This document outlines the options found on the Troop’s General Settings page and how each piece of information is used throughout other parts of the site. Images provided will be from the perspective of the Troop Ministry Liaison.
The “General Settings” option is located under “Troop Settings” on the left menu navigation within Trail Life Connect. This option will only be visible and accessible to the Core Leadership Team for each Troop. (“General Settings” could also be available for a custom created Troop-level role, if the Troop Ministry Liaison has created one and has assigned permissions to access this item.)
Clicking the “General Settings” link will bring you to your Troop’s Settings page, where you will find four sections of information to complete for your Troop:
- Charter Organization Details
- Troop Meeting Location and Overview Information
- Other General Settings
- Support Contacts
Charter Organization Details
This section will allow the Troop’s Core Leaders to see what is on file regarding the Charter Organization itself (including the address and other contact info for the organization where the Troop is Chartered.) Also within this section, leaders will find a link to the current Charter Organization Ministry Agreement (COMA) as well as any past signed Charter Organization Ministry Agreements. Each instance can be clicked to view and/or print if a physical copy is needed for any reason.
Troop Meeting Location and Overview Information
This section is where you will specify the physical address of where your Troop meets. Your Charter Organization may potentially have a different address, but the address listed here should be the address of the physical location where your Troop holds its regular meetings. One important reason to make sure this address is correct: the address listed here correlates to where your Troop appears on the Find a Troop map at the https://findatroop.com website. Listing the correct address will help prospective Troop members know which Troops are near them as they seek to connect. Another important reason to make sure this address is correct: the address and county specified is used to connect your Troop to an Area Point Man. If the address is incorrect, you may experience support issues from your Area team until the information can be corrected to then place your Troop into the appropriate Area.
Optional items to complete include a phone number for the Troop, a Troop website, and a Troop Facebook page. Additionally, there is a dialogue box where you can provide a brief overview of your Troop. Any information entered here will be visible to prospective Troop members as they view your Troop information on the Find a Troop map. If you feel there is important or differentiating information about your Troop that would be helpful for a prospective member to know, provide it here in a brief summary. Otherwise, you can leave this box blank. *Remember, again – anything entered in the Troop Overview box will be publicly visible for anyone to see who visits the Find a Troop website map.
The optional section for ‘Troop Meeting Days & Times’ also ties into the “Find a Troop” website map. Click the check box next the day(s) that your Troop regularly meets, and then the frequency and meeting times. At the bottom of the list, choose whether to display these meeting days and times on the public “Find a Troop” map. Providing the meeting information may help prospective families know if the meeting night(s) will work with their schedule. Specifying this information, however, is optional and Troop leaders can also decide whether or not to display the information.
The final setting within this section allows your Troop to specify the start date of your program year. Every Troop is different, and will base this upon various factors (such as Calendar year, fiscal year, school year, etc.) Choose the date that best signifies the start of your Troop’s program year. *One thing to keep in mind is that this date will then be used for calculating certain items, such as a Trailman’s attendance percentage within a particular program year. Be aware that changing the program year start date may affect attendance percentages for past years as well as the current program year.
General Settings
This section of the Troop settings page provides yes/no options for 3 features within your Troop, and whether the Troop wishes to utilize them.
- Does the Troop want to display youth birthdays on the Calendar?
- Does the Troop want to show the skill set / profession fields on user profiles?
- Does the Troop want to require adult members to complete the skill set / profession fields on user profiles?
*If the 3rd option for requiring these fields is checked, members will be required to fill in this information when updating their profile. If the 2nd option is checked, but not the 3rd, then the fields will display within the profile but will be optional. If the 2nd option is not checked, then the skill set / profession fields will not display as part of member profiles.
Support Contacts
There are two pieces of information within this section, and both are required:
- Troop Level Support Contact Person
- Find a Troop Contacts
Troop Level Support Contact Person
For this item, you can only select one individual (using the drop-down menu.) The name listed here will be the individual who receives and responds to support requests specific to the Troop. These requests would come when someone clicks “Contact Troop…” under the Trail Life Connect Help menu. Select the appropriate Troop leader to receive and respond to support requests from Troop members.
Find a Troop Contacts
For this item, you must select at least one name but can select multiple names if desired. The selectable names in the list will be individuals who have roles with the “Communicate with Find a Troop Prospects” permission assigned. These individuals will already be able to access and interact with the Troop Prospects tool on the Dashboard, but only the names listed here will receive initial prospect email when someone first fills out the connect form on the “Find a Troop” map.
After any edits or changes are made to the Troop’s Settings, be sure to click the “Update” button at the bottom of the page to submit and save the changes.