By creating an application form, you can collect information from your members that will be added to their profiles, allowing them to be more engaged within your community.
It's possible to create a custom registration form for different groups in your community.
To create a registration form, go to Group Settings and click Registration Form.
If necessary, add a header image (in the Upload Cover Photo box) to the form at the top then add a form title and description in the boxes below. For the form title, "Welcome to the X community!" is recommended. For the description, many communities add in group objectives or if necessary linking to your community’s terms of the agreement if required.
How to add a Cover Photo to the registration form:
Create a cover photo that suits the community brand.
The image dimensions should be 690 X 136 or larger at the same ratio.
Add custom fields to the form:
Some editable fields are added to start. Add more fields by clicking the Add Field button at the bottom of the form. Choose from Community Fields (existing fields) or Create New (fields).
NOTE: When creating a new field, Privacy settings are passed from the Parent group to any Child groups below it. Out-of-the-box community fields (Address, Phone, etc) do not do this.
Add from Community Fields
Community Fields are a great way to add any field that is in another group in the community. The information is linked, so if a member updates their information in one group, it will update across all groups.
Create New (Fields)
When creating new fields, there are several options. Some of these include dropdown menus (named Select), a Checkbox, Location (linked to Google Maps), Text, Radio, File Upload, Number, URL, Date, and Text Area.
Pro Tip: When using the Location field on the form to collect address information, it's recommended to also create a text field underneath it to capture detailed address information, such as suite or apartment numbers (see the image below).
Note: Data can not be uploaded to the Location field through the API or CSV upload.
Once the determined field is chosen, edit the field Settings.
Control what information members in the group can see about each other.
The visibility settings (named Visible to) can help members find each other easier and connect based on the information important to the community.
Privacy Options and Required Fields
Fields have 3 visibility options:
- Everyone in the group: data in these fields are visible to everyone in the group.
- Admins and the member: data in these fields are only visible to the admin and the specific member who filled out the registration form.
- Admins Only: data in these fields are only visible to the admins (the managers); the member does not see this field on the form or know this data exists in the system. For example: if an admin wants to add internal comments or instructions about a member that only the internal team can view and not the member.
Required Fields
Check off the Required Field box in this same settings field to ensure all members registering will fill out this field.
The checkbox next to Allow members to fill out this field signifies who can edit the field. Either the member can edit the field or only admins can edit the field. For example, only admins would edit the join date or renewal date for memberships.
Once the fields are created, either preview the form by clicking the Preview button or share the form's URL (by clicking the Share button) to recruit new members to sign up!
Removing Fields
To learn about removing fields, check out the article here.