Recording event invites

Rowena Fox · May 2016

I am currently looking at how we record event invites, responses etc. we currently do this via an action- having a different action for each event. This however leads to a very long list of actions.

Does anyone have any recommendations for the best way to record this information?

My thoughts so far are;
A general events action with action attributes?
Assigned appeal?

Jen Claudy · May 2016

I'm going to assume that you do not have the Events Module.

Assigned Appeal would work, although that Tab can also get rather full. I don't know that I would do one Action with Action Attributes, that seems like it would take a bit of digging to get to the data. And either Attributes or Appeals doesn't give you a lot of fields to utilize in storing information.

I would definitely use an Action Type or a prefix on a selection of Action Types so you can easily find/group all Event-related Actions.

Jen Claudy · May 2016

Also, you can Filter which Actions appear on a Constituent's Action Tab. By Category, Type, Status, or Action Date. Unfortunately, this Filter is not sticky, so you would have to reset the Filter each time you open a Record. (Including if you are cycling thru a Query using the Next/Previous Record buttons.)

There is a Show dropdown that is sticky...when cycling or opening/closing records. Track View, Next 7 Days, Overdue Actions, Open Actions, Completed Actions, By Category, or By Type.

So if you use one Action Type (or a few with a prefix that indicates it's an Event), you can Show By Type and it will sort all Actions and collapse them into trees (expanding a tree does not stick). You can also Show All Actions, and just sort by Type. (It does not appear, after testing with my dummy records, that you can Sort within a section when using the Show function. Nor can you sort by multiple fields...i.e. you can sort the whole list by Type, but then the Actions are listed in the order they were entered, not in the order of the Action Date.)

My feeling is that, without the Event Module as an option, Actions will be your best bet. And I would stick with a separate Action per Event. More detail/fields available (including the Action Attributes and Action Notes Tabs). Plus, it's likely to be easier to convert to Event Records should you end up getting that module in the future. (I.e. if you move to RE:NXT and choose it as one of your included Modules.)

Nicole Holt · May 2016

We use an action. The action type is generic "event", status is "invited" until they either attend, RSVP, or don't, and we use action attributes to name the event. With a note describing the invitations, etc.It's not perfect, and it would probably be better with the Events module, but we do so few events that it just isn't worth the cost. It works for us.

Sharon Campbell · May 2016

We don't have the Event Module either but I use Actions to track who was invited, RSVP, etc. and it has worked well.

Category is Task/Other. (Nothing else fits. It is more than a mailing.)

Action Type is Event.

Action Date: whatever. it isn't important to us at this point. It can be the date of the event.

Under Attributes, in Categories I have a drop down of active events like Thomas Classroom Dedication, Cornerstone Reception.

Description is a drop down of Invited, Accepted, Declined, Attended, and No Show. The Date is when the invitation was sent, the date of the response, etc.

I put the number invited under Comments; then when someone accepts, I can put the number expected under Comments, plus I can add additonal info like "Bob," Joan and her mother Carol," "Needs wheelchair."

I can query on this info and pull it into excel to tally up the number expected.

This may not work for everyone but it sure has helped me.