Setup Questions
Billing and Account Info
- How do I control who gets emails from Rotunda Software?
- What does “unlimited tech support” include?
- How does billing for text messaging work?
- Are there any additional fees?
- What is the difference between the Online and Plus Editions?
- Can I have set up a separate contact for billing? What are they able to access?
Trial Information and Licensing
- When will my card be charged for auto-renewal of a License?
- 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?
- What are the limitations of a trial?
- How are MSP and VSP different?
- MSP Scheduling Tip: Use the Scheduling Roadmap for guidance on every step of the scheduling cycle
Installation
- How can an administrator install MSP on their computer?
- 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?
- How do I uninstall MSP from a computer I no longer have access to?
- How do I install MSP on a second (or third or fourth) computer?
- System Requirements for MSP
Database Questions
- What options do I have to fix a mistake I made in my database or schedules?
- Error Message (Mac): “The file at Library/Application Support/MinistrySchedulerPro/…” can’t be written”
- Error Message: “Exception Thrown: Attempt to convert non-date value”
- Error Message (Windows, when exporting): “The file at C:/Program Files/… does not exist" OR "File could not be found"
- Error Message: “Server Error: your request cannot be processed because another remote request…”
- What does cloud-based mean? Does the Online Edition still come with a downloaded component?
Volunteers
- MSP Scheduling Tip: When to set a volunteer as "Sub only"
- MSP Scheduling Tip: Edit a large group of volunteers at the same time
- MSP Scheduling Tip: Entering multiple email addresses for one volunteer
- MSP Scheduling Tip: Quickly find a volunteer in a list by typing his or her name
- MSP Scheduling Tip: Customizing the "Quick view" in the Volunteers pane
- MSP Scheduling Tip: Using and filtering the Comments field
Custom Fields
Families
Ministries & Subdivisions
- How can I add a ministry to MSP?
- Can I use MSP to schedule Adoration?
- When should I use subdivisions instead of labels?
- MSP Scheduling Tip: Allow volunteers to be scheduled in two ministries at the same service
- MSP Scheduling Tip: Using "Schedule this ministry autonomously" to even out distribution
- MSP Scheduling Tip: Create ministry folders to stay organized
Overview and Setup Videos
- Bird's Eye Overview (Video)
- Creating Ministries (Video)
- Labelling Positions (Video)
- Using Titles (Video)
- Creating Service Times (Video)
- Creating Volunteers (Video)
Synchronization and Importation
Synchronization with Management Software
- Syncing with Management Software (Video)
- What programs does MSP synchronize with?
- My church management program isn’t on the list of program MSP syncs with- can you add it?
- Why can’t the “Auto Detect” button find my church management program database?
- Why do I see everyone in my database during the synchronization?
- During synchronization I get a "[Microsoft][ODBC Driver Manager] Invalid string or buffer length" error.
Importing from Files
Scheduling Questions
Scheduling Videos
- Posting and Printing Schedules (Video)
- Scheduling 201: Running Your Next Schedule (Recorded Webinar)
- Painless Ministry Scheduling
- Scheduling 101: The MSP Scheduling Cycle (Recorded Webinar)
- Coordinate Ministries and Avoid Conflicts (Webinar Recording)
- Effective Ministry Scheduling (Webinar Recording)
Scheduling Preferences
- MSP Scheduling Tip: Using the preferred serving frequency setting on a "by ministry" basis
- Scheduling the same volunteer on multiple (but not all) services in a week
- MSP Scheduling Tip: Avoid conflicts by disabling profile request forms while scheduling
- MSP Scheduling Tip: 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?
Scheduling Families
- Options to schedule Families together
- 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?
- MSP Scheduling Tip: Making sure one parent or family member is not scheduled when another one is scheduled
- MSP Scheduling Tip: Add a can't serve time to an entire family at once
- MSP Scheduling Tip: Allow some families to be split up in ministries that are marked to have families always scheduled together
Creating a Schedule
- Is it possible to have two live schedules at one time?
- MSP Scheduling Tip: Remember to save the schedule skeleton
- Why won't MSP let me have two schedules with overlapping dates?
- MSP is telling me that my schedules overlap. How can I change the date range of a schedule once it has already been created?
- How does MSP schedule weekends where the month is split over Saturday and Sunday?
- Remove a position from all services on an open schedule
Auto-Scheduler
- MSP Scheduling Tip: Auto-schedule just particular ministries and service times
- MSP Scheduling Tip: Undo the auto-scheduler
- What is historical data, and why would I want to clear it (or not)?
- Can I schedule just one ministry at a time?
- How can I remove all of the auto-placed positions at once?
- 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
- MSP Scheduling Tip: 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
- MSP Scheduling Tip: 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
- MSP Scheduling Tip: A guide to MSP's scheduling icons - Flags
- MSP Scheduling Tip: 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)
- How do I delete a service from a schedule?
- MSP Scheduling Tip: Easily adjust the number of volunteers or ministries needed on an existing schedule
- MSP Scheduling Tip: Easily add a new recurring service time to an existing schedule
Rotational Scheduling
Preassignments
- 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?
- How do I schedule a volunteer once per month?
- MSP Scheduling Tip: 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 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
- Team won't get scheduled because 1 of the people is not available...
- Why is it that if someone on a team requests dates of unavailability the scheduler does not honor these and still schedules them?
Communication
Emailer
- What is a Token?
- A volunteer says they are not getting emails from MSP. How can I check this?
- Why are some of my emails ending up in volunteers' Spam/Junk folders?
- When certain volunteers reply to my emails, their reply is bounced back to them! What is going on?
- MSP Scheduling Tip: Manage your volunteers' automatic email settings from their profiles
- MSP Scheduling Tip: Using filters to group volunteers matching certain criteria
Text (SMS) Messaging
Automatic Reminders
- MSP Scheduling Tip: 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?
- How can I turn on automatic email reminders?
- MSP Scheduling Tip: Update the "From address" used for automatic emails
- MSP Scheduling Tip: Personalize automatic emails sent through MSP
- Is there any way to make the automatic emailer send out the available positions letter on more than one day?
Mailing Labels
Offline Volunteers
Web Terminal
Web Terminal Videos
- The Web Terminal for Volunteers (Video)
- Updating Your MSP Profile for Volunteers (video)
- Web Terminal for Ministry Leaders (Video)
- Managing the Web Terminal (Video)
- Rolling out the Web Terminal: An A-Z Guide (Recorded Webinar)
- 4 Easy Steps to Get Your Church Online (Recorded Webinar)
Web Terminal
- How can I customize what volunteers can see and update in the My Profile tab?
- How can I help a volunteer who is having trouble logging in to the Web Terminal?
- Host a Volunteer Training Night at Your Church
- Point volunteers to a tutorial on how to use the Web Terminal
- How can I customize the text in the Web Terminal to make my messages stand out?
- MSP Scheduling Tip: Save notes that volunteers submit online
Web Forms
- How can I turn on automatic processing for web forms?
- MSP Scheduling Tip: Notify others about important Web Forms
- MSP Scheduling Tip: Get new volunteers involved in ministry with MSP Enrollment forms
- MSP Scheduling Tip: Shorten URLs to put links on documents
- Exporting and Printing Web Forms
- MSP Scheduling Tip: How do I export web forms for archiving purposes?
MSP App
- MSP Scheduling Tip: Find and send your Organization ID to your volunteers
- How can I change what is displayed in the app?
- How can I take a screenshot of the app?
- Does MSP have a mobile app?
- Will I be notified of changes made by my volunteers through the app?
- Do you have an Android App available?
Ministry Leaders
- What is the difference between an Admin to MSP, and a Ministry Leader?
- How do I set up Admins and Ministry Leaders?
- How do I assign a Ministry Leader?
- What schedules can Ministry Leaders see and edit online?
- How can I allow my Ministry Leaders to edit the service plan?
- How do Ministry Leaders edit the service plan?
Usernames, Passwords and Preferences
- MSP Scheduling Tip: Reset volunteer passwords 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
- How are volunteers assigned their Web Terminal usernames and password?
Schedules on the Web Terminal
- MSP Scheduling Tip: Creating separate schedule views for each ministry
- MSP Scheduling Tip: Automatically post new schedules on your church website
- MSP Scheduling Tip: Display just future dates on Live Schedule Posts online
- MSP Scheduling Tip: Include phone numbers on schedules to foster communication among scheduled volunteers
- MSP Scheduling Tip: How can I only show schedules to ministry members in the Full Schedules tab?
- MSP Scheduling Tip: What is the difference between a Live schedule and a Live Schedule Post?
Subs, Swaps and Trading
- MSP Scheduling Tip: Turn off Swap Request emails for specific volunteers
- MSP Scheduling Tip: Send sub requests to more volunteers to get positions filled
- MSP Scheduling Tip: Request a sub on behalf of volunteers from inside of MSP!
- Who will get a swap request email?
- MSP Scheduling Tip: Limit sub request emails sent to volunteers
- How can I turn off swap request emails for one volunteer?
Reporting and Attendance
Rosterizer
- Rosterizer (Video)
- MSP Scheduling Tip: Export any combination of information from MSP using the Rosterizer
- MSP Scheduling Tip: Save MSP roster settings
- Cleaning up Rosters that include a list in one cell
- MSP Scheduling Tip: Exclude certain volunteers' information from rosters and schedules
- MSP Scheduling Tip: Personalizing schedules and rosters
Attendance Tracking
Sign-In Kiosk
- How do I turn on the Kiosk?
- How do I launch the Kiosk for my services?
- How does the Sign-in Kiosk work? When can people sign in?
- What devices can I run the Kiosk on?
- Is there an app for the Kiosk?
- Can I have a point-person sign people in using the Kiosk?
Service Planning
Service Planning
- MSP Scheduling Tip: Use the new liturgy and worship planning features to give volunteers easy access to all the resources they need when serving
- MSP Scheduling Tip: 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?
- How can I keep particular ministry assignments private when looking at service plans?
Resources
- MSP Scheduling Tip: Make it easy for volunteers to access important resources online
- What is a Resource? How do I add one?
- How can I automatically link to the USCCB readings?
- What types of files can I upload to the service plan?
- Is there a limit to how much data I can upload to the Web Terminal for my service plans?
Notes and Sequences
Service Planning Videos
Special Services
Managing Special Services
- How do I add special services to my schedule?
- What is the difference between a "one time only" service and a yearly service?
- How can I create a schedule for just my special services?
- MSP Scheduling Tip: Adding special services for Holy Week and Easter
- MSP Scheduling Tip: Reviewing how MSP schedules yearly services
- MSP Scheduling Tip: Plan ahead by easily managing service times
Scheduling Special Services
- MSP Scheduling Tip: Remove weekly services from Holy Days
- How do I add special services to the Open Positions section of the app?
- How do I allow all of my volutneers to sign up for a special service without adding that service to their profile?
- How can I remove last years' special services preferences from volunteer profiles?
- How can I leave my special services empty so volunteers can sign up online?
- How do I specify that only particular volunteers are scheduled for my special services?