Group Attributes
Group Attributes are created to characterize group members. Attributes can be used to indicate someone's demographic, position, and more. What type of members are in this group? Is this member a man, woman, or youth? Are they age 18-29, 30-64, or 65+? Are they President, Vice President, etc.?
Attributes and their values may be a set of standardized descriptions that are defined at the Diocesan level or at the parish level. To create attributes, please review the following instructions:
(1) Go to Group > Group Maintenance.
(2) Select the group you want to add attributes to, then click the Attributes tab.
(3a) When adding any attribute that is not "Position", you'll want to select Add Attribute. Please proceed to Step 3b for instructions on adding an attribute of "Position".
- System - Select "eCatholic ChMS"
- Attribute Name - You can think of Attribute name as the different "categories" you want to list for your group members. Some examples may include but are not limited to Age, Demographic, Benefit Eligible, Tenure, etc.
- Attribute Value - Think of this field as the possible choices or values listed within each of your categories. For instance, if we list Attribute Name = Benefit Eligible then we may have Attribute Values of Full Time or Part Time.
Once you have chosen your System, Attribute Name, and Attribute Value, be sure to click Save.
Note: Once you've created an attribute in one group and you want to add it to another group, begin typing the Attribute Name and Value then you will be able to select it from the dropdown.
You are free to create as many or as little attributes as you'd like. Please review the screenshot below to see examples of some attributes.
(3b) If one of the attributes you'd like to add is "Position", you can add this through the Add Position button rather than Add Attribute. eCatholic ChMS will automatically be selected as the System, and POSITION will automatically be selected for the Attribute Name. Please be sure not to edit either of these fields. You are then free to enter whatever Attribute Value(s) you'd like, and click Save after each one.
This Attribute, the group position, is included in the Group Maintenance Download and Group Explorer Download.
(4) After you've added your attributes, refresh your screen. This will automatically take you to the Members tab and after a few seconds you will see the attributes have been added to your screen.
Important Note: After adding a new attribute, you will need to reload your screen and wait a few seconds in order to see that the attributes have been added to the Members tab. If you do not reload your screen your attributes will not be listed in the member tab.
Enter the parishioner's name as usual, and select the attributes you'd like to tie to each parishioner. You do not need to use every attribute for every member. You are free to use only those attributes which are relevant to the particular member you are adding to the group. Once you've added all relevant information, click Save to add the member to the group.
Note: It is only after you've added your first member to the group that the attributes will appear within the column headings where you see the members listed. In the screenshot below you will see the column headings: Full Name, Group Position, Attributes (Age, Gender, Tenure, Benefit Eligible, Position), Start Date, End Date, Cell Phone, and Email.
If there are no members in your group, the column headings will display as follows: Full Name, Group Position, Start Date, End Date, Cell Phone, and Email.
Note: You can always edit a member's group information by clicking View on the right. Please allow a few seconds for any attributes to load.