

As a participant (Goer), you will register online to complete the registration form and make a deposit. That will trigger the following:

• An email confirmation with a paylink for you to use to make any subsequent payments

• Enrollment in the mission trip organization

• Placement in a small group named Goer inside that organization

• Creation of a user account for you in TouchPoint with an email for you to set a password

  Note

  If you already have a user account, use your same username and password to log on. If you forgot your password, click the Forgot? link in the password field on the log in page. Then enter your email address when prompted and an email will be sent to you, so you can reset your password.

• Access to Mission Trip information on the Involvement > Registration tab of your profile in TouchPoint, where you can view up-to-the-minute payment information, use a Make Payment link that functions just like the Paylink, and email supporters. If your church has enabled the optional Funding Pages, this tab will also have a link to your Funding Page where you can also see a list of your supporters and the amounts they have given.

Step 2

Find Supporters to email:

• Log on to TouchPoint, click the Involvement > Registration tab on your people record (profile), and then click the link Email Supporters.

• Enter the 10 digit phone number or email address for anyone you wish to email for support.

  • Entering phone numbers to find supporters:

    • If the phone number is found, everyone with that phone number on their record in the database will display in a list. Click on the name of the person you want to add to your recipients list.

    • If no one is found that has that phone number on their record, you will see nothing in the list.

  • Entering email addresses to find supporters:

    • Anyone with that email address on their record in the database will appear in the drop down list. Click the name to select the person.

    • If the email address is not found in the database, you have the option to click on the email address you entered and add that address to your list.

• You can proceed with Step 3 once you have your list of Supporters, or you can leave that page and return later to send the email if you are not ready to send it then.

Step 3

You have several options when creating your list of supporters:

• You can edit the salutation in your Supporter list for specific supporters.

  • There is some default logic built in that decides which form of salutation to use.

    • If the supporter is more than 10 years older than you, the default salutation will be Dear Mr. Smith (i.e. Dear and Title and Last Name).

    • If the supporter is less than 10 years older or is younger than you, the default will be Hi Harry (i.e. Hi and First Name).

    • If the supporter was not found in the database, the default will be Dear Friend.

  • Click Edit and make any changes you want to make. Example: if you are sending to a relative, you may want to say Hi Grandma.

  • Click Save after making any edits.

  Important

  Editing the salutation is done on the list of supporters, not in the supporter email. The email should contain the email replacement code {salutation}. Do not edit that. The logic above is dependent on that replacement code.

• You can choose not to send the email to someone in your list.

  • Click Edit.

  • Remove the check mark beside anyone to whom you do not want to send the email, but who you want to leave as a supporter (in case you decide to email that person later).

  • To remove a person from the list totally, click Edit and then click the red circle beside their name.

Example

You send an email to 5 supporters. You decide you want to send the email to 3 more people. When you get to the Email Supporters page, your current list is displayed. You will want to uncheck the names for those you have already sent an email before adding more supporters and editing and sending a 2nd email.

Step 4

Editing and sending the email to supporters:

• After clicking Email Supporters, click in the body of the email, make any changes and click Save.

• Add your name at the end of the email, so there is no doubt who it is from.

• You can return and send the email more than once, just be sure to edit the body each time and uncheck those in your supporter list who have already received the email.

Important

Do not edit the email until you are ready to send it, as it will default to the original one associated with the organization each time you return to that page and will not retain your changes.

Do NOT edit the link (where it says ‘click here…’) or your supporters will not be able to click to make a donation.

Do NOT remove the replacement code {salutation}.

If you send a test to yourself, you will not see the email replacement code {salutation}. The correct salutation will display when you actually send the email to your supporters.

Note

A system admin can edit the content in the system email template by navigating to Admin > Communication > Email Templates. From there, use the Roles filter for the SystemEmailTemplates role and find the template titled, Mission Trip Support Notice.

Step 5

Log on and go to your Involvements > Registrations tab to view the progress as donations are received.

• You will receive a notification each time someone donates toward your trip.

• If you click the Email Supporters link, you will also see the amount donated in parentheses beside the name of each person who has donated based on receiving your email.

• Exception: If the Supporter clicks “Do not notify…”, the amount will be reflected in the tracking and will reduce your balance, but you will not receive an email and an amount will not appear beside his name in your list of supporters.

• If your church has enabled Funding Pages, you can see on your Funding Page a list of donors who have contributed to your support and the amounts they have given. If one or more supporters has given anonymously, you will see Anonymous in the list along with the total amount given anonymously.