Adding a Group
New groups are added to iKnow in the Settings module.
Click Settings, in the menu, and then click Groups.
In the Group settings page, click the Add Group button at the top right of the page. We can then add the details of our new group.
Adding an address for the group will mean that the location appears in the Map App in iKnow, but this is optional.
We are able to set an upper limit for the number of members allowed in a group, by setting the Capacity. If we don’t need an upper limit, we can check the Unlimited check box.
Applying to Join Groups
We can allow people to apply to join groups from their own iKnow profiles. This can be restricted to only people in the same location that the Group has been created in, or it can be unrestricted.
The Description will be shown to people applying to join a group.
People can apply to join a group by clicking Groups, in the menu on their iKnow dashboard. If there are any groups they can apply to join, they will see a Groups You Can Apply to Join section. They can then just click the group they want to join and click the Apply button. There is an option to add a message, but this is not mandatory.
The group leader will receive an email to notify them that an application has been made to join their group. They can choose to Accept, or Reject, the application by clicking Applications, at the top of the Group page, and then the relevant button. The applicant will receive an email to notify them whether their application has been accepted or rejected.
If the option to allow applications is set to None, people can only be added to the group by someone with the correct permissions in iKnow.
Editing a Group
We can edit details of a Group by clicking the orange pencil icon. This will allow us to update the information about the Group, how many people are able to be in the group and how people can be added to the Group.
Add People to a Group
Clicking the People icon will allow us to add people to the group. Once we’ve clicked the button, we can search for people in the search bar and add them to the Group by clicking their names.
Each person added to a Group can be given access permissions, for the Group. If no specific access is given, they will be able to see the Group and, when they click it, they will have access to iShare, but nothing else.
If we want a person to be the group leader, we will need to tick the Assign Leader box. Ticking the Take Attendance box will allow them to mark the attendance for the group. View People will allow them to see the other people in the same group. The amount of information they can see about a person, is determined by the Admin Groups they are assigned to. If Send Messages is ticked, they will see the Contact Your Group button on the View People screen, and will be able to contact members of the Group through the iKnow Communication Suite. Ticking the Edit Calendar box will allow the person to add and remove events from the Group calendar. People can be removed from the Group by clicking the Remove button alongside their name.
Add Group to a Network
We can add a Group to a Group Network by clicking the Group Networks button and selecting the Network, or Networks, the Group should be a part of.
If our church has multiple locations, and the option has been enabled in Configuration, we can change which location the Group is connected to by clicking the Set Church button.
Delete or Archive a Group
Clicking the red dustbin icon will delete the Group from iKnow. Deleting a Group will also remove any attendance that has been recorded for that Group.
If we want to stop using a Group, but want to keep the statistics, we can use the Archive button. This will add the Group to the Archived Groups, where we can still access it to see statistics, or unarchive it, if we want to reinstate the Group.
Group Options
Clicking the Options tab allows us to set some further parameters for our Groups. Under Additional Notifications we can choose who will receive reminder emails when the Group Attendance is not filled in. These are emails that are sent if the Attendance isn’t completed within 24 hours of the Group meeting.
Selecting None will mean just the Group Leaders get the reminder email, selecting Group Network Overseers, means the Group Leaders and their Network Overseers will receive the email, and selecting Circle will mean the Group Leaders and the members of the Circle we select, will receive the email.
Under Options, we can choose whether or not we want to record Baptisms, Salvations and whether or not Communion was taken, when attendance is taken for the Group.