What are Programs?
AMS Programs are the events that members (and non-members) of your organization attend! Rather than juggling sign-up emails, google forms, and external events management software, AMS Programs keep all your data in one place.
Program Types
The system manages three basic types of Programs:
- Workshops
- Classes, and;
- Events
There are no significant functional differences between the three types of Program; they’re used for classification and grouping.
How do I view programs?
Program Views
The main page displayed when clicking the Programs link provides three main views of Program information:
- Calendar View
- List View, and;
- Drafts View.
Calendar View and List View are subsections underneath the ‘Programs’ tab.
The Drafts View is accessed from within the Calendar View or List View.
What is the Calendar View?
The Calendar View displays a month-by-month calendar. The calendar shows any scheduled Program Sessions, including the name of the Program, and the time it’s scheduled for.
When clicked, the name of the Program links to the Program Summary View.
What is the List View?
The List View is divided into three sublists for Workshops, Classes, and Events. Each one displays any current Programs at the top, followed by a list of old Programs of that type.
Old Programs are Programs that have either been deleted, archived, or marked completed. Each item contains a summary of Program information.
Like with the Calendar View, the Program name is a link to the actual Program record.
What is the Drafts View?
The Drafts View provides a list of Programs that have been saved as drafts (and have not been published).
The Program name is a link to the Draft Program.
What is the Program Summary View? How do I access it?
The Program Summary View is where all Program information can be reviewed, and where all major Program functions are accessed.
The Summary View is displayed any time a Program name is clicked, or a new Program is created.
The Program Summary View consists of four major parts:
- Summary of Program Information and main function links
- Scheduled Program Dates List
- Registrations List
- Asset Reservations List
Summary of Program Information and Main Functions
The Summary of Program Information lists all the basic information entered about a Program.
The links to main functions include:
Record Notes link: This opens a text box that allows notes to be stored on an ongoing basis.
Edit Program link: Enables editing for the basic Program information using the same form as when the Program was created.
Cancel Program link: Marks the Program as Cancelled and removes any Asset Reservations that were made. Registrations are not automatically removed since the Registrations List is the only record of who was registered, and might be needed in order to contact those registrants to inform them of the cancellation. The Registrations must then be manually removed.
Mark Finished link: Marks a Program as Finished. This assumes that all of the scheduled sessions are over, and no action is taken aside from changing the Program’s status.
Export Paid Registrations link: This downloads a file with the names, emails, and phone numbers of the users registered on the program.
Scheduled Program Dates List: This shows all of the Program’s scheduled sessions, their date and time, and an option to remove them. To add a scheduled session, click the Add to Schedule link at the top of the list, select a date and enter a start and end time. Adding and removing Scheduled Program Dates happens in real time and does not require the Program to be saved afterwards.\
Registrations List: The registrations list shows all Friends that are registered in a Program, as well as any Drop-In Registrations that have been created.
Each Registration has a label indicating whether or not it has been paid, the date the Registration was created, and an option to remove the registrant from the Program.
Drop-in Registrations are Registrations for non-Friends. This allows the system to track Program participation without requiring the participants to be associated with your organization in any way.
A Drop-In Registration is created by clicking the red ‘Add’ link at the top of the Registrations list.
The only information required is first name, last name and contact info. When a Drop-In Registration is added to a Program, a Floating Invoice is automatically created and associated with that Registration.
How do I create a program?
Creating a new Program is a three-part process:
- Create the actual Program with all of the basic information required
- Define a Schedule for the Program
- Make any needed Asset Reservations
There are two ways to create a new program.
The first option is to navigate to the Calendar View OR List View subsections underneath the Programs tab…
…and click the ‘Add New Program’ button in the top right-hand corner.
OR, click the ‘Add New’ subsection underneath the Programs tab.
Both options will take you to the New Program Screen:
Key Program Information
You’re required to fill out some key program information in the New Program Screen.
By default, the type of Program created is a Workshop, but this can be changed by selecting the Class or Event at the top of the form.
Note: Once the Program is created, the program type can not be changed.
Workshop Title: Name of the program
Description: A brief explanation of the Program (visible from the ‘Enroll in Programs’ section of a Friend’s view)
Instructor(s) / Guests: Key people presenting the program
Location: Where the program takes place. Be as specific as possible for your attendees.
Non Member Price and Member Price: The price of the program for members and non-members. They are used in the calculations for automatically generated Registration Invoices,and must have a value (even if the values are 0).
Maximum Participants: The maximum number of participants a Program can host. The system will track the actual number of Registrations against this number. It makes the information available, but in the interest of flexibility, will not prevent staff from creating more Registrations than a Program has room for.
Minimum Participants: The minimum number of participants a Program should have in order to run. The system will track the actual number of Registrations against this number and make the information available. But, IT will not automatically perform any cancellation action if the minimum is not met.
The Early-Bird Discount and Early-Bird Register By: These are used to offer an Early-Bird Discount to those who register before a certain date. Both fields must be filled in order to be valid.
Program Expenses: Keeps track of expenses for running the Program. The field must be updated manually and should not include Program Cost Tracking Invoices, as these will automatically be tallied and included in the Program Cost calculation.
Drop Cutoff: The date registrants can drop the program without penalty. The link to ‘drop’ a Program from a Friend’s Enroll in Programs view will be removed if the Drop Date for the Program is in the past. But, Registrations can always be removed without system interference directly from the Program Summary view.
Program Status: Allows the program to be saved as either a Draft or an Active Program. New Programs are saved as a Draft by default, since the second part of the process — scheduling and asset reservations — still needs to occur. However, you can select ‘Active’ right away to make the Program immediately available for registration.
Once all program information is input, click the ‘Create Program’ button to complete, or ‘Cancel’ to go back.
Creating a Program Schedule
1. Navigate to the Program Summary View of the desired Program.
2. Click the ‘Add Schedule’ button at the bottom of the page (underneath ‘scheduled program dates).
3. This will open a calendar view with available dates and times.
4. Click the desired day of the program. It will turn pink when selected.
5. Customize times in the ‘From’ and ‘To’ dropdowns.
6. Click ‘Add Schedule’ to complete. Or, click the grey x in the top right-hand corner to go back.
7. Repeat with all additional program dates.
Making Asset Reservations for Programs
Asset Reservations allow you to put a hold on items for participants of your programs. These Bookings do not represent actual Bookings the way they do for a Friend. Instead, they reserve Assets for use by registrants of the Program. Registrants of the Program can book equipment and facilities that have been reserved by a Program only if they are registered in that Program.
Asset Reservations are made from the Program Summary View. All Bookings appear in the Asset Reservations list along with their booking date and time on the right-hand side of the Summary View.
1. Navigate to the Program Summary View of the desired program
2. Click the red Add button next to ‘Asset Reservations’ on the right-hand side.
3. This will open the ticket builder. For more information on building Tickets, see Billings and Payments.
4. Click ‘Update Ticket’ to add the reservation to your program.
5. Repeat with any additional assets.