COVID-19 related tips
Accommodate service and schedule changes
Communicate new protocols
- Using titles to make sure you have enough experienced volunteers
- Add attachments to emails
- What is a Resource? How do I add one?
- Use MSP's preconfigured email template to easily request updates to volunteers' availability before the next scheduling cycle
- Get new volunteers involved in ministry with MSP Enrollment forms
Checklist for resuming services
- How can I turn on automatic email reminders?
- Turn on automatic SMS / text message reminders for volunteers
- How do I uninstall MSP from one computer install it on a different one?
- How can I see which computers have MSP installed for my license and uninstall an installation if necessary?
- Web Terminal for Ministry Leaders (Video)
Managing cancelled services
Repurposing your database
- How can I set up Enrollment Forms to capture volunteer interest in new ministries only?
- Adding new ministries, services, and schedules
- How do I schedule volunteers when the task is not tied to a particular time?
- Create a list of unfilled positions to make it easy for volunteers to see & sign up to serve
- Using notes to identify volunteer tasks
Setup Questions
Billing and Account Info
- What is the price / cost of the program?
- What is the difference between the Online and Plus Editions?
- How do I purchase? What forms of payment do you accept?
- How do I renew my license's maintenance contract?
- Will I be sent an invoice? How do I print an invoice?
- Can I have set up a separate contact for billing? What are they able to access?
Trial Information and Licensing
- How can I see the mobile app from a volunteer's perspective in a trial?
- Use the Scheduling Roadmap for guidance on every step of the scheduling cycle
- What are the limitations of a trial?
- Do I need to use the full 30 days of my trial before I purchase?
- Can I use save the trial information I entered once I license?
- Will the information I entered be lost if my trial period expires?
Installation
- Error Message: "MoveFile failed code 183"
- How can an administrator install MSP on their computer?
- How do I install MSP on a new computer?
- How do I uninstall MSP from a computer I no longer have access to?
- System Requirements for MSP
- Is there a Macintosh version of MSP available?
Database Questions
- Error message when opening MSP on a Mac
- Error: “Could not save database at C:/Users/Public/Documents/Ministry Scheduler Pro/. It is possible you do not have access to this folder” with a pop-up from Defender stating Unauthorized changes blocked.
- Where is MSP on my computer?
- Send a screenshot from your computer
- What does cloud-based mean? Does the Online Edition still come with a downloaded component?
- How do I backup my database?
Volunteers
- Schedule a group of volunteers with one volunteer profile
- How do I import my MSP volunteers into a Unison group?
- When to set a volunteer as "Sub only"
- Edit a large group of volunteers at the same time
- Entering multiple email addresses for one volunteer
- Quickly find a volunteer in a list by typing his or her name
Custom Fields
Families
Ministries & Subdivisions
- What is block scheduling?
- Using Folders
- How can I combine separate ministries into one ministry with subdivisions?
- Setting up subdivisions
- Setting up labels
- How can I define the different roles I want a volunteer to perform in a ministry?
Overview and Setup Videos
- Bird's Eye Overview (Video)
- Creating Ministries (Video)
- Labelling Positions (Video)
- Using Titles (Video)
- Creating Volunteers (Video)
- Crash Course for New Admins (Video)
Ministry Specific Setup Recommendations
- Altar Server Ministry Resources
- Cantors and Music Ministry Resources
- Children's Ministry Resources
- EMHC and Communion Resources
- Hospitality Ministry Resoucres
- Offering Counter Resources
Multilingual Setup Recommendations
- Spanish-Language Resources for Volunteers at Multilingual Churches
- Setting Up Ministries at Multilingual Churches
- Setting Up Service Times for Multilingual Churches
- Web Terminal Setup Recommendations for Multilingual Churches
- Recommendations for Posting and Printing Schedules at Multilingual Churches
- Announcements Setup Recommendations for Multilingual Churches
Synchronization and Importation
Synchronization with Management Software
- One-Way Synchronization
- How can I ensure no duplicates are created if I already have a live management software database and MSP database?
- Synching Servant Keeper 8 in MacOS Catalina
- How can I sync additional ministries if my database is already connected to a church management system?
- How does synchronization with Servant Keeper work?
- What fields in Servant Keeper sync with MSP?
Importing from Files
Scheduling Questions
Scheduling Videos
Scheduling Preferences
- Scheduling the same volunteer on multiple (but not all) services in a week
- Avoid conflicts by disabling profile request forms while scheduling
- Using the preferred serving frequency setting on a "by ministry" basis
- How can I ensure that people are not scheduled two weeks in a row?
- How can I allow volunteers to be scheduled for two positions at one service?
- How does the "This ministry may be scheduled in combination with..." option work?
Scheduling Families
- How do I ensure that a family is always scheduled together?
- How do I ensure that family members are not scheduled at different times on the same weekend?
- Making sure one parent or family member is not scheduled when another one is scheduled
- Add a can't serve time to an entire family at once
- Allow some families to be split up in ministries that are marked to have families always scheduled together
- Can I schedule whole families in one position instead of just a single volunteer?
Creating a Schedule
- Creating Your Next Schedule Checklist
- How do I delete a schedule from the Schedules pane?
- How can I tell how a volunteer was placed on the schedule?
- Scheduling ministries for different time periods
- Is it possible to have two Live schedules at one time?
- Why won't MSP let me have two schedules with overlapping dates?
Auto-Scheduler
- Can the auto-scheduler prioritize certain ministries to make sure they are filled first?
- Auto-schedule just particular ministries or service times
- Undo the auto-scheduler
- What is historical scheduling data, and why would I want to clear it (or not)?
- Can I schedule just one ministry at a time?
- How can I leave services unfilled in the schedule so I can go back and manually schedule them later?
Distribution Questions
- Using the Distribution Report to add a position for volunteers to maintain balance
- Using the Distribution Report to remove a position for volunteers to maintain balance
- Using the Ministry Distribution Report to ensure a fair distribution of services
- How can I set up MSP so volunteers are more fairly distributed across service times?
- How can I see all the days one particular person was scheduled?
- Why are some people getting scheduled twice before others are scheduled once?
Scheduling Conflicts
Exporting Schedules
- Exporting separate schedules for each ministry
- Can I export a separate schedule for weekend and weekday services?
- Do my volunteers always have to be alphabetized in my exported schedules?
- Can I customize the schedules that are generated to our own special format?
- Can I include phone numbers after the names of my ministers in exported schedules?
- How can I view an exported schedule or roster without Microsoft Word?
Editing Existing Schedules
- How can I shorten an existing schedule?
- How can I extend a current schedule?
- A guide to MSP's scheduling icons - Flags
- A guide to MSP's scheduling icons
- I accidentally changed my Live schedule. Is there a way to fix it? (Restore schedules from auto backup)
- Easily add a new recurring service time to an existing schedule
Rotational Scheduling
Preassignments
- Why aren't my preassignments appearing on my schedule?
- Rotational Scheduling (Video)
- How can I preassign a volunteer for just one particular date?
- How do I set up a volunteer to be scheduled exactly one time every week?
- Accommodate specific schedule requests for future schedules prior to generating a schedule skeleton
- How do I set up a preassignment for a whole team of people?
Teams
- How does "Preassign these teams to the first through fourth/fifth week of every month" work?
- How can I generate a list of teams for a particular ministry, or a list of all my teams?
- How can I schedule two teams to rotate automatically every other week?
- Weekly team rotations are NOT showing up on the monthly services
- Why is it that if someone on a team requests dates of unavailability the scheduler does not honor these and still schedules them?
Communication
Announcements
- How do I send an email to a hand-picked group of volunteers?
- Announcements (videos)
- Viewing responses to polls and RSVPs
- Using RSVPs
- Using Polls to gather feedback
- BCC leaders on email or text Announcements
Text (SMS) Messaging
- Open SMS account for sending text messages to volunteers
- Text volunteers their scheduled dates
- How can I close my text messaging account?
- Send text message reminders to volunteers that specifically request to receive them
- What happens if volunteers reply to a text message I send?
- How can I send a text message to a group of volunteers?
Automatic Emails
- How do I turn off reminder emails for volunteers who have requested a sub?
- How do I remove a volunteer from automatic emails?
- Automatically send emails about open positions in the coming week
- How do I know if automatic emails are going out or if a specific volunteer got an automatic email?
- Update the "From" address used for automatic emails
- Personalize automatic emails sent through MSP
Mailing Labels
Offline Volunteers
Web Terminal
Web Terminal Videos
Web Terminal
- Benefits of Using the Web Terminal
- Adding "can't serve times" for a schedule that has already been finalized
- What turns on the Web Terminal?
- Setting up the Web Terminal: Checklist
- Can't add service times: "No services match the criteria in your profile"
- How can I customize what volunteers can see and update in the My Profile tab?
Web Forms
- How can I be notified when a web form is processed automatically?
- How do I turn on email notifications for pending web forms?
- Notify others about important Web Forms
- Shorten URLs to put links on documents
- How do I export web forms for archiving purposes?
- How do I turn on automatic processing for my web forms?
MSP on Mobile Devices
- Allow volunteers to see all open positions in the app
- How can I see the mobile version of the Web Terminal when I am on my regular computer?
- How can I view the desktop version of the Web Terminal on my phone?
- Limit volunteers to only see others scheduled in their ministry on the app
- Find your Organization ID
- Take a screenshot on your mobile device
Managing Ministry Leaders
- How can I edit a Ministry Leader's privileges?
- Edit schedules, track attendance and add new positions using the Web Terminal
- Designate Ministry Leaders to stay powerfully connected to volunteers in their ministry
- Allow Ministry Leaders to work on a schedule before it is Live
- Keep Ministry Leaders in the Loop
- Allow Ministry Leaders to add new volunteers to MSP
Usernames, Passwords and Preferences
- I changed my password, but I still cannot log on to MSP.
- Reset volunteer username and password as an administrator
- Sending volunteers an email to help them reset their password
- Why can't one family member "switch to" another?
- How do I send my volunteers the information they need to login?
- Setting my volunteer password
Schedules on the Web Terminal
- How do I create an additional Live Schedule Post?
- What do I do after I make my schedule Live? How do I send the schedule to volunteers?
- How can I change the layout of an existing Live Schedule Post?
- How do I post schedules on my church website?
- What is a Live Schedule Post?
- Creating separate schedule views for each ministry
Subs, Swaps and Trading
- Sending a sub request to only particular volunteers
- Can I limit the number of assignments or swap requests a volunteer can request?
- Turn off Swap Request emails for specific volunteers
- Send sub requests to more volunteers to get positions filled
- Request a sub on behalf of volunteers from inside of MSP!
- Limit sub request emails sent to volunteers
Ministry Leader Resources
Scheduling
Communication
- Printing emails
- Using email templates
- Sending emails with Polls or RSVPs
- Sending emails and viewing the engagement report
- Using tokens
- Sending emails using filters
Volunteer Management
Reporting and Attendance
Rosterizer
- Rosterizer (Video)
- Export any combination of information from MSP using the Rosterizer
- Save MSP roster settings
- Exclude certain volunteers' information from rosters and schedules
- Cleaning up Rosters that include a list in one cell
- How can I email or create a roster just for inactive volunteers?
Attendance Tracking
- Why is a swap requested volunteer being marked as a no show when I replace them? How can I manually flag as swap made?
- Attendance tracking fields
- Increase accountability through tracking attendance
- Print sign-in sheets for your services to help track attendance
- Following up with No Shows
- How can I create a list of people with perfect attendance?
Sign-In Kiosk
- Can I move a volunteer to a different position at the same service in the Kiosk?
- How do I undo a sign in from the kiosk if I made a mistake?
- How do I set the Kiosk to default to kiosk mode (not clipboard mode)?
- Can I check a volunteer into the Kiosk from the MSP volunteer app?
- Kiosk Video Tutorials for Volunteers
- How do I turn on the Kiosk?
Service Planning
Service Planning
- Service planning features to deprecate in early 2020
- Notes and Resources (Video)
- Point volunteers to resources related to their scheduled services
- What is the service plan view?
- How do I edit the service plan?
- How do my volunteers access the service plan?
Resources
Notes and Sequences
Special Services
Volunteer Views and Special Services
- How do I email my volunteers so they can sign up for special services?
- How do I hide special services from volunteers?
- How can I create a schedule for just my special services?
- Why are volunteers not able to add a yearly service preference to their profile?
- Why are my special services not showing up on the full schedule online?
- How do I add special services to the Open Positions section of the app?
Managing Special Services
- Why are the names of all of my services changing when I only want to change one?
- How do I add special services to my schedule?
- What is the difference between a "one time only" service and a yearly service?
- Reviewing how MSP schedules yearly services
- Exporting a list of service times
- Making seasonal changes to Service Times in the middle of a schedule
Scheduling Special Services
- How can I leave my special services empty so volunteers can sign up online?
- How do I allow all of my volunteers to be auto-scheduled for a special service without adding that service to their profile?
- How can I remove last years' special services preferences from volunteer profiles?
- How do I specify that only particular volunteers are scheduled for my special services?
- How do I get the auto-scheduler to use volunteers' weekly service preferences when scheduling special services?
- Why are people getting scheduled twice in quick succession for yearly (special) services?