This document provides an overview of some of the primary menu items and features contained within Trail Life Connect.
*For purposes of this document, many of the displayed views are that of the Troop Ministry Liaison (TML.) This role within the Troop contains all of the Troop-level permissions by default. Depending on your role(s), your view may be somewhat different. If you see something you believe you should have access to, please check with your TML regarding the role(s) assigned to you. The TML may determine whether to assign a different role and/or whether the situation requires creation of a custom Troop role.
Multiple Roles?
If you have multiple roles, your options may look somewhat different depending on which role you are currently using. To determine the role you are currently using, look to the upper left of the Trail Life Connect window where your current role in the system displays along with your name and profile picture. (See Figure 1a below.)
Figure 1a
To switch roles, click the drop-down arrow by your name in the upper right corner and choose the alternate role you would like to switch to. (See Figure 1b below.)
Figure 1b
Again, your role will determine what you see. (See Figure 1a above and Figure 1c below to compare the differences in the Dashboard view between a TML and a Parent/Guardian.)
Figure 1c
Notifications
The Notifications section of the Dashboard is a space for messages or actions that are specific to you and/or your family. Items that appear will go away once the requested action is taken. (See Figure 1a or 1c.)
Troop Member Statistics
This section of the Dashboard displays the Membership status of anyone in your Troop who has either not yet completed membership requirements, are soon to expire on one of the membership requirements, or who is already expired on a specific membership requirement. For youth, this will only show new/expiring/expired membership payments. For Registered Adults, it will additionally show new/expiring/expired youth Protection Training and Criminal Background Checks. There is a drop-down menu detailing why the information is displayed as it is on the Dashboard. Additionally, for the TML and some other Troop Leaders, a few graphical components are displayed, including the Charter Expiration date and who is the Troop’s Area Point Man. (See Figure 1d below.)
Figure 1d
Troop Members
The Troop Members link (if available to your role) will take you to the list of all the members in your Troop. You can locate specific members by using the search and filter options along the top of the list, and can click many of the column headers to sort the list alphabetically or numerically by that column’s filter. Additional controls in the upper right, above the list, allow for (1) displaying all Troop members on one page (if your Troop contains more than 25 members,) (2) displaying only Troop members who have been added within the last 30 days, (3) a toggle to show additional fields on-screen, (4) resetting any filters used, (5) exporting the Troop member list to Excel or CSV files, and (6) executing bulk member actions to change Level, Patrol, and/or Grade for multiple individuals at the same time. (See Figure 1e below.)
Figure 1e
Profile
Your Profile contains all the information about you and your Household. The Profile page includes the options for adding sons, a tab for Trail Life University, and tabs for Troop Documents and other Resources. Within your profile, if any of your sons are expired or expiring soon, you can click the red text by their names which results in a portal for completing their membership renewal. (See Figure 1f below.)
*In addition to a Trailman’s parent/guardian, the other standard Troop roles who can update profile information are: The Troop Ministry Liaison (TML), Troopmaster, and Committee Chairperson.
Figure 1f
You can also click a Trailman’s name to view his profile, and update the profile if needed. His ID Card can be printed if his membership is current, and any earned ranks and awards will display. (See Figure 1g below.)
Figure 1g
Clicking the Advancement tab of the Trailman’s profile will reveal further information regarding his advancement progress. (See Figure 1h below.)
Figure 1h
If you are a Registered Adult member, you will be able to print your ID Card using the link under your profile picture. (*ID Card printing is only available for Registered Adults whose membership requirements are current.) Registered Adult Members will also have expanded content within Trail Life University. (See Figure 1i below.)
Figure 1i
Finally, the TML has permissions to perform other Member functions within each Troop member
Profile, under the Member Tools section: Adding/Removing Roles, Re-assigning Household (if a
Troop member is not appearing in the correct Household,) Re-sending requests for Leader
Registration, and Deactivating Members. (See Figure 1j below.)
Figure 1j
Announcements
Clicking the link for Announcements (See Figure 1a or 1c), will take you to the Announcements page, where Troop, Area, Regional, and Home Office announcements will be displayed. Look for the Announcements item listed in the Help Videos & Documents section under the Help menu in Trail Life Connect for more information on how this section works.
Add Adults / Initiate Leaders / Transfer Members
Under “My Troop” on the left menu, there are options available to certain Troop leaders for (1) adding a new adult to your Troop, (2) initiating adult leader registrations, and (3) transferring members from other Troops. For adding new adults, there is a video tutorial in the Help Videos section of the Help menu that walks through the options for adding new adults to your Troop. Once an adult is listed within your Troop as a Parent/Guardian, you can also initiate a leader registration, which will send them an email invitation to become a Registered Adult. (Registered Adults pay the annual membership fee, must complete Child Safety Youth Protection Training, and must also submit an application for a Criminal Background Check. Having adults register provides an extra level of protection and opens up more Troop leadership opportunities. Registered Adults count towards the adherence to two-deep leadership.) Finally, for those with permissions, you can also add members by transferring them from other Troops. If a family is moving to your area, or is seeking an alternate Troop within their area, the Troop leaders can transfer them in. The transfer must always be performed by the receiving Troop. Fill in the requested information, and then send the transfer request to the member for their acceptance. (See these options shown under My Troop on the left menu in Figure 1e.)
Calendar
The Calendar section provides a link for viewing the overall Troop Calendar, as well as other tools depending on your role and included permissions. Calendar managers can create events and track attendance. Other Level leaders can also view and approve Troop Activities for Trailmen. See the TLC Help menu for more documentation and information regarding the Calendar in Trail Life Connect.
Advancement
This section is where advancement tracking occurs for the youth Trailmen as they move through the program. There are helpful resources under the Help menu that go deeper into recording Advancement. (See Figure 1a, showing menu and icon links.)
Documents
Manage Documents (left menu) is where those with permissions can upload Troop-specific documents for Troop members to access. Document uploads contain options to allow control over who sees the document within the Troop. Resources contains all of the official documents provided by the Home Office that detail various aspects of Trail Life USA, Troop management, and program specific information. (See Figure 1a.)
Communication
The two communication options on the left menu are to: (1) Email Members and (2) Update Announcements. Additional videos on the Help menu go into greater detail on both of these communication options. Also available here for those with permissions are the ability to create custom Groups to use with emails, as well as a link to view Email History. (See Figure 1a.)
Troop Settings
Many of the options here (on the left menu) are specific to the TML, as well as a few other Troop leaders with specified permissions.
General Settings are where to set the address of your meeting location, provide a Troop Overview, specify meeting days & times (and whether to display that publicly,) and specifying the primary Troop Support Contact as well as Find a Troop Contacts (for interacting with Member Prospects.)
User Role Permissions show details regarding standard, national roles and also provides the TML with the ability to add a custom Troop-level role with custom permissions that can be assigned to any registered adult within the Troop.
Update Categories is useful to establish as your Troop’s document library grows, and provides a way to sort and filter certain documents based on their category.
Update Patrols allows you to provide the names of the Patrols your Troop will use to group your Trailmen within at each level of the program.
Update Vehicles allows those with permissions to add/register any vehicles that may be used for transportation purposes surrounding Troop trips and activities. These vehicles can be called up and used within the transportation form on certain Calendar events when needed.
Update Email Templates allows you to create custom templates that can be used when sending emails, either through the Email tool or when emailing prospects through the Member Prospects tool.
(See Figure 1k below for these menu options.)
Trail Life Campfire
This will bring you into the built-in social media platform for Trail Life Connect. Access is restricted only to adult leaders who are fully Registered members with Trail Life USA. At the Campfire you can ask questions, answer questions, share Troop activities and photos, and participate in other typical social media interaction. (A tile for the Campfire is also located on the main Dashboard for registered adult leaders.)
Help Menu
The Help menu (on the left) contains help videos and help documents as well as links for contacting your Troop leaders, Area Point Man, or Trail Life Connect support. Additionally, there are links to other resources, such as the Trail Life USA Store, Events, and Branding information. (See Figure 1l below for these menu options.)
Figure 1k Figure 1l
Other Dashboard Icons/Tiles/Links
The remaining items available to click on the Dashboard are summarized below:
Leaders Digest is a tile found on the Dashboard for registered adult leaders. The Leaders Digest will contain information that is specifically targeted towards registered leaders in the form of helpful information or alerts as they relate to being a Trail Life adult leader.
Trail Life University will reveal various online training opportunities through the use of Courses and/or Modules. The displayed offerings will relate to the role(s) you hold within the Troop.
Badges will take you to the Badges & Awards page, which contains information about what is required to earn ranks and trail badges. All badges and awards are displayed. (See Figure 1m.) You can search by the badge or award Title, and can also filter the list by a specific Program. (See Figure 1n.) Expanding the item provides further info, and there are also download links (where applicable) for downloading a PDF version of the requirements. (See Figure 1o.)
Figure 1m
Figure 1n
Figure 1o
Freedom Award will bring you to a page containing more information about Trail Life USA’s Freedom Award including detailed guides for each path to Freedom. (See link in Figure 1a or Figure 1c.)
Member Prospects will only be available to registered leaders whose roles have the necessary permissions to view and interact with prospective Troop Members. Additional videos under the Help menu go into greater detail on both the Find-A-Troop map (used by prospects) and the Member Prospects tool for use by Troop leaders. (See link in Figure 1a.)
Health & Safety will bring you to the digital Health & Safety Guide as well as the Activities Risk Reference Guide. Search and/or navigate through the guides to learn more. (See link in Figure 1a or Figure 1c.)