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Event Management

You can add as many events to Scout Manager as you want. Use the built-in distribution lists to ensure everyone gets a reference to the event even if they join your Troop after the event gets created. Integrate your pack or troop's calendar with an external calendar such as Google Calendar.

When you create an event it does not automatically send an email like other calendar apps such as Outlook. This is to allow you to put together your event and save progress over time before sending out email notifications.

Viewing the Calendar

Each person gets their own customized view of the calendar showing only the events to which they've been invited. Parents will also be able to see events for their scouts. The calendar can be viewed in traditional calendar form or in list view from the "My events" tab.

Setting up an Event

When you create or edit an event you can add individuals or distribution lists to it. We recommend leveraging the built-in distribution lists as much as possible because they ensure that everybody gets a reference to the event even if they join your unit after the event gets created. Here's how it works:

Create a new event (or edit an existing one)

At the top of the form you'll see TO:. Type in "scouts" to filter the distribution lists and select "All Adults and Scouts". You can also add individuals by typing their name and selecting them from the list. If you don't add people or distribution-lists nobody will see or respond to your event. If you're working on a complex event you may want to hold off on adding people, just be sure you go back and add them later.

Add your content Add a subject/location, adjust the time, add reminders and other options.

Click "Save this Event" Thats it! At this point you've just created the event and it will start showing up on people's calendar when the login. If you want to send out an email informing them of the event, then edit the event and click "Save/Send Notification". An email will be sent to each person. The different options for "Save" vs "Save/Send" allow you to create and make updates to the event without spamming your users every time you change something.

Other Options

You may also want to setup automated email reminders. Those are configured on the Options tab when editing the event. You can configure up to 2 automated email reminders to be sent in advance of the event. You can also make an event recurring for things like meetings, etc by clicking "Add a repeating schedule" toward the bottom of the form. Options include:

  • Recurring events - make your event repeat over time
  • Reminder emails - automatically send a reminder email N days before your event.
  • RSVP - enable users to RSVP to your event. You can set maximum # and a cut-off date for responses.
  • Event cost - the cost per person/family to attend the event
  • Event Coordinators - add other people that will have edit privileges to your event

Keeping people informed of events

Once an event is created and people are invited you have a couple options to communicate it out to them. Sending emails is the first technique most people use. You can send notifications manually by checking the "Send Immediate" option and then saving the event. You can do this at any time (edit the event, check the box, save and it sends a single notification to each person). In addition, you can have the system auto-send reminders through the Event Options section. You can specify up to 2 periods to send a reminder email about the event X number of days before the event occurs.

External Calendar Synchronization

Users can also synchronize their external calendar with Scout Manager with the following types of support.

  1. Google Calendar Synchronization - this feature integrates directly with Google and automatically performs calendar updates as they occur on Scout Manager. Visit your User Profile, click setup and you're ready to go in seconds.
  2. Data Feeds - some internet calendars do not have integration API's, but rather do a direct import and often use a polling mechanism -- after setup they continuously reach out to Scout Manager to pull in updated calendar data. Each user has their own unique data feed URL's on their User Profile page to use for external services.

Refer to the section on managing your User Profile to set this up.

RSVP’s and Tracking Attendance

What you need to do is invite everybody who you need to track. There should be very few events where the scouts won't be invited. If your scouts don't have emails then its important that the parent is also invited otherwise they won't get email notifications. When scouts are sent emails the parents are cc'd as well as long as you the option "Copy parents on all emails to scouts" is enabled on your unit options.

Doing it like ensures you get adequate coverage for notifications, RSVP's, attendance tracking, user counts, etc.

We intentionally do not allow non-user email addresses. Siblings, grandparents, friends, etc can be accounted for with # attendees. If its important to know the specific person is attending then they probably need to be a user with separate tracking.

In Cub Scouts the parent is usually there too. Some parents just add their own email to their Scout so it's more like what you're describing as a single unit. Others split it.

See also the Guide for all Users / Using distribution lists

FAQs

Is there a way to add a document to an event?

You cannot attach a document to an event, but you can add a link to one that you've stored anywhere online including the Website Files section of Scout Manager. To reference them in any email / event you'll need to:

  1. Ensure your file is public
  2. Right-click the public access link icon. It's the down arrow icon.
  3. Select “copy link address” (the option may vary with your browser)